Joel Ryan Reuben Madden (born March 11, 1979 as Joel Ryan Reuben Combs) is the lead vocalist for the band Good Charlotte, a record producer, actor, and a DJ.

Joel Madden was born Joel Reuben Combs in Waldorf, Maryland. He has an identical twin brother, Benji Madden, who plays lead guitar in their band Good Charlotte. He also has an older brother named Josh and a younger sister named Sarah. Madden attended La Plata High School in La Plata, Maryland.

When Madden was sixteen years old his father left the family, causing them financial hardships. Madden took up various odd jobs as a teenager to help his mother with the family's bills. One job he and his brother, Benji, took up was washing hair at a salon. While in his early twenties, Madden, along with his siblings, changed his last name from Combs, his father's last name, to his mother's maiden name, Madden. He did so to distance himself from his father.