24+ Times Celebrities Opened Up About Their Divorces

On March 24th, 2023, celebrity couple Reese Witherspoon and her talent agent husband Jim Toth took to social media to announce their intention to divorce after more than a decade. They cited irreconcilable differences, but Reese later revealed that Jim had some kind of midlife crisis that changed his outlook on life.

Reese and Jim stated, “We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together,” before adding they will move forward with love, kindness, and mutual respect as they co-parent their son, Tennesee James.

In 2017, Anna Faris and Chris Pratt announced their separation on social media, writing, “We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together, and continue to have the deepest respect for one another.” Maybe Anna divorced Chris because he was spending more time bringing up his baby velociraptors than with his family. Clever girl.

A year later, Anna opened up on the aptly named podcast Divorce Sucks!, and fessed up by admitting she found it very difficult to separate from the man she’d given her life to. Awww, bless.

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon married in 2008, split in 2014, and finalized their divorce two years later. Mariah opened up in a 2016 interview with Complex, saying, “I never thought I would have babies with someone and then get divorced. Like, ‘Oh, great job. Repeat your past.'”

Four years later, Nick got up close and personal, giving the above quote to Entertainment Weekly. In other words, Mariah Carey put him off marriage for life. And music! Only kidding.

It was the marriage made in heaven. The NFL’s greatest-ever quarterback and one of the world’s most beautiful models. Tom and Giselle had it all — two wonderful children, fame, fortune, trophies… But then, after 13 years, Gisele announced she was divorcing Tom Brady in October 2022.

While the official reason is that they had grown apart, rumors abound that Tom cheated. Later, the Brazilian model told Vanity Fair magazine all the sacrifices she made for her ex-husband, including moving to Boston for him — which was wicked kind of her!

British singer Adele got together with married charity magnate Simon Konecki in 2011. They had a son, Angelo, before getting married in 2018 and splitting just three years later. According to The Sun newspaper, the singer was ordered by a judge to pay a $140 million majority of the divorce settlement to her ex-husband.

Adele explained further, “It just wasn’t right for me anymore. I didn’t want to end up like a lot of other people I knew.” Since the divorce, she looks fantastic!

Everything was fine and dandy when Her Madgesty got together with British movie maker Guy Ritchie. “When you start off, everything’s great and lovely, and the person you’ve married is flawless, and you’re flawless,” she mused.

But the Queen of Pop admitted by the time they had children, the cracks started to appear: Madonna later said she asked herself how much she was willing to sacrifice for the relationship. How about $75 million?

The Kardashians welcomed NBA star Kris Humphries to the family when he married Kim in August 2011. In October 2011, the E! Network aired a TV special showing the wedding preparations and ceremony. Later the same month, Kardashian filed for divorce after just 72 days of marriage. Hump revealed, “Our actual relationship was 100% real.”

In a 2012 episode of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Kim said their relationship wasn’t a publicity stunt, she and Kris had genuinely fallen in love, but then she changed her mind. Seems legit!

In the final episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim revealed why she split with Kanye. She admitted she felt “numb” and “lonely” in her marriage and stated things got rocky after Kanye West moved northeast to a ranch in Wyoming while she stayed in California. Is that why they’re called the Rocky Mountains?

Kim said she realized that she was getting on best with her eccentric husband when he was living on his $11 million Wyoming ranch. So, she filed for a $2.7 billion divorce.

Did you know that Marvel’s Black Widow and Deadpool used to be an item? Yup, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds tied the knot in 2008, the same year the first Marvel movie, Iron Man, came out. The marriage lasted three years, and Scarlett described the divorce as horrible.

In interviews, Johansson implied that the breakdown occurred because Ryan was missing the fundamental characteristic of compassion. That might explain why he bought Welsh lower league soccer club Wrexham FC… to appear more compassionate like Ted Lasso!

Drew Barrymore married actor Will Kopelman in 2012, and the couple had two children before separating four years later. Drew loved motherhood and adored Will’s family, but they had clashed over where to live, leaving Kopelman “devastated.”

Barrymore laid her heart bare to Chelsea Handler while a source close to the family said, “They’ve had marriage issues for a while.” There was tension over where to live, with Drew drawn to Los Angeles and Will preferring New York City.

Reality star Khloé Kardashian married NBA player Lamar Odom in 2009, and they were together for seven years. Sadly, Lamar’s rumored infidelity led the marriage to break down in spectacular fashion. After that, his dependencies on illegal substances nearly ended his life.

Lamar said, “For part of my marriage, I had to tell Khloé. You can’t hide that forever. She was hurt, but Khloe was a good wife. She wasn’t dismissive or ‘Get away from me,’ she was protective and wanted to protect me even more.”

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards were married for years and had two daughters, Sam and Lola, before divorcing in 2006. When discussing her breakup, Denise said she was persecuted by the media and that Charlie wasn’t always a bad boy. Yeah, right!

But he’s defo made up for it since! Charlie and his more recent ex, Brooke Mueller, were such unfit parents that a judge made Denise Richards the legal guardian of their twins, Max and Bob.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin met at a Coldplay gig, married a year later, and had two wonderfully-named kids, Apple and Moses. But in 2014, they consciously uncoupled. Gwyneth said, “I am from a tribe of people who stay married.” Her parents, Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner, were married from 1969 until her dad passed away in 2002.

While the split seemed mutual, adult, and amicable, in the 2018 documentary Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams, Chris said he struggled with his mental health throughout their separation.

Gwen Stefani’s world changed forever in 2015 when her marriage to musician imploded after more than a decade. In an interview with CBS’s Sunday Morning, Gwen had no doubts that “At that time, everything was like I had no skin; it was so raw.”

The No Doubt singer also admitted she fell deeper and deeper into the abyss. So, when Gwen asks if we understand her embarrassment, yes, we 100% know what you mean, sister…

Just one year after divorcing Rick Salomon, Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson admitted looking in the mirror and asking herself, “Who is this person? How did I let myself get to this place?” But, sadly, Pamela didn’t learn her lesson and went back for more… twice!

Pammy and Rick rekindled their relationship two more times, but the rumor mill suggests she’s recently divorced him for a third time. It wasn’t a case of “Third time’s a charm” for Pammy!

Courteney Cox and David Arquette got together while they were filming Scream way back in 1996. They had a daughter, Coco, in 2004, and eventually married five years later. But the marriage only lasted a year. David says he felt insecure about his wife being more famous than him.

When she appeared on an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls, Courteney told the adventurer that she and David were polar opposites. With all these polar bears running around, it must have been like an episode of Lost!

Another Scream star to divorce a fellow celebrity was Liev Schreiber. He was with British-Australian actress Naomi Watts for 11 years until 2016. The following year, Naomi told Vogue Australia that she wasn’t dating and that she was finding co-parenting a struggle.

She explained she and Schreiber were doing their best for the sake of the children, Kai and Sasha, and hoped to keep moving forward. But later, in 2017, Naomi got together with actor Billy Crudup. So, she’s not single anymore.

Did you know singer-songwriter Jewel married a real cowboy? The lucky man was professional rodeo cowboy Ty Monroe Murray. They were married for six years, but Jewel bucked him off in 2014. She told People magazine, “I don’t think any parent goes into a relationship and a marriage and having a child thinking of a divorce one day.”

In a lengthy blog post, Jewel explained, “We have chosen the much more difficult task of undoing ourselves stitch by stitch, and releasing each other with love so that we may take on our new form: dear friends and devoted co-parents of our beloved son Kase.”

Rapper Wiz Khalifa and model Amber Rose got together in 2011, married, and had a son, Sebastian Taylor, in 2013. But after just 15 months, Amber filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. She later spoke of her “true heartache” over the split.

As for Wiz, he said he learned how to be present when he needed to be present but that the relationship wasn’t what he had envisioned, so he walked away. They still co-parent Sebastian, who’s growing up real fast.

After Olivia Wilde divorced Italian prince Tao Ruspoli, she got together with actor Jason Sudeikis. They were engaged for three and a half years and had Otis and Daisy. Wilde accused Sudeikis of breaking their agreement to let the kids finish the school year in California while the actor filmed Ted Lasso in London.

The Hollywood hottie explained she didn’t want the marriage to end and that she still loved Jason. It’s almost as sickly sweet as a Ted Lasso storyline!

Kaley Cuoco was married to tennis star Ryan Sweeting for 21 months before they divorced in 2016. The Big Bang Theory actress blamed Ryan for the breakup but confessed that when she falls in love, she falls deep. Next, she paraphrased a Lennie Kravitz song by saying, “When it’s over, it’s over,” before adding she was excited to see what the future holds.

The future was bright for Kaley. She got together with Tom Pelphrey, and the couple welcomed their first baby, daughter Matilda Carmine Richie, on March 30th, 2023.

Back when J-Lo was still “Jenny From the Block”, she married Marc Anthony. Not Marc Anthony from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, but one of her dancers. She told W magazine that it would have been easier for her to be haunted by the negatives and fall into despair rather than find forgiveness.

But J-Lo didn’t stick the knife in like Brutus. She explained that Marc is the father of her children, so they had to work hard to make things right for their kids’ sake.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were married in 2005, had three children, and divorced in 2018. In a 2020 interview, Ben spoke candidly about his struggles with his dependencies, saying that the divorce was his biggest regret. The actor also opened up about his feelings of shame and low self-esteem.

Garner said: “My heart’s a little on the tender side right now, and it’s always easier to focus on the ways that you feel hurt.” We know how you feel, Jen!

Kevin Hart might play the big kid and the consummate fool, but he took responsibility for the breakdown of his marriage to Torrei. The funnyman confessed he told his ex-wife about his infidelity and said that it was his fault for not understanding how to be a husband.

Kevin accepted his culpability and stepped away because he didn’t want the sitch’ to worsen: “You’re the mother of my kids — I don’t want to hate you!”

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2004. Pitt immediately kicked his wife, Jennifer Aniston, to the curb. “Branjelina” had six children and finally wed in 2014. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, claiming Brad got physical with her and one of their children on a plane.

After an anonymous tip about the high-altitude altercation, the authorities investigated the claim, but they ultimately brought no charges. Five days later, Angelina filed for divorce.

Jennifer Aniston opened up about Brad Pitt trading her in for a younger model. When we say trading her in, we mean betraying and abandoning. “There are many stages of grief,” the actress revealed. And Jen wasn’t done baring her heart and soul there…

In later years, the media speculated that Jen left Brad because she wanted children, and Bradley didn’t. Aniston dismissed the speculation as “absolute lies.” Do you think Jen and Brad remained Friends?

After Brad broke her heart, Jen got together with hunky dreamboat actor, writer, and director Justin Theroux. They were married for two years before splitting in 2017. While the gossip columns reported many acrimonious reasons, Justin told them they were all wrong.

The Leftovers star explained, “Like it or not, we didn’t have that dramatic split, and we love each other. I’m sincere when I say that I cherish our friendship.”

Bart and Lisa’s sister, Jessica Simpson, got real with Glamour magazine about her divorce from Nick Lachey. She said she went through all the stages of grief but ultimately had to get come out the other side by relying on herself and no one else.

In her autobiography, Open Book, she admitted they were too young and that their reality TV show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica placed too much pressure on their relationship, especially as they were so young. She wrote, “We really got crushed by the media and by ourselves.” D’oh!

Supermodel Heidi Klum met British singer Seal while clubbing in 2005. Don’t worry; they weren’t seal clubbing. But in 2012, the gorgeous couple announced, “While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal, and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching, we have decided to separate.”

The same year, Heid told Elle magazine that she felt like she was living inside the eye of a storm but that “as hard as it is, so is life.”

Brand and Perry married in India in October 2010. But Katy revealed, “Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me [on] December 31st, 2011.” Russell later said, “I still feel very warm towards her.” But nonchalantly added, “When I hear about her or see her, I think… ‘Ah, there’s that person, that person in the world.'”

The Hot N Cold singer also had a warm and tingly feeling, but mainly because she was existing on a diet of  Flamin’ Hot Cheetos! She later said Russell wasn’t entirely to blame as she was often away touring.

Reese Witherspoon opened up about her first husband, Ryan Phillippe. She admitted the divorce was hard to reconcile: “Laying blame is so easy. I don’t have time for hate or negativity in my life. There’s no room for it.” She also fessed to finding the experience “very humiliating and very isolating.”

As for Ryan, he admitted he really struggled with the separation and divorce. He said his mental health suffered and that he went through the darkest days of his life.

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore got together in 2003, but their relationship ended with a messy divorce ten years later. Ashton opened up on socials, tweeting, “I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi.” Then, Ashton went into recovery mode by hiding out in a mountain cabin.

Next, he married Mila Kunis, which will help any man get over their ex. Ashton and Mila have a son and daughter and have somehow become earth-saving entrepreneurs.

Beautiful young Australian actress Nicole Kidman first met Tom Cruise while filming the high-octane NASCAR racing flick Days of Thunder in 1990. They fell in love and wed the next year. They adopted two kids before Cruise filed for divorce in 2001.

In 2012, Kidman opened up about their marriage, the divorce, and the aftermath to People magazine. She said her time with Cruise was fantastic but that she was isolated and alone in the years after they split.

After Tom Cruise’s manic declaration of love jumping on Oprah Winfrey’s couch, he married beautiful young actress Katie Holmes in 2006. The pair divorced in 2012, and Katie moved to New York City with her daughter Suri. They have remained tight-lipped over the reasons behind their split.

However, some believe the split was to protect Suri from her father’s controversial beliefs. After the divorce, Katie implied she finally felt free to live the life she wanted.

After Eva Longoria divorced NBA star Tony Parker in 2011, the actress spoke to Dr. Oz about how the divorce affected her mental health. The Desperate Housewife confessed she got the most compliments because she had lost so much weight and was subsisting mainly on coffee.

Eva explained, “So people kept saying, ‘You look amazing. Divorce agrees with you,'” she said. “And I was like, I don’t feel good. I have no energy … I didn’t know I was depressed.”

Tatum and Dewan met while filming the greatest film ever made, Step Up, in 2006. They married three years later and had a daughter. But in 2018, the celeb couple announced their amicable separation on Instagram: “We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple. We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together.”

Tatum confessed to Elle magazine that his life had been turned upside down by the separation. Luckily, they stayed best friends. Even more luckily for Channing, he’s currently dating Zoë Kravitz.

Comedian Amy Poehler married Canadian actor Will Arnett in 2003. They had two children before separating in 2012. Amy divulged her feelings about going through a divorce in her 2014 memoir Yes Please: “You feel incredibly alone, yet you are constantly reminded by society of how frequently divorce happens and how common it has become.”

A source close to Amy and Will told Radar Online, “They drifted apart… like a lot of couples do, but there’s no malice in the split, nor was anyone else involved.”

We might never know why Kelly Clarkson and The Kelly Clarkson Show exec producer Brandon Blackstock split. They first met in 2006 and married seven years later. But Kelly filed for a divorce in 2020 and wants the details of their divorce to remain a secret to protect their two children.

While chatting to Kaley Cuoco on her TV show, Kelly admitted she’s open to finding love again but said, “I will never get married again. Not because I don’t believe in love, I think love is beautiful, and it’s not that, I just did not… that didn’t suit me in my life.”

Elisabeth Moss and comedian Fred Armisen were married from 2009 to 2011. The Handmaiden’s Tale actress told Vulture she felt she was far too young at the time. She talked of how traumatic and stressful the separation was but added, “I’m glad that it didn’t happen when I was 50.”

Moss went on to say she was glad she didn’t have kids with Fred and that she “got that out of the way.” Next, she wistfully added, “Hopefully. Like, that’s probably not going to happen again.”

Goldie Hawn’s daughter, Kate Hudson, married The Black Crowes’ lead singer Chris Robinson in 2000 when she was just 21. The marriage lasted seven years. Kate opened up to Vogue magazine with this incredibly poorly structured sentence: “The process of discovering with somebody that you love that you don’t work is so painful.”

But in a much better sentence in the UK tabloid The Daily Mail, she stated, “Chris and I had no animosity. Chris and I divorced for the right reasons; we just didn’t work.” Use your words, Kate!

Mary J. Blige was married to her manager, record producer Martin “Kendu” Isaacs, between 2003 and 2018. After they split, she told Good Morning America that she realized she must leave because her husband never ever respected her.

Mary continued, “It just seemed like I was beating a dead horse. It seemed like I was talking to a wall. I just wasn’t getting it back, so if I can’t get respect in the relationship, then I have to move on and save myself.”

In 2016, Hilary Duff opened up on Nico Tortorella’s podcast, The Love Bomb, about her divorce from Canadian ice hockey player Mike Comrie. The actress explained to her friend Nico just how hard marriage was. Whenever she’s asked if she’s ever going to get married again, Duff admits, “I’m like, ‘I don’t know!'”

But marry again she did! In 2019, Hilary married singer-songwriter, DJ, and record producer Mathew Koma and they’ve since had two kids. We like a happy ending!

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s toxic laundry was washed in public. The fun began when she filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order alleging Johnny’s abusive behavior. Amber requested a divorce settlement of $50,000/month to support her lifestyle. Depp paid her $7 million, which she “pledged” to donate to charity.

However, during 2022’s infamous Depp vs. Heard court case, the entire world got to see who was the victim and who wasn’t. You’ll have to make your own mind up which is which.

Bill Gates married Melinda in Hawaii in 1994. The Microsoft founder and his philanthropist wife were seemingly happily married for over a quarter of a century, but in 2021, Melinda filed for divorce. In a tell-all interview with CBS Morning’s Gayle King, Melinda revealed that she left the world’s richest man because of his affairs.

Melinda also confessed she didn’t like that Bill had been meeting with certain people. Some estimates say she walked away with $2 billion. Others say she was awarded half of Bill’s $150 billion wealth!