18 Couples From The Early '00s Who Will Make You Believe In Love Again

Love in the age of Y2K.

Ah, the early '00s. Back when celebrity couples were at an all-time high.

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The early '00s were the decade that gave us some of Hollywood's most surprising romances. I'm looking at you, Tom Cruise and Sofia Vergara.

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And also some of the best Hollywood love stories.

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Check out all the early '00s couples you totally forgot were together.

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1. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams

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Ryan and Rachel met on the set of The Notebook and broke things off after two years of dating. 

2. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

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These two met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in the summer of 2004, but according to them, they didn't start dating until shortly after Brad's divorce from Jennifer Aniston. They married in 2014 before calling it quits in 2016. 

3. Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray

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These two had one of the shortest Hollywood marriages ever. They met while filming the hit teen drama series One Tree Hill before getting engaged in 2004, got married in 2005, and split five months later. 

4. Jennifer Lopez and Puff Daddy

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Yes, they dated. For two years, between 1999 and 2001. 

5. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

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They ruled the early '00s, and I guess now the roaring '20s. The pair originally dated for a year and a half before reuniting 17 years later in the summer of 2021. 

6. Jared Leto and Cameron Diaz

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The couple dated for four years, between 1999 and 2003, before going their separate ways. 

7. Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey

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When you think early '00s love stories, it's hard not to think of these two. They were married for four years, with an epic MTV show to go with it. 

8. Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst

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The pair dated from 2002 to 2004 and even shared a home in the Hollywood Hills together. 

9. Nelly and Ashanti

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Nelly met Ashanti at the 2003 Grammy Awards, where he won his first award for Best Rap/Song Performance. The two started dating a year later before separating in 2014 after 10 years together. 

10. Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson

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The two dated almost the entire time they starred together on the teen drama The OC. They called it quits after three years together, ahead of the show's final season. 

11. Wilmer Valderrama and Mandy Moore

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The pair dated from 2000 to 2002 and were at the top of the Hollywood goals list the entire time. 

12. Carson Daly and Tara Reid

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The couple dated for nearly two years and got engaged in 2000 before calling off the wedding in 2001.

13. Kevin Federline and Britney Spears

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The pair were married for three years, between 2004 and 2007, and had two sons together. 

14. Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin

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The couple kept their relationship very low-key, so it may come as a surprise to learn that the pair were actually together for around eight years. 

15. Lenny Kravitz and Nicole Kidman

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The pair dated, and were even engaged at one point, around 2002. 

16. Alexis Phifer and Kanye West

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Before Kim Kardashian, Kanye had a long-term relationship with designer Alexis Phifer. The two were even engaged to be married for a little over a year before calling it off in 2008. 

17. Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams

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The actors were together for three years and had a daughter together. 

18. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

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Staying true to their spontaneous nature, the pair were only together for six weeks before deciding to get married. They stayed married for eight years and became tabloid sensations, but all good things must come to an end. 

What a time to be alive. I can't wait to look back in a decade and reminisce about all the Hollywood couples who ruled the '20s.

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