Jessica Alba Spent More Than a Year ‘Going Through the Motions’ With Cash Warren Before Announcing Split
Another celebrity marriage is ending. Jessica Alba and her husband of 17 years, Cash Warren, are calling it quits. Things have reportedly been over between the actor-entrepeneur and the producer for some time. Ahead, how the spark between Alba and Warren went out.
Jessica and Cash became ‘just friends’ in their marriage
According to insiders, Alba an Warren’s marriage slowly broke down and a change in “priorities” played a significant role. So much so that the romance between them in gone. Instead, they’re “just friends.”
“Things have been pretty bad with them romantically for a over a year,” a source told Daily Mail. “They are so devoted to their kids and their careers but they weren’t growing their relationship. They’re just friends.”
Alba and Warren met while filming Fantastic Four in 2004. After a brief split, they married in 2008. They share three children: daughters Honor, 16, and Haven, 13, and son Hayes, 7.
What the estranged husband and wife envisioned for their life together didn’t go according to plan. “When they started out, they thought they were going to be working on and producing movies and TV shows together,” the insider said. “But once their businesses took off and they had kids, their priorities changed and in turn their feelings did too.”
Alba started The Honest Company in 2012 before taking the company public and later stepping down as CEO in 2024. Meanwhile, Warren is the co-founder of the underwear brand, Pair of Thieves.
Infidelity, the source added, wasn’t a factor in Alba and Warren’s split. “They both want a fresh start. There was no cheating involved. They just were going through the motions in the last year or two and it was time to move on.”
Alba’s success reportedly left Warren feeling like their relationship wasn’t a priority. “[She was] so focused on her business that she didn’t give Cash any leverage to make things work, and he did try,” the source said.
Alba, they claimed, “continued to shoot down any attempts to go on dates and do stuff as a couple” until it got to “a point where it was easier for him to give up and give her what he felt she ultimately wanted.”
Alba discussed ‘going through the motions’ in her marriage on a 2024 podcast
Alba herself used the phrase “going through the motions” during a 2024 guest spot on Katherine Schwarzenegger’s podcast, “Before, During And After Baby.”
“It’s all rosy for two and a half years, but then after that you become roommates,” the now-44-year-old said. “You’re just going through the motions. It’s the responsibilities. It’s a lot of like checking the boxes, right?”
Alba also opened up about how she and Warren’s “date nights” had dwindled. “We used to do like: ‘Every Wednesday, we’re gonna do date night. Every week, we’re gonna set aside a time, we’re gonna at least to date night, right? We won’t have our phones and we’ll just like talk.’ But then that stopped, because of whatever. And so we’re just not consistent.”
“But I would say that being able to communicate when you’re unhappy and nipping it right away, instead of letting it sort of fester, and then you have animosity and then it explodes, which we’ve done—we’ve gone through that one too.”
Also on the podcast, Alba confessed she didn’t always strike a balance between her responsibilities, whether personal and professional, and making sure Warren “feels tended to.”
Jessica Alba’s divorce announcement: ‘time for us to embark on a new chapter’
On Jan. 16, 2025, Alba spoke out about her and Warren’s decision to split in an Instagram post. “I’ve been on a journey of self realization and transformation for years – both as an individual and in partnership with Cash,” she said.
“I’m proud of how we’ve grown in our marriage over the last 20 years,” she continued, “and it’s now time for us to embark on a new chapter of growth and evolution as individuals.”
“We are moving forward with love and kindness and respect for each other and will forever be family,” Alba added. “Our children remain our highest priority and we request privacy at this time.”
In the days since Alba’s alluded to where she’s at mentally, sharing an Instagram post from author and poet Diego Perez (@yung_pueblo) to her Instagram Stories, per People.
Perez’s post read: “How do you build a good life? Relentlessly follow your intuition. Build with people who also love to grow. Take responsibility for your healing. Love yourself so deeply that you feel at home in your own body and mind. Teach yourself to forgive. Never stop being a kind person.”
Alba shared Perez’s post to her Stories and commented on it with one word: “This.”
