Why Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel made ‘family choice’ to flee LA for Nashville

The Hollywood lifestyle isn’t for everyone.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville with their sons Silas, 9, and Phineas, 3, a few years ago.

Biel, 42, explained on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa” that the family moved to get away from the paparazzi in Hollywood.

“I don’t really think they necessarily respect that, you know, if we’re out and about with our kids,” said Biel. “It can be somewhat country dependent where, if we’re in this country, in the States, it’s kind of like state by state, you know, you get hammered on the East Coast, you kind of get hammered on the West Coast. That’s why we don’t really live there anymore.”

The “A Kids Book About Periods” author said that she and Timberlake, 43, are “trying to create some normalcy” for their children by being out of the spotlight as much as possible.

“We want to share our family with our loved ones and friends and also, we understand that our job has this major public-facing element, so we understand that part of it, but also these kids didn’t choose this,” she explained.

Biel continued: “I don’t want to expose them in a way until they have an ability to make that decision for themself, you know? And I know … this very social media world is where they exist and where they live and that will be a very big part of their life and their reality.”

“I just don’t want it to be on my account,” the mom of two added, “so we try to engage in a way that feels authentic, but also just not, you know, blasting them all over the place and no disrespect to anybody who feels comfortable doing that. That’s just our family choice.”

In 2021, Us Weekly reported that Biel and Timberlake settled down in Tennessee with their two kids and were “so happy” about moving away from California.

A source told the outlet, “They both prefer the country life. It’s great for the boys because they have so much space and freedom.”

“It’s been really good for them,” the insider added about the famous couple. “In a lot of ways, this is the happiest they’ve ever been.”

On Kelly Ripa’s podcast, Biel talked about how her oldest son, Silas, is growing up so fast.

“We talk a lot about his body’s changing a lot and he’s experiencing that,” she said about the 9-year-old. “He’s experiencing growing pains. He has a hard time sleeping. He’ll be waking up in the middle of the night. His legs hurt. His back hurts. He’s, you know, he looks different, right?”

She continued, “He went from this little guy to this kind of more grown-up kid, and even Justin and I are like, ‘Wow, this kid is looking different all of a sudden.’ He’s just growing.”

Biel has been doing press to promote her new book. Last week, she went on “The View” and said it’s not easy being apart from her husband while he’s on tour.

“It’s always a work in progress,” she admitted. “It’s constantly trying to find the balance, trying to find the time we can connect.” 

Timberlake and Biel have been married since 2012.