Is Laura Dern Married?
Laura Dern has had a pretty impressive career. From getting chased by raptors as Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park to playing the high-strung yet somehow relatable Renata Klein on Big Little Lies, she has an incredible range.
As the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, she had plenty of opportunity growing up to see what it was like on a Hollywood set. Obviously, she took to it like a fish to water, because she’s been a working actress ever since!
Given her charm, talent, and beauty, it seems like anyone would be happy to have her as a partner, which gets one wondering: Is Laura Dern married? And if not, has she been married in the past?
Laura Dern is not married now, but she once was
Way back in 2005, Laura Dern got married to musician Ben Harper, with whom she soon after had a son named Ellery and a daughter named Jaya. However, in 2010, things started to sour.
Their marriage reportedly fell apart, in part, because Harper just wasn’t that into Dern anymore. At the time, a source told Today: “The marriage became a chore — it lost passion and he got bored. He loves their kids and loves her, but wasn’t in love with her anymore.”
Pretty harsh and seems like a rough way for things to end, which is why the divorce itself was apparently pretty brutal. They separated in 2010, apparently tried to reconcile in 2012, but it didn’t work out.
When it came time to properly separate, Harper tried to deny Dern spousal support whereas Dern, in turn, tried to deny him custody of their children. They reached a compromise somewhere between their two demands in late 2013, but it sounds like the long and arduous divorce must have taken a toll on everyone involved.
Laura Dern talks openly about how much she learned from her divorce
Shortly after her divorce, Dern talked to The Telegraph about how she and her kids were adjusting after the big split. She said: “It just is what it is…Sadly, half of marriages end in divorce…there’s no shame around it – unless you want to project that on to yourself – but certainly there’s no longer cultural shame. Everyone is walking through it.”
Dern also said that because her kids were used to having two working parents in the entertainment industry already, they adjusted to splitting time between the two of them without much issue. Dern had personal experience with having parents who were divorced, too, so it made it easier for her to help the kids through it.
Dern noted: “Like me, they never really knew a mom and dad sitting down at the table for dinner every night. So I think that creates an easier transition.”
What does Laura Dern look for in a guy?
In the past, she’s had some high-profile beaus. Most recently, she was linked to NBA star Baron Davis back in 2017. Ex-boyfriends include Nicolas Cage, and Billy Bob Thornton, who quite famously left her high and dry to marry Angelina Jolie.
Dern was once quoted saying: “I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again.”
Dern is enjoying her single life. She told The Telegraph: “Love means a lot to me, and I love loving and I love boys.”
When asked what kind of men she goes for, Dern joked: “Maybe I should get a checklist – I’ve never had one. But love always redefines itself, doesn’t it? What really changes is that the priority in a relationship becomes fierce honesty and comfort with oneself. That becomes really sexy.”
