Jessica Alba Talks Realities Of Marriage: “It’s Messy And It’s Hard”

Jessica Alba is getting real about the complexities of marriage. In an interview on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up on June 5, the actress and Honest Company founder, 43, offered a glimpse into her relationship with husband Cash Warren, 45, and the journey they’ve been on together.

“In love, you go through that [first] two and a half years, which is not real. And then after that, the reality of what your relationship is comes together,” Jessica explained. 

“And you are either gonna choose to be family or not. And I think, with chosen family, you ebb and flow,” she added.

Jessica and Cash recently celebrated 20 years together and 16 years of marriage. The couple shares three children – daughters Honor, 16, and Haven, 12, plus son Hayes, 6. Reflecting on their relationship, Jessica noted, “The more you ebb and flow, the more you realize that the hard times aren’t gonna be permanent. Like, you can find your way back to each other.”

“[During] those early days, it feels like, ‘We’re never gonna find our way back to each other.’ But we keep choosing to figure it out,” she continued, adding, “It’s messy and it’s hard and it’s humbling and all of that. But if you can figure out how to just find your way back to each other, it ends up being worth it.”

Jessica praised Cash, calling him her “ride-or-die” who has seen her through many phases of her life. “There’s something so cool about that history,” she said. 

Going further about how great a partner Cash is, the actress stated, “He’s really great and I think for me, I always was like, ‘I like myself better when he’s in my life.’ When it comes down to it, I wouldn’t wanna be with anybody else.”

Cash has also been open about their relationship’s ups and downs. Last August, he appeared on the Whine Down with Jana Kramer podcast, where he recalled that he and Jessica briefly broke up four years into their relationship over issues of jealousy. During their separation, Cash promised himself to find “a more productive way” to channel that energy if they resumed their relationship.

Reflecting on their relationship, Cash said, “Going through a few of those cycles, I no longer get as nervous and kind of start looking at the door. I no longer get as nervous when you’re drifting apart, so to speak, or your energy is off.”

“I think she’s felt very much aligned there. When we’re going through those times, we either give each other our space that we need, we talk it out, we maybe go on a date night. You try to do things to get it back, and fortunately I’ve got a partner who is right there lock and step,” he added.