Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr. had a significant relationship from 1984 to 1991, marked by both deep connection and significant challenges due to Downey’s struggles with substance abuse. They met on the set of the film Firstborn when both were 18 and moved in together in Los Angeles after just a few weeks of dating. Their relationship lasted seven years, during which Parker provided stability, attempting to support Downey through his addiction issues. She described feeling like a parent at 22, striving to maintain a “steady heartbeat” for him, though she felt dismissed by those around him, which left her “angry and embarrassed.”
Parker was initially unaware of the extent of Downey’s addiction, recalling in a 2018 People interview, “I was like, ‘Why is his heart beating so fast? Don’t do so many pushups before bed!’” She stayed with him out of love and fear that he might die if she left, but by 1991, she summoned the courage to end the relationship, saying, “I’m going to walk away, and I’m just going to pray that you don’t die.” Downey later acknowledged that his drug and alcohol issues were incompatible with Parker’s lifestyle, stating in 2008 to Parade, “I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn’t jibe with Sarah Jessica, because it is the furthest thing from what she is.” He expressed gratitude for her support, noting, “I was in love with Sarah Jessica, and love clearly was not enough.”
After their breakup, Parker briefly dated John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1991, meeting him through the theater world. She then began a relationship with Matthew Broderick, whom she met in November 1991 through her brothers and the Naked Angels theater company. They married in 1997 in a surprise ceremony at New York’s Angel Orensanz Synagogue, with Parker famously wearing a black wedding dress. The couple has three children: son James Wilkie (born 2002) and twin daughters Marion and Tabitha (born 2009 via surrogacy). Parker has described their marriage as grounded in mutual respect and friendship, telling Harper’s Bazaar in 2013, “I love that he’s the father of my children, and it’s because of him that there’s this whole other world that I love.”
Downey and Parker reconnected in 2015 in New York for closure, with Downey praising her as “so great and so cool and so funny and so in command” on The Howard Stern Show. Parker also noted the meeting was positive, stating she never held hard feelings. Downey, who achieved sobriety in 2003, married Susan Levin in 2005, and they have two children, Exton and Avri, while he also has a son, Indio, from his earlier marriage to Deborah Falconer.
Parker’s experience with Downey influenced her approach to parenting, as she told People in 2020, “Maybe it taught me a little bit about being a parent too, because the things that I ended up caring about, and the way I cared for Downey, were things that might be more suitable for a parent.” Her marriage to Broderick remains strong, with the couple maintaining privacy while balancing careers and family life.
This overview draws from multiple sources to provide a clear picture of Parker’s love life, particularly her relationship with Downey and her enduring marriage to Broderick. For further details, you can explore sources like The New Yorker or People for in-depth interviews.