BREAKING POINT
After a devastating fight with Danny Moder, Julia Roberts’ friends fear her marriage is over.
Malibu’s annual Chili Cook- Off charity event brought out the stars over Labor Day weekend as everyone from Kourtney Kardashian to Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis hit the outdoor carnival with kids in tow. Malibu resident Julia Roberts made it an extended family affair, bringing twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 13, and son Henry, 11, along with niece Emma Roberts and the young actress’ fiancé, Evan Peters, on Sept. 2 to enjoy an afternoon of rides, food and fun.
But one vital family member was missing from the outing: Julia’s husband of 16 years, Danny Moder. “Julia and Danny have been fighting nonstop lately,” a friend exclusively tells Life & Style. After the star wrapped multiple projects this spring, she and Danny, who had been going through a difficult period, made a point of reconnecting. They spent the summer traveling the globe with their kids, surfing in Fiji, visiting their homes in Hawaii and Taos, N.M., vacationing in Hyan- nis Port, Mass., and camping in California. “It was a respite from the chaos at home,” says the friend. “But once they got back to reality, the tension returned and the cracks in the marriage seemed to deepen. The marriage is now at an all-time low. It’s reached a crisis point.”
FALLING APART
Two days after the Malibu carnival, the ultra-private star posted an Instagram photo of herself hugging Danny. It was taken earlier this summer during a photo shoot and could be, says the friend, an attempt to distract from the truth. “Julia suffered a meltdown so great following a recent clash with Danny that she was tearfully telling friends she feels like her marriage is over,” says the friend, explaining that Julia, 50, and the cinematographer, 49, remain at odds about issues including their unbalanced career success, her controlling ways and their different approaches to parenting. “He feels bitter when she’s off working be- cause it leaves him at home with all the responsibilities and little time for his career,” notes the friend. “But when she’s back home, the demands begin and the fights get out of control. Danny feels smothered and emasculated.”
At times over the past few years, things have gotten so bad that Danny’s stayed at a home they own across the
street from their Malibu compound. “But being able to escape there isn’t enough distance for him lately,” says the friend. “He’s just over all of their knockdown, drag- out fights. Those close to Julia are scared their marriage is going to end in divorce.”