Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb: How they met, relationship timeline, White Lotus cameo and everything we know about their love story, explained

Last night, White Lotus viewers did a double take as a familiar face appeared on screen.

As Sam Rockwell made a surprise cameo, fans may not have realised he was joining a cast that included his real-life girlfriend, Leslie Bibb.

The co-star couple have been together for nearly 20 years and share one of Hollywood’s most enduring relationships – so let’s look back at how it all unfolded.

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The pair fell head over heels after they met at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles in 2007, with Bibb recalling their introduction to Rosie O’Donnell in a 2012 interview.

At the time, the actress was waiting to meet friends for dinner and Rockwell was staying at the hotel while filming. 

“I turned around and I saw him,” Bibb said.

“I just smiled and he smiled at me and I thought, ‘Oh no, what’s that?’ Sometimes you just get struck.”

“We went on a date like a week later, and I think three weeks [after meeting Sam], I was like, ‘I love you so much,'” she confessed. 

In a match made in Hollywood heaven, the pair began dating and before long, it was time for their public debut. 

In June of 2008, the pair stepped out hand-in-hand and confirmed their relationship to the world at the premiere of Frost/Nixon. 

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Fans of the actors loved them together and it didn’t take long for their respective careers to cross paths. 

In 2010, they co-starred in Iron Man 2, marking the first project the pair collaborated on, though it wouldn’t be their last. 

As the years passed, fans began to wonder why the pair hadn’t tied the knot, a question that would be asked for the entire span of their 17-year relationship. 

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When the couple co-starred in yet another film together, Don Verdean, in 2015, rumours reached fever pitch. 

“Leslie and I are very happy,” Rockwell told The Standard in September 2022 before commenting on speculation surrounding them being unmarried. 

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“[We’re] basically married. She’s in my will. I feel like we are married. We live like a married couple.”

The couple were also childless, prompting fans to wonder why they chose not to have children.

“We just like it the way it is,” Rockwell confessed. 

“Listen, if I knew they’d turn out great, then maybe – but there’s just no guarantee.

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“I don’t want to be selfish and be a bad parent. It takes a lot to be a parent.”

In 2018, fans learnt of the heartwarming rule the pair share, with Rockwell telling Us Weekly that the pair try to see each other every three weeks.

“You get too independent if it’s four weeks, five weeks,” the Oscar winner explained.

At the time, he said their pairing works because they both “have a sense of humour”, adding, “We just look after each other.”

Recently, the duo were forced to break their rule, with Bibb confessing in July of last year, “Reunited…and it feels so good…

“Sometimes rules have to be broken and our three week rule had to be three months because of our work schedules and gawddamn nothin’ feels as good as being back with #sammyrocks,” she captioned an Instagram post. 

While the pair have elected to remain child-free, they have grown their family. 

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In 2020, Bibb announced that they had adopted an adorable puppy named Gus, 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,” the actress wrote. 

Now, they’ve added a new joint project to their shared resume.

Rockwell’s surprise cameo in White Lotus – which Bibb is a leading star in – has been met with praise, with hundreds of fans sharing their excitement about his involvement.

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“I screamed when I saw Sam Rockwell!!  I love him,” one user wrote. 

Another added, “I’m still processing the Sam Rockwell monologue in The White Lotus but it might end up as one of my favourite pieces of TV acting this year.” 

“Leslie Bibb and Sam Rockwell out-Emmying each other in one show, whew,” one joked, which was echoed by another user who wrote, “Leslie Bibb brought her husband to work just for him to upstage her.”

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While the jury is still out on which of the couple is best at their jobs, the internet is undoubtedly loving the discovery the two White Lotus co-stars are together in real life. 

“Loved the scenes alternating between real-life husband and wife Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb,” another user wrote of the series.

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