Joel Madden: Recent News

May 16, 2012

Nicole Richie & Joel Madden Enjoy a Family Day at the Zoo

Apr 23, 2012

Joe Jonas Sticks to His Boys at a Vodka Bash

Mar 17, 2011

Joel Madden: Snapshot

Name: Joel Madden
Date of Birth: March 11, 1979
Birth Place: Waldorf, Md.

Although pop-punk rocker Joel Madden has sold more than 9 million albums worldwide, the Good Charlotte frontman is widely known for being the man who domesticated Hollywood socialite and former party girl Nicole Richie.

But before Nicole brought Harlow and Sparrow into his life, Madden was teen queen Hilary Duff's much older (eight years), much edgier (punk vs. Disney pop), and much tattooed boyfriend for nearly two and a half years. In late 2006, he moved on with Richie, and together their family became the focus of their Hollywood lives, with the couple making it official at their December 2010 wedding at Lionel Richie's Los Angeles estate.

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Joel Madden: Video

Star Talk

The Good Charlotte bandmates take PEOPLE inside the recording studio and their "dope" new DCMA store in Los Angeles

(02:13)

Joel Madden: Five Fun Facts

Joel Madden's twin brother and Good Charlotte guitarist Benji was born five minutes before Joel. "I feel older – I'm the more responsible one," Benji told PEOPLE in 2004.
When Joel Madden first began performing with Good Charlotte, he was so nervous that he would sing with his back to the audience.
Joel Madden, who was eight years older than then-girlfriend Hilary Duff, told Teen People in 2006 that if he had a daughter Duff's age, "I wouldn't let it happen."
Joel Madden's band Good Charlotte, which he founded with his twin brother Benji, first recorded in 1996 on a home karaoke machine.
When asked by Rolling Stone in 2002, what the most embarrassing thing he listens to, Joel Madden said, "Vanessa Carlton. My friends see that and they're like, 'What?'"

Joel Madden: Biography

1979: March 11
The Madden Brothers
Just outside of Washington, D.C., in the suburb of Waldorf, Md., Roger Combs and Robin Madden welcome identical twin boys, Joel (left) and Benji. Robin, a devout Christian, and her four kids (including eldest son Josh and youngest child Sarah) are stricken by Roger's struggle with alcoholism and he loses a series of jobs.
1995: December 24
Joel & Benji's Rough Start
On Christmas Eve, father Roger leaves. The family is evicted from their home and forced to live with nearby relatives. They eventually move into a small farmhouse, but mother Robin suffers from the autoimmune disease lupus, resulting in frequent hospital stays. Joel (left) and Benji are forced to work at a series of jobs to help the family stay afloat. "When my dad left, I was always the one that was kind of, like, crying about it, like, 'Why us, why us?'" Joel tells Rolling Stone in 2003. "Lucky for me, I had Benj. We've always been sidekicks."
1996: Escaping to Good Charlotte
After going to a Beastie Boys concert, Benji and Joel form the band Good Charlotte with bassist Paul Thomas (right). After graduation from La Plata High School, they round out their band with guitarist Billy Martin. "The day we started the band, the question was when we were going to make it, not if we were gonna make it," Joel tells Rolling Stone.