Breakups are never easy, but they're a fact of life. For most of us, our relationships are mostly private, and when they come to an end, we just have our close circle to throw their opinions into it. But this isn't true for celebrity couples.
With their big platforms come a large audience that gets invested in their private lives. Fans share their opinions on their romantic couplings – the good and the bad – and that has to be hard to navigate. While we don't think random people's feelings factor into the Hollywood couplings, the stress certainly takes its toll — especially when a couple like Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez calls it quits when they seemed totally meant to be.
Breakups happen all the time, but some celebrity breakups truly broke our hearts. We became invested in their love. Wanted to always see them together, and we rooted for their love to shine through. Of course, we don't know all the details, but we are still a little bit sad when they happen.
Check out these 20 celebrity breakups that broke our hearts, many of which we may not be quite over yet.
Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez
We didn't see this coming, but in April 2021, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez announced they had officially called it quits after four years together. The couple released a statement to the Today show and other media outlets.
"We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so," the statement read. "We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another's children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have is to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support."
RIP to this relationship — though there's no doubt both of them will find someone new in time.
Reese Witherspoon & Ryan Phillippe
Talk about a gorgeous couple, right? Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe seemed like a perfect match and when they got together as an official item, fans were overjoyed. Both worked on the movie Cruel Intentions, with Reese confessing they had already been an item while filming that movie. It was a big shock when the two said their marriage was coming to an end in 2006. Now their two kids are older and look exactly like their parents.
Anna Camp & Skylar Astin
When actors get together after playing love interests on screen, we seem to be more invested as fans. When it was announced that Anna Camp and Skylar Astin, who both stared in Pitch Perfect, were an item in 2013, it all made sense to us. They announced their engagement in 2016 and got married later that year. But, when they got divorced in 2019, it didn't make sense.
Vanessa Hudgens & Zac Efron
Reports say that these two became an item in 2005 when they were on set of High School Musical. Their relationship didn't become official until the following year. They were super young, so the chances of a long-term relationship was so low. But after five years of dating, we were still sad to learn they were moving on. Troy and Gabriella forever!
Emma Stone & Andrew Garfield
Meeting on set of a movie, Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield had chemistry on and off the screen. In 2012, the lovebirds were spotted at Disneyland together, and Andrew has always spoken so highly of Emma. We were hopeful they'd be together for the long haul, but they split up in 2015. Thankfully, the two have maintained a friendship.
Jamie Foxx & Katie Holmes
For a long time, there was a whole lot of speculation going around that Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes were an item, but it took a while before the rumors were confirmed. In 2013, the rumors began, the two denied it. It wasn't until 2016 that they were spotted together and friends started to spill the secret. It seemed just when we knew these two were together, since they'd confirmed their romance during the Met Gala in 2019, they broke up.
Amy Poehler & Will Arnett
Talk about a power couple! Comedians Amy Poehler and Will Arnett first met in 1996 and it didn't take long for the two to start dating. After getting to know each other, they married in 2003 and went on to have two sons. It was a surprise to everyone when they announced their split in 2012.
Jenna Dewan & Channing Tatum
Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum were so adorable together, having met while on set of Step Up back in the early 2000s. In September 2008, the power couple got engaged and married the following year. They were so cute, and looked even more darling when their daughter was born. Everyone was surprised when Channing and Jenna announced they were over after nine years of marriage in 2018.
Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams stared in The Notebook together in 2004 and their love in the movie was dynamic. It was reported they didn't get along during the filming, but all that changed a few years later and their romance started. They seemed perfect for each other, but ultimately went their separate ways. We're still sad, but both are happy (and now parents) with their new partners.
Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson catapulted into celebrity stardom and straight to the top of the power couple when their movie Twilight came out. These two seemed to be made for each other, but after a cheating scandal, and the fact that they were pretty young, their love didn't last.
Kourtney Kardashian & Scott Disick
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick have been off and on forever and we honestly like them more when they're on. While both are currently in relationships with other people, they've been in each other's lives since before 2007 and are now co-parenting their three kids together. We still hold out hope, though.
Cara Delevingne & Ashley Benson
Speculation of their relationship started with some Instagram snaps. Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson were photographed kissing at an airport in 2018. Cara confirmed she and Ashley were together in 2019, but their relationship came to an end by May 2020.
Anna Faris & Chris Pratt
These two seemed like a match made in perfection — dating in 2007 and getting engaged in 2008. Anna Faris and Chris Pratt walked down the aisle in 2009 and welcomed their first child together in 2012. Over the years, they spoke kindly of each other, shared their plans for the future, and shocked everyone when they announced their separation in 2017.
Ben Stiller & Christine Taylor
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor seemed to have the perfect marriage and made it work with their busy schedules. They met in 1999 and were described as "love at first sight" and they got married in 2000. They had two kids together, but it was all over for these two by 2017. Though they're no longer an official couple, the two are spotted together all the time.
Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake
We know that first loves are hard to get over. But add in the incredible spotlight these two had on their own and how exponentially that grew when they were an item and it's unfair to assume Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake would last. Even so, their breakup, which was highlighted in The New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears, was a shock to many who saw these two as celeb royalty.
Heidi Klum & Seal
Relationships always seem perfect from the outside, especially with celebrities. But there is so much going on behind the scenes fans don't get to see. And that seems to be what happened between Heidi Klum and Seal. The two appeared perfect, always had loads of fun, and were raising their large family together. When they announced their split after seven years together, it was a major surprise.
Lena Waithe & Alana Mayo
Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo were an incredible couple that so many fans rooted for. They seemed perfect together and when their engagement was announced in 2017, people were happy they seemed happy and were taking things to the next step. But it seems almost as quick as they became engaged and then married, they were no longer an item. After only two months of marriage, it was over for these two.
Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner
After a lot of speculation which followed them for years even in relationships with other people, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner made their first public appearance in 2004. The following year, they were engaged, and tied the knot later that year. They went on to have three kids and then everyone had their hearts broken when the couple announced their breakup in 2015.
Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon
In 2008, after only a few weeks of dating, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon surprised everyone by tying the knot. They renewed their vows often, almost yearly, and in 2010, they welcomed their twins Monroe and Moroccan. After six years of marriage, the two surprised their fans again with the news of their divorce.
Karamo Brown & Ian Jordan
In early 2021, Queer Eye star Karamo Brown quietly split from his fiancé Ian Jordan. The two got engaged in 2018 and while the wedding was postponed due to the global health crisis, the two decided that it would be better to part ways instead. We loved these two together, but of course, always support happiness above anything.
