Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb fell in love in classic Hollywood fashion, first locking eyes at the iconic Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood. Things started casual, but it was only a few weeks before they realized it might be much more. They’ve now been together for over 15 years, supporting one another in multiple movies and throughout all the ups-and-downs of life in entertainment.
Though they talk about one another relatively rarely, and Rockwell doesn’t have social media, Bibb does give a lot of updates on their love on Instagram. Here’s their full relationship timeline so far.
October 2007
In October 2007, Bibb and Rockwell met at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood. He was in the midst of filming Frost/Nixon. He invited Bibb on a date a week later at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles that ended up lasting the entire day. In an interview with Rosie O’Donnell in 2012, Bibb admitted she’d never dated a big celebrity before.
“It was weird,” she said, after joking they “met in the most cliché place.”
“I just smiled, and he smiled at me, and I thought, ‘Oh no, what’s that?’” she recalled. “Sometimes you just get struck.”
At first, she told Rockwell she wasn’t interested in anything serious.
“I think three weeks later, I was, like, ‘I love you so much,’” she added.
June 2008
They made their first red carpet appearance at the 2008 CineVegas film festival at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
July 2009
The pair got cute with some PDA at the Los Angeles premiere of G-Force at the El Capitan Theatre.
May 2010
In 2010, the couple both appeared in Iron Man 2 together after Rockwell joined the cast as Justin Hammer. Bibb was in the first film as Christine Everhart and made her return in the role.
November 2012
On a visit to Paris, the pair added their names on a lock that they put on a bridge over the Seine.
January 2015
Their film Don Verdean premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Utah with Rockwell in the lead as Don Verdean, a biblical archeologist, and Bibb as Joylinda Lazarus.
November 2015
“Happy birthday to this boy who is clearly on bath salts…i love you #samrockwell and i am so glad you were born….#heismyfavorite,” Bibb write for his November 5 birthday.
August 2016
The couple visited London’s Abbey Road Studios together.
May 2017
The couple starred in another film together, 2017’s The Dark of Night. Bibb starred as Madeline, and Rockwell was cast as Officer Witt.
August 2017
Fans thought that the couple might have been secretly married when Bibb captioned a photo of them on instagram by referring to them as “the Rockwells.”
“Buona sera…ti amo…night lovebugs xo-the rockwells,” she wrote.
But no marriage was confirmed.
January 2018
In January 2018, Rockwell won a SAG award for his role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. During his acceptance speech he thanked his “beloved” partner Bibb “who puts up with me.”
He added, “I love you, baby, I love you.”
Ahead of the ceremony, while being interviewed by E! News’ Giuliana Rancic, they were asked what has kept their relationship going so long.
“Communication,” Rockwell said.
“Good sex,” Bibb added.
“Communication and good sex,” Rockwell agreed.
“And a healthy sense of humor,” Bibb said.
“Humor is very important,” Rockwell continued. “She’s very funny.”
That same month, Rockwell won a Golden Globe for the role as well. Bibb shared with Rancic how surprised and excited she was for her partner.
“I could have strangled him,” she recalled. “I hugged him so hard. I was crying, I was all of it. I just didn’t expect them to say hi name. It’s been so long coming for Sam, so it’s really special to be here.”
She shared photos from the special night and a tribute to him after the win.
“About last night…so proud of you, my beloved, you are the greatest in everything…i am so grateful i got to see that explosion last night…set it all on fire,” Bibb wrote. “You’re a force and i love you…and you are kind and generous and the real f–king deal…and you put me in a fran and sammy sandwich…my adrenaline is still pumping from everything i absorbed last night…what an honor and thank you @goldenglobes…#timesup #tectonicshift.”
On the night of the SAG awards, he gushed about her, saying, “She’s my beloved. She keeps me laughing, and we take care of each other. She’s really talented and funny herself. She reminds me of a young Mary Tyler Moore.”
March 2018
Rockwell wore cufflinks with Bibb’s name on them to the Academy Awards, along with a Prada tuxedo and Christian Louboutin shoes.
And it seemed to give him luck:
June 2018
Rockwell shared some rules he and Bibb have to stay close in an interview with Us Weekly.
“We have a two-to-three-week rule and then we see each other,” he explained. “Then you get too independent if it’s four weeks, five weeks.”
He added that they both “have a sense of humor,” and “we just look after each other.”
December 2018
After Rockwell was nominated again for a Golden Globe for a role in Vice, Bibb wrote on Instagram, “i love you so #samrockwell…couldn’t be more proud of you and another @goldenglobes nomination for @vicemovie…#yippee…i love when that sun shines on you, my beloved…”
January 2019
About his performance in Vice, Bibb told Access Hollywood, “He’s so good. I’m just astounded by this man. I really think Sam is one of the best actors we have right now. This is about you. You are amazing.”
February 2019
Bibb wished Rockwell and their dog, Sadie, a Happy Valentine’s Day in February 2019, writing, “real grateful for these two jerks…#sadie #sammy i love you…happy valentines everyone…xolb.”
At the Academy Awards that month, she gushed about Rockwell, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Vice.
“Oscar wild…thank you to @theacademy for another amazing night and for recognizing my beloved #samrockwell…it’s no shock i think sammy is the most brilliant, but he’s also the most kind and the most awesome,” she wrote. “I love you cookie…to be on your arm, to be your mrs is so much fun…and thank you @armani for making sure we looked super fly on that red carpet…#oscars.”
September 2019
She had more to say at the Emmys that year: “I love you sammy…i will always be your arm charm…#emmys2019.”
January 2020
Rockwell won a 2020 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries of Television Movie for his role in Fosse/Verdon. He thanked Bibb again in his speech.
“My beloved Leslie Bibb, for reading scripts with me during the Christmas break,” Rockwell said. “Thank you. I love you very much.”
February 2020
The couple adopted a second dog in February 2020.
Bibb shared a photo of Rockwell and their new pup, Gus, on Instagram, writing, “just a fella with his new puppy…meet #gus the newest member of the #rockwell clan…thank you @heartsandbonesrescue for being so incredible…gus, his mama and his 14 litter mates got rescued in texas and are finding homes in the big apple…follow them on ig and support them cuz they are doing good things…xolb.”
July 2020
They shared another dog update on Sadie in July.
November 2020
“Hey cupcake … I love you #sammy for celebrating thirteen of these with me … nothing is sweeter than you,” Bibb posted on her 46th birthday.
January 2021
She shared another update in January 2021, writing, “godspeed sammy…i love this photo and i love that rockwell… hold the ones you love close and squeeze them tight…sending everyone lots of ❤️ and a whole lotta ⚡️…we need it now more than ever…📷cred: chris messina (also, sam is fine-he just left to shoot a movie in london)…xolb.”
May 2021
Rockwell crashed an interview Bibb was doing from home with Access Hollywood, showing an adorable at home moment for the couple.
February 2022
The couple traveled for Valentine’s Day in February 2022.
“babies…in love and in ireland…so grateful you’re still my true blue #sammy…happy valentines everyone…sending you all mad ♥️…” Bibb wrote on Instagram.
November 2022
She wished him another public happy birthday in November 2022, writing, “happy…happy birthday sammy…may this trip around the sun be out of sight…godspeed my love…you’re the cake and the icing and the goddamn cherry on top…i love you cookie…xlb”
October 2023
The couple celebrated their 16-year anniversary in October 2023.
“sweet sixteen sammy …was this from the first year, maybe the second, who knows we were babies and all the time is flying by and blurring into one helluva a ride with you…i feel very lucky to get to love this human and even luckier to be loved by him…give someone you ♥️a squeeze today and look them in the eye and tell them how you feel about them…it does the body good…” Bibb wrote in her tribute to him.
October 2024
The couple shared a sweet moment at the 2024 AFI Fest, walking the red carpet for the Closing Night Gala premiere of Juror #2 at TCL Chinese Theater on October 27.
November 2024
They were more casual a month later for the Los Angeles Tastemaker Screening of The Piano Lesson hosted by Netflix in West Hollywood.
On Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Bibb talked about Rockwell’s speech on The White Lotus season three explicitly stating his character’s sexual proclivities, saying she though the monologue was “iconic.”
“I ran lines with him,” Bibb shared. “I think that monologue is iconic and I think it’s really what the whole season is about—what (creator Mike White’s) really saying there.”
She continued, “He was shooting in South Africa. And he decided to do it. They came to him very last minute to do the show because we had gone long and casting had shifted. He was not sure about doing it just because he didn’t have proper prep time. So we went on a safari in South Africa, and I was like, ‘I’ll get you off book. I’ll get you off book.’”
She also discussed the scene on CBS Mornings, saying, “I read all eight (episodes) and I remember when I got to this monologue and this scene and I remember thinking, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this on television,’ and I felt like it’s what Mike was really trying to talk about with this show. He comes in and he’s like, ‘Here’s my truth’ and he’s unapologetic.”
She then discussed her own character on the show, adding, “I feel like if the women just came in and did what Frank did and (had) been like, ‘Hey, this is what’s happening in my life. I’m having problems with my marriage, I’m drinking too much, I’m doing this,’ whatever, they wouldn’t be gossiping about each other because they would immediately put the shield down and be vulnerable.”
June 2025
During a June 16 appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends, Bibb talked about their long relationship and why it didn’t end in marriage.
“Listen, I love Sam Rockwell,” said the actress. “I would put him in my pocket and carry him with me all the time. I love him. I do not want to get married.”
She continued, “It annoyed the crap out of me because he’s like, ‘Really, you don’t want to get married?’ I was like, ‘Stop saying it. I already said I don’t want to marry you. Stop asking me like I’m gonna pull a sneak on you.’”
Ultimately, Rockwell “didn’t want it either,” according to Bibb.
“Maybe it’s probably something about the way we grew up, but I feel like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” she explained, adding, “I feel like we are married!”
As for having children, she shared, “I just don’t have that chip in me.”
July 2025
Bibb supported Rockwell at the L.A. premiere of his movie The Bad Guys on July 23. Posing together on the red carpet, Bibb wore a satiny white pantsuit with a longline blazer while Rockwell dressed in an all-black suit.
