Jack White is now one of the most famous guitarists of all time, but at one point, his personal life was very much part of his act.
In 1997, Jack (born John Anthony Gillis) cofounded rock duo The White Stripes with his then-wife, Meg White. Earlier in their career, however, the pair claimed they were brother and sister. Even after proof of their marriage — and 2000 divorce — emerged, Jack continued to say they were related.
He eventually explained that he thought a sibling relationship would keep the focus on their music rather than any romantic connection between them.
“When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think. ‘Oh, I see … ’ When they’re brother and sister, you go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’” he told Rolling Stone in 2005. “You care more about the music, not the relationship — whether they’re trying to save their relationship by being in a band. You don’t think about that with a brother and sister. They’re mated for life. That’s what family is like.”
After The White Stripes rose to fame, Jack was linked to fellow celebrities including actress Renée Zellweger and supermodel Karen Elson. In 2022, he married musician Olivia Jean, who is signed to Jack’s Third Man record label.
Keep scrolling to see Jack’s dating history through the years:
Meg White
Jack White met his first wife, Meg White, while he was still in high school in Detroit, Michigan. They tied the knot on September 21, 1996, and went on to form The White Stripes the following year. As the band became prominent, they told the press they were siblings, and Jack introduced Meg as his “big sister” on stage.
Jack and Meg divorced in 2000 but continued recording and performing as The White Stripes for several more years. They released their sixth and final album, Icky Thump, in 2007 and played their final concert that same year before officially announcing their breakup in 2011. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025 by Iggy Pop, but Meg did not attend the ceremony.
In 2014, Jack told Rolling Stone he “almost never” talked to Meg anymore but later apologized for claiming in the same interview that she wasn’t supportive. When she turned 50 in December 2024, Jack shared his well-wishes via Instagram, writing, “HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY to my big sister, the great Meg White. There’s only one of you Meggo, they broke the mold. You’re still inspiring people, including me. Love you so much.”
Renee Zellweger
When The White Stripes were at the height of their fame, Jack began dating Renée Zellweger after they met on the set of 2003’s Cold Mountain. Zellweger starred as Ruby Thewes, later winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, while Jack had a minor role as a character named Georgia and contributed several songs to the soundtrack.
The duo dated for a year and a half before calling it quits in September 2004.
Karen Elson
Following his split from Zellweger, Jack moved on with British supermodel Karen Elson after meeting on the set of The White Stripes’ music video for “Blue Orchid” in 2005. They tied the knot just one month later in a ceremony held in a canoe on the Amazon River and officiated by a shaman. Meg served as the maid of honor.
Following their wedding, Elson and Jack welcomed two children: daughter Scarlett, born in 2006, and son Henry, born in 2007.
In 2010, Elson released her debut album, The Ghost Who Walks, which Jack produced and released on his Third Man label.
The following year, the duo announced their split in a release and said they were throwing a “divorce party” to celebrate, describing it as “an evening together in Nashville to reaffirm our friendship and celebrate the past and future with close friends and family.”
In 2013, Elson was granted a temporary restraining order against Jack, accusing him of harassment and “bullying” as they battled over custody of their children. Jack denied her accusations in his own court filing, which read, “Mr. White does not want to be portrayed as something he is not, violent toward his wife and children.” The pair finalized their divorce later that year.
In October 2025, Elson and Jack teamed up for a TikTok video with Scarlett as she walked the runway for Paris Fashion Week.
Olivia Jean
Jack met his third wife, Olivia Jean, in 2009 after she left her demo CD at a concert by his band The Dead Weather. After he asked her to come to Nashville to record, she formed a band called The Black Belles, and the group released their self-titled debut album in 2011.
The Black Belles split the following year, but Jean went on to release a solo album in 2014. Around that time, Jean’s relationship with Jack turned romantic.
On April 8, 2022, Jack proposed on stage during a concert at Detroit’s Masonic Temple Theatre as Jean duetted with him on The White Stripes’ “Hotel Yorba.” During the show’s encore, the pair tied the knot, with Jack’s Third Man cofounder, Ben Swank, officiating.
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