Actress Laura Dern, musician Ben Harper and their two children Ellery Walker, 8, and Jaya, 5, lend support — and smiles — to friend Mary Steenburgen, as she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday.
The couple will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary this week.
 Lionel Hahn/Abaca |
Pick up your copy on newsstands
Click here for instant access to the Digital Magazine
Advertisement
PEOPLE.com reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.
Showing 47 comments
Shannon on
Wow! Jaya is a gorgeous little girl! Beautiful family!
Cassandra on
Those two are beautiful!!!
Ashandra on
I’m so glad to hear that these two married! It shows a wonderful example to their children. I am so relieved.
iluvallbabies on
hahahahah that looks like Bens hair, but its the guy behind him!!!
isa on
iluvallbabies, I thought that, too! I was like, wow, is he rocking a headband? Then I realized the hair wasn’t his!
Beautiful kids!
Chris on
What a gorgeous family! Their children are stunning.
NLT on
What? No one’s gonna comment on how they got together? How hypocritical.
kimi on
no 3. Ashandra, Ben Harper left his first wife for Laura Dern When she was pregnant with their second child.
sat on
Gorgeous gorgeous family, each child is a great blend of mom and dad! Talented parents!!!
Lauren on
Both gorgeous kids, and Ellery has always been handsome, but I can’t get over Jaya. WOW. I haven’t seen a picture of her in at least six months and she has matured an insane amount in that time. She is seriously stunning.
Does anyone know the ages of Ben’s older kids, CJ and Harris? They seem pretty close in age to Ellery, and I know Ben and Laura didn’t get together in the most kosher way, so I think there may be validity to the story of Ben leaving Joanna when she was pregnant. Harris only looks about 2-3 years older than Ellery at most, which would make that assumption correct.
urbanadventurertales on
You rarely see pics of this family and I’m always happy to see them! I love Ben Harper! He reminds me of my husband and I love to see their kids. I have twins and one of my twins looks kind of like the Harper kids.
Jane on
Beautiful family! Ellery looks just like his Dad.
jill on
Any info on Laura Dern’s sunglasses! I love them!
Jessicad on
Wait, he left his wife for her? Didn’t know that. Isn’t she the one Billy Bob Thornton left for Angelina Jolie? Or was that someone else?
Sophia on
Wow, Jaya is stunning!
ana on
Of course you didn’t know that Jessicad – he left his pregnant wife and another small child, but Laura doesn’t get scrutiny and judgment. Nor does Julia Roberts. All that is reserved just for Angelina Jolie.
kimi on
Ben Harper’s oldest kids are 12yo Charles, and 9yo daughter Harris who his first wife Joanna was pregnant with when he left her for Laura Dern. Ben and Laura had Ellery not long after. Ana, i don’t think it’s true that LD isn’t scrutinized or judged, i wouldn’t watch anything she’s in and have don’t buy BH albums anymore(used to be a huge fan). it’s a bit different with Julia Roberts as there weren’t children involved.
CelebBabyLover on
ana- I agree with you whole-heartedly about Angelina (honestly, I have never seen a celeb more criticized than she is!), but I don’t think you needed to attack JessicaD like that. I think she was just honestly curious, and wasn’t trying to criticize Angelina OR Laura (or even neccesarily BBT, for that matter!).
That said, it was almost weird for me to read this post and see Mary Steenburgen’s name in it, because I just watched Elf the other day, and she has a major role in it. Hopefully I just made at least some sense with that comment!
g!na on
aaw, Jaya is gorgeous!
Allison on
“The drugs don’t work they just make you worse buy I know I’ll see your face again”…. I love Ben Harper. Beautiful family!
Kate on
Yeah, I also found it hypocritical when Laura Dern bashed Angelina about taking Billy Bob. Hello you did the same thing. As I always say only one being can judge and that is God. As a woman I just can’t in good faith and with my own conscience even think of hitting or taking a man from his wife let alone a pregnant wife. Sometimes I just shake my head. I could never do that. I remember I dated a guy who was separated from his wife and he told me he was going through a divorce. He wasn’t and I found this out when I saw his wife with him in the mall holding hands. I literally went up to him and told him he was a jerk and looked at his wife and sincerely apologized to her. I had no idea he was married and I don’t date married men period.
Cécile on
I love Ben Harper too, but Drugs don’t work isn’t precisely the best acknowledgement of his talent since it’s from The Verve (Richard Ashcroft is great!). Ben Haper has been used to covering it durng his concerts (great cover though).
myrallison on
I thought Ellery was a girl (the hair and the name made me think that)
Jessicad on
Yeah I just lost a lot of respect for both of them. They have cute kids though, hope he’s still involved with his other children!
Thanks CelebBabyLover:) I really was just curious, I’ve never heard that story. I wasn’t attacking Angelina, just thought Laura Dern was the woman involved in that situation!
bungalowbliss on
Don’t forget Tori Spelling…
Sloane on
judgey-wudgey was a bear…..
unless you were in the middle of it, you don’t know what or how it happenned…
ana on
Judging, isn’t that what everyone is doing here – judging based on photographs: why the kids are dressed this way or that way, who is happy or not, who is good mother or not, and nobody really knows these people, or the circumstances of their lives. That being said,I just wanted to say before that some people are judged harsh, while others are given a free pass.
meghan on
Exactly what I was going to say, Sloane (But you said it funnier)!
They look like a beautiful family.
Erin on
Personally I don’t really care, but if you’re defending Angelina by way of accusing Laura of something Angelina did at least twice (Thornton, Pitt) that’s not much of a defense. If my fiance/husband left me for another woman I’d be furious with him, not her. After all, the commitment is with him, right?!
ana on
I am not defending Angelina or accusing Laura, I am just saying that they are judged differently. Look, even you are saying Angelina did that “at least twice” insinuating that she is the bad one, who knows how many times she did that. You are not asking the same question about Laura, and Billy Bob was divorcing his fourth (I know:)) wife when he got with her. Double standard, but I guess this is life.
Nina on
They are a happy adorable family, why bring up the past? I’ve met Ben several times and he is the sweetest most down to earth person I’ve ever met. A dedicated dad and hugely talented man.
ana on
Absolutely, past is past and is not our bussines, but let’s that generosity extend to all the ones comments are written about.
shirese on
These children are gorgeous!
Ronda on
Beautiful family and so refreshing to see some new faces on these sites for a change.
Rita on
Long history made short. Laura Dern moved in with married BBT long before he divorced Petra and broke up BBT’s 4th marriage to Petra with whom he had 2 little boys (Petra has a major disease which was just beginning to affect her). BBT broke up with Laura Dern and they were never engaged, then he married Angelina (Laura finally admitted the truth years later after badmouthing Angelina). Angelina was very supportive of Petra and her 2 little boys and Petra has only nice things to say about Angelina. Laura Dern moved in with BenH while his wife was pregnant with their 2nd child, their oldest and Ben’s and exwife’s 2nd child are just months apart in age. If anyone is a serial anything it is LauraD, and there are kids involved in her romantic forays. However no one is perfect, and there is no need to sit in judgement of anyone. I don’t support BenH anymore as he has sold out his music, going for the money, which I guess is necessary to support his kids. Angelina does indeed get a bad rep which is undeserved.
Erin on
Um, the difference between Angelina and everyone else who’s been in a similar circumstance is that Angelina seems to delight in sharing much of her personal happiness with any new love with the public. Unless you think that some photographers just happened to find her in Africa with her son and her new boyfriend, on a secluded beach mere months after Pitt and Anniston separated, then you might just come to the conclusion that she works the media. Unless you think licking Billy Bob’s face at a movie premiere while being interviewed and posing for W Magazine with Brad and a bunch of little boys as the picture of a nuclear family is just spontaneous then you might think she works the media. Sheesh, if you asked her she’d probably admit it, which is fine. But some of her defenders act like she’s a saint or totally oblivious to world of tabloid fodder. She’s a smart cookie, and she makes it work for her.
Rita on
Erin, guess you never saw Laura out with BBT or with Ben Harper while both men were married, or Julia with Danny and wearing a teeshirt insulting his then wife, and so on. The pap who took the Africa pixs has said that Angelina did not contact them but that someone at the Lodge did (you know reservations have to be made and money makes people talk). Angelina was married to BBT and she later said she acted like he wanted her to act as a young trophy wife because she loved BBT (she was 24 and he was 46). Brad and the phtographer were the creative force for the 2005 W pixs just as Brad was the creative force with the W pixs of Angelina last year. If you ask me Angelina loves Brad completely, and Brad has most of the control in their relationship, she seems to have made huge changes in her life for him. Anyway all these couples have kids, and for their kids sake, I hope they all make it.
Dev on
I agree with Erin’s comment (number 29). I don’t understand why people would be mad at the “other” woman–she’s not the one who was in a committed relationship. I don’t think this double-standard is “just life”–people should think about it and stop acting like there’s some unspoken contract among women not to “steal” another woman’s husband. The contract is between the husband & wife–he’s the one who’s not supposed to jump ship.
That said, I really don’t think less of either of them based on their romantic histories. I just think if anyone should be looked down on, it’s not Laura Dern or Angelina Jolie, but Ben Harper or Brad Pitt. But the finger-pointing always seems to be at the women. It’s a pity.
torgster on
The kid is five but being carried like a baby!
Liliana on
Dev, I agree with your comment. In many instances, the other woman bares the brunt of the wrong doing while the man slips through the cracks. I’d be more bothered that the given men chose to sabotage their committed relationships than the other women defying some philisophical sisterhood.
Nina on
Rita- I am a huge Ben Harper fan just curious why you think he’s “sold out” on his music?? I personally disagree, I think if anything he’s one of the few truly talented artists who hasn’t!
CelebBabyLover on
torgestor- I’m guessing Laura was just holding Jaya up so she could get a better view! 
ana- I agree whole-heartedly! I also want to add that accusing Angelina of “doing it at least twice” is accusing her for soemthing that doesn’t even appear to be true. In the case of Angie and Brad, all three (yes, even JA) have said multiple times that there was no cheating involved. Not only that, but even Courtney Cox-Arquette, who is JA’s BFF, is on record stating that she doesn’t believe that Brad cheated on JA with Angie or any woman.
Also, if anything, I think Angie was merely a catalyst in the decision to end a marriage which more than likely would have ended anyway (if you read Brad and JA’s interviews from at least the last two years to 18 months of their marriage, as well as some of the interviews they’ve done in recent years in which they’ve discussed their marriage, it’s no secret that they were having a lot of problems!).
As for Angie and BBT, going by the other comments here, it sounds like that was more a case of BBT leaving Laura for Angie rather than Angie “stealing” him from Laura (i.e., it sounds like it was BBT who pursued Angie, not the other way around).
Now, as for my thoughts on Laura…there, too, I don’t really think we can judge, because we weren’t there, and thus we will never know the entire story.
Carlynn on
Laura used to be the biggest hypocrite ever. Let me break it down for you all. Laura->Jeff->BBT->Ben
Laura left her fiance Jeff Goldblum for BBT who was married to a woman named Pietra. Pietra who suffers from Lupus was left to raise their two kids alone. I saw Pietra on tv a couple of years ago and she was still badmouthing Laura and BBT.
Then Laura hooks up and gets pregnant by a very married Ben Harper. Ben and his wife, Joanna, already had one child and had another on the way. Laura and Joanna give birth within a couple of months of each other.
I agree with the posters who said the responsibility to be faithful lies with the one in the marriage but Laura’s hypocritical squawking about Angelina Jolie used to make me roll my eyes almost right out of my head. LOL But that’s all water under the bridge now, I hope all parties involved find peace with their decisions.
Brownsugar1313 on
Who cares how they got together????
They obsviously care about each other or they wouldn’t have stayed together this long.
In anycase, the kids are cute and so are they.
What goes on w/ his ex and other kids….thats their business!!!
electra on
Well what goes around, comes back around.
Lauren on
It sounds like Laura Dern should come clean!! It sounds like she has a huge debt to pay to a few women and children, NOT including her own children!! I know I have a lot of unpaid bills and stuff, and it is a very meager christmas because my kids and I don’t have alot of money – but that is one type of debt I would never want to carry around – especially if I knew it was caused through my own actions!!
CelebBabyLover on
electra- Not always! Otherwise every relationship that started out as an affair would evenutally end in seperation (if the couple never married) or divorce, and that is certainly not the case!
Erin- “or totally oblivious to world of tabloid fodder.” Actually, Angelina and Brad have both said repeatdly that they do not pay attention to the tabs. That being said, I see where you’re coming from. Obviously, like any actors, they DO have to be mindful of their image.
Advertisement
Free Weekly Newsletter
"I had to make a decision that I could sleep with every night. I did feel responsible for the young girls who I probably confused and let down. I apologize for that. But I wasn't trying to glamorize teen pregnancy."
