Benji and Joel Madden shared insights into their respective marriages in a new interview.
The Good Charlotte rockers appeared on Thursday’s episode of Rob Lowe’s SiriusXM podcast Literally!, and spoke candidly about life with their famous spouses.
Benji, 46, who is married to actress Cameron Diaz, 52, and Joel, 46, who is married to The Simple Life star Nicole Richie, 43, shared that they ‘fear’ their ‘strong’ wives.
‘We all respect our wives. They are absolutely our counterparts and we all have a healthy fear of our wives,’ Joel shared. Benji added that they fear their partners ‘in the best way.’
‘You do not f**k with her,’ said Joel about Richie. ‘That’s the queen.’
Benji added, ‘Yeah, they’re queens. Go against my wife? Good luck. I don’t even need to get involved.’
Benji Madden, 46, and his brother Joel, 46, revealed they ‘fear’ their ‘strong’ wives Cameron Diaz , 52, and Nicole Richie, 43; (L-R) Nicole, Joel, Cameron and Benji seen in 2016
The Good Charlotte rockers appeared on Thursday’s episode of Rob Lowe’s SiriusXM podcast Literally!, and spoke candidly about life with their famous spouses
The conversation started when Lowe, 61, who’s married to Sheryl Berkoff, discussed their ‘strong’ wives and their shared relationship values.
Benji said: ‘When you think about the powerful women that are just these forces of nature — I think all of our wives are interesting in the fact that they also don’t want to be with a pushover guy.’
‘They still need a strong counterpart, but you have to also not have the ego,’ he went on.
‘I don’t know if I ever thought someone could keep me,’ Joel added.
‘I don’t know how I felt about it. I was a relationship guy, but then I met Nicole, and she absolutely runs the show — but we are partners.’
‘There’s aspects that I run, but there’s a whole part of my life that would not work if she wasn’t there running it. And she gave me a way deeper, richer life because of the aspects of my life that she oversees, she runs, and vice versa. We work together, but she’s strong. I respect her and fear her a little bit.’
Benji then shared that when he met Cameron he felt the world had finally shifted into place.
Joel then clarified his prior statement, saying, ‘Fear is strong, ’cause it sounds almost, like, abusive,’ he said, adding that Nicole is ‘sharp’ and ‘strong.’
‘We all respect our wives. They are absolutely our counterparts and we all have a healthy fear of our wives,’ Joel shared. Benji added that they fear their partners ‘in the best way’
Benji shared: ‘When you think about the powerful women that are just these forces of nature — I think all of our wives are interesting in the fact that they also don’t want to be with a pushover guy’
‘You do not f**k with her,’ said Joel about Richie. ‘That’s the queen’; the pair seen in 2024
Benji added, ‘Yeah, they’re queens. Go against my wife? Good luck. I don’t even need to get involved’; he and Diaz pictured in 2016
Benji married Diaz in 2015. They share two children, daughter Raddix, 5, and son Cardinal, 1; pictured in 2015
Lowe added, ‘They’re formidable. You don’t wanna f**k with them. I want no part of running afoul of any of our three wives.’
Benji married Diaz in 2015. They share two children, daughter Raddix, 5, and son Cardinal, 1.
Joel married Richie in 2010. They share two children, daughter Harlow, 17, and son Sparrow, 15.
In January, Cameron received a loving tribute from Benji as the couple posed for a rare selfie to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary and her return to the big screen.
The Mask actress cozied up next to the musician as he sweetly called her his ‘best friend.’
Madden uploaded a photo of both himself and Cameron as they took the snap outdoors.
She wrapped her right arm over his shoulders as the lovebirds flashed small smiles towards the camera.
‘This is my QUEEN ❤️ I celebrate this BAD A** WOMAN . Wife, Mommy, friend, partner, Boss, and lover,’ Benji penned in the caption.
‘We just hit 10 YEARS married on January 5th and every year only gets more fulfilling. It’s special.’
‘Never perfect – always real- always reliable. Every day getting to have my best friend with me ride or die….what a beautiful life- I am GRATEFUL!!!’
The Good Charlotte guitarist concluded with, ‘And ANOTHER MiLESTONE happening TOMORROW!!! We are SO happy to see you….BACK IN ACTION!!….Congrats baby!!❤️❤️❤️ @camerondiaz GO watch it on @netflix.’
In December, Cameron opened up about what she ‘depends’ on to keep her marriage to Madden strong.
Joel married Richie in 2010. They share two children, daughter Harlow, 17, and son Sparrow, 15; seen in 2019
Nicole seen with their kids in 2024 at the Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead premiere in Los Angeles
On the Artist Friendly podcast with Benji’s twin brother the actress shared that both she and her husband attend therapy.
‘It’s what we depend on, so you have that commitment to work on it,’ she explained and added it prevents the pair from doing ‘the same thing over and over.’
Therapy also helps her to answer questions such as ‘Why didn’t it work? How can I make it work? What’s my part? What’s the other person’s work?’
Diaz further expressed that going to therapy helps the couple to be ‘a little bit more equipped to hopefully come out with a different outcome.’
‘You can’t be in a marriage and have a family if…both people are not 100 percent every day. Nobody can be 99 and the other one be 100. [It helps us] either resolve something or create a new understanding of a new process together.’
In 2023 Joel also admitted that he and Nicole go to couples therapy, stating, ‘I don’t think we pretend to be perfect either… I think we’re all human.’
