Joel Madden Biography 

When Joel and his twin brother Benji Madden decided to start a band at the age of sixteen, neither had any musical experience. Friends and family considered it a teenage whim. A decade later, with his unique ability to speak to teens about their frustrations and challenges through his lyrics, Joel Madden is the lead singer for one of nation’s leading punk rock bands.  

Joel Reuben Madden was born on March 11, 1979, in Waldorg, Maryland. Growing up, his life was far from easy. After his father abandoned the family on Christmas Eve when Joel was fifteen, he and his twin brother Benji took on odd jobs to help his mother financially. He was also the victim of teasing at school, and the pain from both these situations found its way into much of the group’s music. After Joel and his brother attended a Beastie Boys concert, they decided to form a band, which they named the Benji, Joel and Brian Band. The group was short-lived, however, and they recruited several high school friends to form another group, which they named Good Charlotte.

In 1999, the group started to gain attention and a fan-base by showcasing their unique talent in small clubs and venues. They toured with bands Lit and Blink 182 before being signed by Epic records in 1999. Their debut self-titled album was released in 2000, but received only moderate attention. In 2002, their second album, The Young and the Hopeless, was released and received amazing popularity, officially bringing the boys into the mainstream music scene. Certified triple platinum, the release of the album was followed by television appearances on Saturday Night Live and  The Today Show. Their faces were also featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, a lifetime dream for all aspiring musicians.

Since then, they have released the platinum The Chronicles of Life and Death, which despite its strong sales, received mixed reactions from both critics and fans. Good Morning Revival!, the group’s fourth album, is set for release in March of 2007.

Although Joel and Benji have always been with Good Charlotte, the group has changed band members frequently throughout the years. The current members of the band, aside from Joel and Benji, Billy Martin, Paul Thomas, and Dean Butterworth.

Apart from being the lead singer of the group, Joel has been featured on Punk’d, hosted by Ashton Kutcher, several times. He and his brother own two clothing lines: MADE Clothing and DCMA Collective, and the twins also own a record label called DC Flag Records. He has appeared in several films such as Fat Albert, Fast Future Generation, Material Girls, and Not Another Teen Movie.

One of Joel’s best-known relationships was his two and a half year love affair with squeaky-clean pop princess Hilary Duff. But they split in November of 2006, supposedly because of their eight year age difference. Apparently Joel wasn't too heartbroken over the split though as in December, that year, only a month after the breakup, rumors began swirling that Joel was dating reality star and socialite Nicole Richie.

The couple went on to make a success of their relationship and in June 2007, rumours began circling stating that Nicole was pregnant with Madden's baby. The couple didn't acknowledge the rumors until late July, 2007 when they confirmed the news inan interview with Diane Sawyer.

Nicole and Joel welcomed the birth of a baby daughter daughter, Harlow Winter Kate Madden on January 11, 2008 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.