Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett's Relationship Timeline: A Look Back

Rom-com queen Julia Roberts and country singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett engaged in a whirlwind romance that led to them eloping in June 1993 — just three weeks after they began dating. Although the short-lived marriage lasted less than two years, the couple split amicably in March 1995, which begs the question: What happened?

Due to the nature of their careers, Lovett and Roberts spent a lot of time apart, according to People. There was also the question of who bore more star power in the relationship: Oscar-winning Roberts or Lovett's hair? The musician's mop top was referenced in nearly every article about the couple. 

The same year Roberts and Lovett tied the knot, Barbara Walters confronted Roberts with the question on everyone's minds during a 1993 interview. Walters asked, "Do you like your husband's hair?" to which Roberts responded, "I do like his hair," adding that it was "not as big as everyone makes it out to be. It's pretty normal." OK, glad it was sorted that America's Sweetheart wasn't jealous of her then-beau's infamous 'do. 

Here's a look back at Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett's relationship.

1992: Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett first meet

Though both Roberts and Lovett appeared in Robert Altman's 1992 film The Player, and many attribute their introduction to that set, Roberts told Walters in 1993 that she and Lovett met through mutual friends. Per Esquire, she was reportedly a fan of his music before they were introduced and would listen to the singer's "tapes" (this was the early '90s, yes) in the car.

June 1993: Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett get married

Roberts and Lovett began dating in early June 1993 and surprised the media-consuming universe when they wed in a small Indiana town later that month, People reported. She was 25 years old, and he was 35.

When Roberts returned to the set of The Pelican Brief following her wedding, the cast and crew (including co-star Denzel Washington) threw her a party in which they all wore shirts that read: "He’s A Lovely Boy … But You Really Must Do Something About His Hair" on the back.

Despite the fanfare around their relationship and hair, Lovett and Roberts did an admirable job of making their union seem traditional. They had the classic church wedding (which they'd only begun planning 72 hours prior and was squeezed between Lovett's tour dates and Roberts's filming schedule).

The bride walked down the aisle barefoot in a white Commes des Garçons gown, purchased by Lovett, with a tulle scarf instead of a veil. Later that night, Lovett played a show for 10,000, bringing Roberts out on stage and telling the audience, "Welcome to the happiest day of my life."

On Thanksgiving of that same year, The New York Times reported that Roberts even cooked dinner for Lovett's family. 

In his 1994 interview with Esquire, Lovett bristled when journalist E. Jean Carroll referred to his wife as "Miss Roberts," telling her, "She uses my name in real life."

March 1995: Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett break up

The final year of Roberts and Lovett's marriage, the press went into overdrive when the Erin Brockovich star was spotted dancing with actor Ethan Hawke at a business dinner, reported People. In response to Rolling Stone asking Roberts in 1994 to comment on the fiaco, she answered, "I danced. Is that a felony?"

Of course, given the nature of their careers, it was impossible to not have to spend time apart. Still, the pair seemed to be making more effort as husband and wife. 

"We've never gone more than a week without seeing each other since we got married," Lovett told People toward the end of 1993, "but before that we'd never spent more than seven days together."

Though they rented a home together in Los Angeles, they still kept separate homes, according to Rolling Stone — his in his native Texas and hers in New York City. 

After nearly two years together, in March 1995, the couple announced their separation through a joint statement, per The Washington Post: "We remain close and in great support of one another."

"It's actually ridiculously amicable," Roberts told the Los Angeles Times of the split in a 1995 interview. "You'd think people who could be that nice to each other would probably be a couple, but it just sort of wasn't the way it was intended to be. We found our little niche and then overstepped it a little bit. In fact, I think it can just as often be the weaker choice to stay."

As of 1997, Lovett still called Roberts's mother "mom," according to People, and the actress later described her marriage to New York Daily News as simply a "miscalculation." 

"Never a mistake. Too many great things came out of it," Roberts told the outlet. "We have this great shared experience that never had any nasty moments. What we had doesn't come close to the mistake category."