Justin Timberlake walks fashion show runway with niece Zaya Biel

Justin Timberlake walked with his niece Zaya Biel at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show in Denver on Saturday, an event that raised $2.7 million.

His sons with Jessica Biel, Silas, 11, and Phineas, 6, joined him on the runway in a rare appearance, E! News reported. Zaya walked between her uncle and her cousin Silas, holding their hands, the outlet said.

“Jessica and I adore Zaya, and we couldn't be prouder of the remarkable difference she is making in the world,” Timberlake said in the foundation’s news release, which mentioned his runway appearance with Zaya but not his sons.

“Every person with Down syndrome deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, and that's why GLOBAL's work means so much to our family,” he said.

Zaya, 7, has Down syndrome and served as the foundation’s ambassador at the 2024 event, according to E! News. Her parents are Jessica Biel’s brother Justin Biel and his wife, Rose.

For the show, Zaya wore fringe boots and a black-and-white polka dot dress. Timberlake and Phineas matched in all-black clothes, while Silas wore black trousers, a white button-down shirt, a bomber jacket, a tie and sunglasses.

Jessica Biel, 44, did not appear in photos from this year’s show, E! News reported. She walked with Zaya and her sons two years ago, calling the experience “truly special” at the time. It was not immediately known why Biel was not pictured this year.

“Walking the runway with my amazing niece @lovelyzayab was an unforgettable honor,” Biel wrote on Instagram in November 2024.

E! News described Biel and Timberlake as known for shielding their children from the spotlight, though Silas recently appeared briefly without speaking toward the end of his mother’s Apple TV film “Matchbox.”

On Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show podcast on Oct. 22, Biel said she had reminded her son that other children work hard at acting and theater classes. “You can't just take a part from that person just because you're my son. That's not cool,” she recalled telling him.

The foundation said the sold-out event attracted 1,400 guests, with proceeds supporting research, medical care and advocacy. Hollywood stars and sports champions joined twenty-one models with Down syndrome on the runway.

Leading the models was Letizia Napoleone, 23, the foundation’s 2026 ambassador, who aspires to act and model and walked with Geena Davis. Christian Slater, Terrell Davis, Elana Meyers Taylor, John C. McGinley and Kevin Iannucci also attended what the foundation calls the world’s largest Down syndrome fundraiser.

Denver Broncos co-captain Alex Singleton donated four live auction experiences. His sister Ashley has Down syndrome.

The foundation presented its highest honor, the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award, to Maria Menounos and “Days of Our Lives” actor Kennedy Garcia.

“When I was just 9 years old, I walked the runway at GLOBAL's fashion show, where I met music icon Quincy Jones and GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon,” Garcia said.

“Our fashion show sends an important message: people with Down syndrome deserve to be celebrated, included and invested in,” said Michelle Sie Whitten, the foundation’s co-founder, president and CEO.

Whitten said life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has risen by 10 years since 2010.

The foundation said its advocacy has helped secure more than $528 million in National Institutes of Health research funding through the INCLUDE Project since 2018.

Since the show began, it has raised more than $36 million, according to the foundation.