- Justin Guarini is a singer and songwriter known for being the runner-up on the first season of American Idol in 2002.
- He is married to Reina Capodici.
- The musician famously dated Kelly Clarkson for a brief period in the early 2000s. In Jan. 2023, Justin & Kelly reunited to chat about their time on American Idol during an episode of her talk show.
- Justin is currently starring in the Britney Spears jukebox musical ‘Once Upon A One More Time’ on Broadway, as of July 2023..
Back in the early aughts, American Idol had just taken off and although Kelly Clarkson was declared the first-ever winner, her former beau, Justin Guarini, 44, was not far behind. And even though the runner-up and Kelly dated for a brief time, they ultimately called it quits. These days, Justin is often spotted spending time with his wife, Reina Capodici, and their family.
Since American Idol, Justin has become beloved as a stage actor, appearing in numerous performances on Broadway. Most recently, he’s been starring as Prince Charming in the Britney Spears jukebox-musical Once Upon A One More Time, as of July 2023. While he often performs on Broadway, Justin has said that his family live outside of New York City, and he often makes the commute to spend time with his wife and kids, in a June 2023 interview with Hello!
Justin opened up about how close he is with his former American Idol competitor in a Jan. 2023 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, learn more about the musician’s marriage and his romance with the “Since U Been Gone” hitmaker.
Who Is Justin Guarini’s Wife?
The “Timeless” singer has been married to his wife, Reina, since 2009. The adorable duo held their wedding ceremony in his hometown of Doylestown, Penn., in front of their loved ones, as reported by PEOPLE at the time. Reina and her man reportedly met when they attended high school together, however, they did not romantically connect until years later. At the time of their nuptials, Justin was 30 years old, whereas his bride was 27.
These days, the pair can be spotted showering each other with love all over each other’s Instagram accounts. Most recently, he took to Instagram on Feb. 14, 2022, to gush about his wife with a carousel of throwback photos. “Happy Valentines Day, @reinabellg, my love. Through the years, the laughs and the tears…I’m so lucky to have you as my best (and most awkward) friend. I love you beeeb,” he captioned the adorable post. Reina is also fond of posting many love-filled posts about her hubby on her respective Instagram account. For Valentine’s Day 2022, she shared a similar post with several old photos of the couple with the caption, “My Valentine.”
Does He Have Kids?
Justin and Reina are proud parents to three children, one of who is the mom’s daughter from her previous marriage, per PEOPLE. The former American Idol star welcomed his first son, William Neko, with his wife in 2011. At the time, Justin’s stepdaughter, Lola, was eight years old and appeared in a video on Twitter to announce her baby brother‘s birth. Two years later, Reina gave birth to their second son, Asher, who also had a social media birth announcement, according to E! News.
“My first son looked like exactly like me,” Justin quipped to the outlet at the time. “We don’t know who Asher will take after. He’s a mystery right now.” Later, he added that William, “came to see Asher when he was a day old and all he wanted to do was lean over and kiss him.” Reina and Justin often post many photos of their loving family on social media, including their adorable 2022 Color Run selfies on May 14. “Asher looks like a ghost who just ran around haunting the place. Color Run 2022,” the momma bear wrote.
Now Reina and Justin’s kids are growing up so fast! Lola is 18, William is 12, and Asher is 10. The Idol alum admitted that all of his kids inherited his singing abilities, but the two older kids “are a little shy or more into sport,” in the aforementioned Hello interview. He did reveal that Asher, on the other hand “is so perfect for the stage,” explaining that he often sings and dances and re-enacts funny videos. “He is so primed and ready, and when he came to the show during a rehearsal, I got him up on stage and I showed him what I see. It was a real watershed moment for me,” Justin told Hello.
His Romance With Kelly Clarkson
Before the TV personality and recording artist was married, he was known for his brief romance with Kelly, who notably appeared on American Idol alongside Justin. Many speculated that the From Justin to Kelly co-stars dated during their time on the singing competition show, however, the “Breakaway” songstress clarified that was not the case during a 2015 interview on Watch What Happens Live, via USA Today.
“We didn’t date during Idol, which, everybody thought, but we did date during … I feel like we weren’t dating during (From Justin to Kelly) but I feel like maybe we did,” she told Andy Cohen at the time. “We did date a little bit. I think any two people who are thrown together that much would (date). Guy, girl, just saying — ‘Timeless’, put that song on from Justin to Kelly — you can’t fight it! That’s pretty much the only reason to revisit From Justin to Kelly.” Kelly also shared a similar sentiment during a 2018 interview on The Howard Stern Show, which can watch here. Most recently, Kelly and Justin reunited in Jan. 2023, when he stopped by his ex’s talk show and they chatted about their times on the show (watch above).