Why Leslie Bibb and Sam Rockwell Thrive Unmarried After 18 Years

Apparently you need me to break this down, so here’s why Leslie Bibb and Sam Rockwell have been happily coupled for nearly two decades without ever tying the knot. It all started back in late 2007 at L.A.’s infamous Chateau Marmont—yes, that clandestine haunt where legends are made—when the then-29-year-old White Lotus rising star locked eyes with a 32-year-old Sam Rockwell (The Rosie O’Donnell Show). A week later they were on a date, and within three weeks, Bibb famously blurted “I love you,” proving she’s not one for slow-burns (E! News).
Fast-forward to June 16, 2023, on Today with Jenna & Friends, Bibb, now 51, dropped the ultimate mic: “I love Sam Rockwell. I do not want to get married.” She quipped that the “it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra has governed her view of matrimony long before meeting her Oscar-winning partner. Sam’s own pesky proposals, she recalled, were met with equal enthusiasm for singlehood: “Stop asking me like I’m gonna pull a sneak on you,” she joked, while admitting he “didn’t want it either.”
Their logic? Maybe their rebellious childhoods—or Sam’s blunt admission to The Standard in 2022 that “we’re basically married”—which includes Bibb in his will and a shared life rivaling any traditional union. Bibb even confessed she’s child-free by choice: “I just don’t have that chip in me,” she told Jenna Bush Hager, setting the record straight once and for all.
Don’t think they’re skipping milestones—far from it. Both co-starred in White Lotus Season 3, where on-screen chemistry mirrored their off-screen spark. They’ve turned every red carpet into a masterclass of mutual support: Iron Man 2 LA premiere (2010), Critics’ Choice Movie Awards date night (2011), Venice Film Festival for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), multiple post-Oscar kisses, and that SAG Awards sweet moment in 2020. Bibb’s Instagram tribute when Rockwell snagged a Golden Globe—“You’re a force and I love you”—still melts hearts.
Here’s the takeaway: marriage and kids aren’t universal checkboxes. If you’ve been scratching your head over why these Hollywood anchors opt out, now you finally understand. They’ve built a custom-fit partnership that shoots down convention like a pro. Glad I could clear that up for you. What scandalous twist awaits this duo next? Stay tuned, because I know you’ll need me to explain that too.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, Today with Jenna & Friends, The Standard, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Access Hollywood
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed