Jason Bateman and Wife Amanda Anka’s Relationship Timeline

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A Match Made in Hollywood! Jason Bateman and Wife Amanda Anka’s Relationship Timeline

Friends to lovers! Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, knew each other for a decade before they started dating — and they say their long friendship is one of the reasons their romance has lasted.

“Our marriage has defied the odds and works really well,” the Arrested Development alum told Redbook in January 2013. “We are really aware of our boundaries. We know how to bug each other and not bug each other. If you don’t get along, it’s garbage. With a girlfriend, you get into a fight, you drive away. With us, we learn to fight quickly or not at all. I wanted to marry a friend. Friends last longer.”

The duo met in the mid-1980s when they were both just 18 years old, but they didn’t start dating for another 10 years. Though they’ve since become one of the longest-lasting couples in Hollywood, they’ve still weathered their share of ups and downs.

Bateman, who got his start as a child star, has been open about the fact that he struggled with alcohol and drug abuse when he was younger. “It was like Risky Business for 10 years,” he told Details in July 2009. “My parents were out of town, they left me a bunch of money, the car, and the house, and I didn’t know when they were coming home. I’d worked so hard that by the time I was 20, I wanted to play hard. And I did that really well.”

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The Ozark actor hadn’t fully calmed down by the time he married Anka in July 2001, and at one point, his behavior nearly cost him his marriage. After he came home late one night, his wife gave him an ultimatum. While spending Christmas alone because Anka had taken a planned trip without him, he decided to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

“Do you want to continue being great at being in your 20s, or do you want to step up and graduate into adulthood?” he told Details, recalling what he asked himself at the time.

The duo eventually got past that rough patch, welcoming daughters Francesca and Maple in 2006 and 2012, respectively.

After racking up wins at the Golden Globes, Emmys and Screen Actors Guild Awards over the years, Bateman has no regrets about leaving his party days in the past.

“There are certain things you do at certain ages in life which are appropriate for the times, and right now it’s appropriate for me to be a father and a husband and a guy with a career,” the told the Daily Telegraph in October 2014. “Those are the three things I’m focused on.”

Keep scrolling for a look back at Bateman and Anka’s complete relationship timeline:

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1987

The pair met at a Los Angeles Kings hockey game when they were still teenagers. In a March 2013 interview with GQ, Anka explained why they didn’t date at the time: “I just wasn’t into where he was at.”

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1997

Bateman and Anka started their romance after knowing each other for a full decade.

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July 2001

The duo tied the knot after four years together. “I thought, if I only wanted to get married once, I should probably marry a friend,” the Horrible Bosses star told the Daily Telegraph in October 2014. “I just waited until I found a girl that really was that in my life. Amanda is and that’s why it feels so effortless. It gets better every single year.”

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October 2006

The couple welcomed their first daughter, Francesca, five years into their marriage.

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July 2009

Bateman opened up about how his partying almost led to the end of his romance with Anka. “I was never at a place where rehab would have been appropriate,” he told Details. “Booze was what would make me want to stay out all night and do some blow or smoke a joint or whatever, so shutting that off was key. It’s like ketchup and French fries — I don’t want one without the other.”

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February 2012

The pair welcomed their second daughter, Maple, in 2012. “Being a father of two is everything I wanted,” the Zootopia star told Redbook one year after Maple’s arrival. “I’m a big fan of marriage and being a dad.”

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July 2017

Anka, Francesca and Maple joined Bateman as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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November 2017

Bateman supported his wife when she came forward to accuse hotelier André Balazs of groping her during a 2014 party for Horrible Bosses 2. “On behalf of Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka, we can confirm that the account of André Balazs’ outrageous and vile behavior on that night in London is factual,” the couple said in a joint statement in 2017. “His actions were dealt with at the time.” Balasz never commented on the allegations.

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January 2019

While accepting his first SAG Award for his performance in Ozark, Bateman gave a sweet shout-out to his wife and daughters. “Amanda, Franny and Maple — without you, none of it would be enjoyable,” the actor said while tearing up. “And it probably wouldn’t be possible. I love you more than I even tell you I do and I’ll be home for kisses, so don’t go to bed. And Amanda, pop a mint. I’m gonna come give you yours in about five minutes.”

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September 2019

Anka was seated next to her husband at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards when he became a meme after his win for directing an episode of Ozark. Cameras captured him looking shocked and somewhat confused that he won in the highly competitive category. “Wow,” Bateman said during his acceptance speech. “That is something.”