Julia Roberts met cinematographer Danny Moder while they were both working on The Mexican in 2000. Moder was married to makeup artist Vera Steimberg, and Roberts was dating actor Benjamin Bratt. Moder’s divorce was reported as finalized in early 2002, and Roberts and Moder married in New Mexico on July 4, 2002. That timing—and Roberts’s “A Low Vera” T-shirt—prompted years of speculation, but the available reporting does not prove that Roberts caused the divorce or establish when any private relationship began.
The public timeline
Multiple retrospective accounts place Roberts and Moder’s first meeting on the set of The Mexican in 2000. At that point, Moder was married to Steimberg and Roberts was in a relationship with Bratt. See the timelines from Us Weekly, Entertainment Tonight and ELLE.
| Date | What is reported | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Roberts and Moder met while working on The Mexican. | Reported in retrospective timelines by Us Weekly, ET and ELLE. |
| 2001 | Retrospective accounts place Roberts’s split from Bratt in this year. | The reviewed reports do not establish a complete day-by-day sequence of the breakups. |
| Early 2002 | Moder’s divorce from Steimberg was reported as finalized. | Us Weekly and ET describe the divorce as finalized early in the year. |
| March 2002 | Roberts was photographed wearing a shirt reading “A Low Vera.” | Us Weekly reported the photograph; it does not establish the shirt’s full intent. |
| July 4, 2002 | Roberts and Moder married in New Mexico. | ABC News reported on the wedding, and the date is repeated in later timelines. |
Why people believed Roberts was involved in the divorce
The central issue was the overlap in the public chronology: Roberts met Moder while he was still married, then married him only months after reports that his divorce had been finalized. Those facts fueled an assumption that the relationship had caused the marriage to end. They do not, by themselves, establish when Roberts and Moder became romantically involved, whether their relationship overlapped the marriage, or who was responsible for the divorce.
In a July 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, Roberts pushed back on the idea that outsiders knew the private facts: “People don’t know anything. People assume. People decide. It is not for me to ask anybody to assume or decide or feel differently.” ABC News published the interview.
What Roberts said about the previous relationships
In a 2003 account reproduced by Us Weekly and ELLE, Roberts said Moder “sorted his whole thing out, separate and apart from me.” She added: “And I sorted my life out, separate and apart from him. I think that’s the only reason we were able to ultimately fall in love with each other and be together.” Those are Roberts’s public claims about how each person handled the earlier relationship; they are not independent proof of the private sequence or causation.
What the “A Low Vera” T-shirt meant
The shirt, photographed in March 2002, became the most memorable symbol of the dispute. “A Low Vera” was widely read as a hostile reference to Steimberg, making the episode look like a public confrontation. The photograph confirms what Roberts wore, but the available report does not provide a definitive explanation of what she intended the phrase to communicate.
Rank #2
- Used Book in Good Condition
When asked about it in 2003, Roberts reportedly answered: “It was private. … I stand by my T-shirt.” Us Weekly’s account preserves that response. It indicates that Roberts did not retract the choice, but it still does not supply a complete explanation of the shirt’s intended target or circumstances.
What is not established
- No reviewed source verifies the date on which Roberts and Moder’s private feelings or romantic relationship began.
- The public chronology does not prove that Roberts caused Moder and Steimberg’s divorce.
- The shirt’s exact intended meaning cannot be determined from the photograph and later short comments alone.
- The reviewed reporting does not provide a sufficiently verified, direct account from Steimberg explaining her perspective.
The fairest answer
What can be stated with confidence is limited but clear: Roberts and Moder met in 2000 while Moder was married to Steimberg; Roberts and Moder married on July 4, 2002, after reports that the divorce had been finalized; and the “A Low Vera” shirt intensified public suspicion. Roberts consistently argued that each person dealt with the prior relationship separately. Beyond that chronology and her statements, the evidence does not justify a definitive claim about private overlap, motive or blame.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Quick Recap
Rank #4
Rank #3
- Used Book in Good Condition
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
