It doesn't matter if you're rich and famous or not — breakups and divorces suck. It's hard enough to get over someone you were in love with, but when children are involved, the situation becomes a little more complicated — and there are a lot of former Hollywood couples out there who would definitely agree. We've witnessed some lengthy, brutal celebrity custody battles over the years, but for the most part, we've seen these famous parents find it in themselves to put it all aside for the benefit of their children.
A good co-parenting relationship isn't easy to come by, and we imagine that if everyone is watching and scrutinizing your every move (thanks, paparazzi and social media) it's even harder to do the work to make it happen. But even after the most painful splits, some celebrity exes have managed to do this co-parenting thing right, setting a great example for anyone who happens to find themselves in that position.
Seeing these stars maintain such friendly relationships is really inspiring, and we don't doubt their children are going to thank them big time one day for finding a way to do it.
Demi Moore & Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore married in 1987, had three daughters, and divorced in 2000. They have put their kids’ happiness first in the years since, frequently reuniting (along with Bruce’s current wife, Emma Heming) for big events in the lives of Rumer and her sisters. And now that Bruce has been diagnosed with aphasia and has had to retire from acting, it seems like the family has been spending even more quality time together.
Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck announced their split in 2015, after a decade-long marriage and three children. Despite accusations of infidelity, the actors have put their kids’ happiness first and are frequently seen together at events involving their kids. In fact, Ben’s new wife — Jennifer Lopez, of course — described their co-parenting situation with his ex as “amazing” in a December 2022 interview with Vogue.
Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony
Speaking of Jennifer Lopez, the co-parenting relationship between her and Marc Anthony seems like an awesome one, too. Though they divorced in 2014 after separating three years earlier, they do share twins Max and Emme. In fact, in the years since their split, they’ve even performed together.
Hilary Duff & Mike Comrie
Since Hilary Duff and former NHL player Mike Comrie split up in 2014, a lot has changed — mostly the fact that Hilary remarried and has two more children with husband Matthew Koma. But when talking to People, she said she’s “really proud” of how she and Mike are parenting their son, Luca, together.
“We are a unit and we’re going to be a unit for the rest of our lives,” she said. “We realized [as a couple] we weren’t where we used to be. But I feel so lucky this happened when Luca was young because this is his normal now.”
Kate Hudson & Her Exes
Kate Hudson has three kids, two of whom are from her exes: Ryder with Chris Robinson, and Bingham with Matt Bellamy. She also has Rani Rose with her fiancé Danny Fujikawa. In November 2022, Kate told The Sunday Times that she still has love for her former partners because of their history together.
“It might not look traditional from the outside, but on the inside I feel like we’re killing it,” she said. “The unit that I’ve created with three children with three different fathers is a seriously strong unit, and it’s ours.”
Lisa Bonet & Lenny Kravitz
After Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet’s divorce — after welcoming daughter Zoë Kravitz — she married Jason Momoa. And while Lisa and Jason have since split, in 2019, Lenny sung the praises of their co-parenting relationship, even saying that Jason was like a “brother” to him.
“You go through a marriage with somebody, you break up, and it’s very difficult,” Lenny told The Times. “But [Lisa and I] put the work in and we took the time so that we could become best friends again. Our families are blended.”
Courteney Cox & David Arquette
David Arquette and Courteney Cox filed for divorce in 2012. Their daughter, Coco, was born in 2004. In January 2023, David opened up about working with Courteney on the Scream movies, which is where they first met.
“I got to work with Courteney — she’s such a wonderful talent,” he told Closer. “Today we are great co-parents to our daughter. So that’s really beautiful.”
Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz
Since their 2011 divorce, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz have both moved on, having more kids with new partners. But according to what Pete told In Touch in 2019, co-parenting their son, Bronx, is the “easiest part” of his life.
“She’s a great mom,” he said of Ashlee.
Jenni Garth & Peter Facinelli
Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli split up in 2012 after 11 years of marriage. Since then, they’ve continued to raise their three daughters together, though today, only their youngest, Fiona, is still under the age of 18.
“Anyone going through a breakup should know, kids need to see mom and dad happy,” Peter said in 2017. “As long as they know they’re happy, they know they will be.”
Debra Messing & Daniel Zelman
The son Debra Messing and Daniel Zelman share, Roman, is 18 years old now, but in the past, the Will & Grace star has gushed about how far she and her ex came after their difficult divorce.
“Now we are co-parenting beautifully,” she once told More magazine, via SheKnows. “We had Thanksgiving together. In my mind, we will be a nuclear family forever.”
Tia Mowry & Cory Hardrict
In October 2022, Tia Mowry announced her divorce from Cory Hardrict, but that didn’t keep the two from spending the holidays together with their kids.
“I’m happy to say I’m going to be spending Christmas with Cory,” Tia told E! News in December 2022. “We’re gonna have him with the kids on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. We are family and we always will be, and that’s what’s important to me.”
Hoda Kotb & Joel Schiffman
After splitting up after a two-year-long engagement in January 2022, Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman have been working together to continue to parent their daughters, Haley and Hope, and when she spoke to People about the situation a few months later, she had nothing but positive things to say.
“He’ll have a Saturday, and I’ll do the Sunday,” she said. “We switch each week. He’ll take the girls and do some fun things, and I’ll take some quiet time. It’s a healthy mix, and the kids love it. He’s a great dad.”
Miranda Kerr & Orlando Bloom
Not only have Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr been able to get along to raise their son, Flynn, together after their divorce, but Miranda is even friends with Orlando’s fiancée, Katy Perry.
“It’s important to put your own upset behind you, make peace for your own good, and move forward,” Miranda said during an appearance on the Moments With Candace Parker podcast in 2021. “At the end of the day, we actually did that in a healthy way. We’re friends now.”
Megan Fox & Brian Austin Green
Fans will remember that Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green’s divorce was messy at first, but they’ve come a long way since then — and it’s all in the interest of their three shared children, Journey, Bodhi, and Noah. In October 2022, Brian told E! (via People) that they “co-parent really well together” and try to remain flexible with each other.
“I’m very aware — and so is she — that our schedules are insane,” he said. “So when we do get time, cherish it. It’s an amazing thing, and we support the other parent having time.”
Kristin Cavallari & Jay Cutler
Though they were another couple who got off to a rocky start after their divorce, Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler seem to have really found their groove parenting Camden, Saylor, and Jaxon even though they’re no longer together.
“Never put the kids in the middle of it, no matter how mad you are at your ex-spouse,” Kristin told Mr. Warburton magazine. “One thing that my mom did was she never said anything bad about my dad. Now that I’m older, I really respect that. I always want my kids to see Jay and me as a united front. He’s their father. That’s important and they need to see that from me.”
