As a fan of celebrity couples, it’s easy to admit that some of their relationships give us faith that true love exists — getting a front-row seat to the stars’ love stories is enough to believe that happy endings can happen even beyond the movies. But when those relationships end up crashing and burning? Well, that’s when we learn that those seemingly perfect romances can turn into celebrity breakups that have us doubting love all over again.
But take heart that, as difficult as they were at the time, many of these splits worked out for the best. Some stars are much happier now than they were then, and many of them have even gone on to find new partners who suit them better than who they were with in the past — no matter how perfect they seemed for each other from the outside looking in.
Relationships aren’t always easy under the best of circumstances, let alone for a couple who is trying to work out their differences with the whole world watching. Some celeb breakups and divorces have definitely hit harder than others, and these are the ones that blindsided us the most.
Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck
It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were getting divorced back in June 2015 — especially since they have three children together: Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. They’ve remained good friends ever since, though, peacefully co-parenting together. Although Ben has said that their divorce is one of his biggest regrets, attributing it to his addiction.
Kim Kardashian & Kanye West
This is a breakup we all knew was coming, but it was still so shocking when it happened. After another year of Kim Kardashian enduring Kanye West’s erratic behavior, the news of their divorce was confirmed in early 2021, though Kim herself has yet to really get into what exactly went wrong.
Nick Lachey & Jessica Simpson
Let’s throw it all the way back to the early 2000s, when Newlyweds was the biggest show on TV and Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson had the love story that we all wished we had ourselves. That love story didn’t last forever, though, and in 2005 the couple officially called it quits.
And it seems like it worked out for the best. Today, Jessica is happily married to Eric Johnson, and Nick and Vanessa Lachey seem very happy together, too.
Bill & Melinda Gates
The world was shocked when Bill and Melinda Gates announced in May 2021 that they would be going their separate ways. As they said in a statement released at the time, after 27 years of marriage, they felt that they were no longer able to “grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens
High School Musical fans everywhere were shattered when this longtime couple decided to call it quits. After meeting and falling in love on the set of the Disney Channel movie, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens broke up four years into their (formerly adorable) relationship. Fortunately, it seems like it just fizzled out between them — no big drama here.
Olivia Wilde & Jason Sudeikis
After nine years, an engagement, and two children (son Otis and daughter Daisy), it was absolutely shocking to hear that Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis decided to break up. It was even crazier when we found out who Olivia moved on to: Harry Styles! That definitely threw fans for a loop.
Kourtney Kardashian & Scott Disick
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick were together for what seemed like an eternity — when Keeping Up With the Kardashians began, they were the most solid couple on the show. But in the end, they just weren’t meant to be. After almost 10 years of dating and three children, Kourtney and Scott ended their on-again, off-again relationship for good in 2017.
Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams
Falling in love on the set of one of the most romantic movies of all time and falling in love in real life? Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams’ relationship seemed too good to be true, and in the end, it was. After jumping into a romance after filming the Notebook, Ryan and Rachel broke up sometime in 2007, when the actor told People in an interview that he had “no idea” if he was still dating her.
Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez
After dating for four years — and sharing every bit of their flashy love story on social media — Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez ended their engagement and their relationship in one fell swoop in April 2021. There had been rumors they were splitting up for weeks at that point, but it was still surprising to hear that they’d really decided to end things.
“We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so,” the former couple said in a joint statement. “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 to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.”
Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt
The end of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s marriage truly felt like the end of an era. They had been the golden couple of Hollywood for a while, and then in January 2015, they suddenly announced that it was all over amid rumors that Brad had cheated.
Which brings us to the next breakup …
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
After Brad was a free man, he made a beeline for Angelina Jolie, his costar in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. It didn’t take long for them to get together, and years into their relationship, they decided to get married. But in September 2016, Angelina officially filed for divorce, and it seems that years later, they’re still ironing out the finer details in court.
John Mulaney & Anna Marie Tendler
Fans of comedian John Mulaney were shocked when — after entering rehab months earlier — news broke in May 2021 that he and wife Anna Maria Tender were getting a divorce, especially since the decision didn’t seem mutual.
“I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage,” Anna Maria said in a statement at the time, via Page Six. “I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery.”
Anna Faris & Chris Pratt
Two funny people with a sweet relationship and an adorable son? It seemed like Chris Pratt and Anna Faris were simply destined to be together. But in August 2017, they shared some bad news in a heartbreaking Instagram post.
“We tried hard for a long time, and we’re really disappointed,” said their joint statement. “Our son has two parents who love him very much, and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward. We still love each other and will always cherish our time together.”
Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth seemed to have a fairy tale love. They met on the set of their Nicholas Sparks movie, the Last Song, and even though they broke up after several years together, they found their way back to each other and even got married. But in August 2019, they ended things for good.
Channing Tatum & Jenna Dewan
It was heartbreaking on so many levels to find out that Step Up costars Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan were divorcing in 2018. And the next year, Jenna opened up about the cause of the split in her memoir, Gracefully You.
“I’d come to realize the dynamic I was in wasn’t serving me nor was it serving my daughter,” she wrote. “First and foremost I had to accept the realization this isn’t working and had moved into hurting.”
Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin
Ah, yes — the divorce where the term “conscious uncoupling” was born. In July 2016, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (who have two children, Apple and Moses) announced that they were splitting up, and they have stayed true to the promises they made at that time. Even though Gwyneth is now married to Brad Falchuk, they’ve remained one big happy family for their kids.
John Cena & Nikki Bella
Since they were practically the golden couple of wrestling, it was definitely shocking to find out that Nikki Bella and John Cena had decided to end things in 2018 after they had come to an impasse about whether or not to have children, among other things. Ultimately, it was for the best: Nikki is now engaged (and has a child) with her Dancing With the Stars partner Artem Chigvintsev, while John is married to Shay Shariatzadeh.
Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton
It was totally shocking when Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton split up — they had been total couple goals for so many country music fans, and they seemed to suit each other so well. But after four years of marriage, the couple announced their divorce, and since then, Blake seemingly told People that Miranda had cheated when he talked about the lyrics in the album he released shortly after their breakup, called If I’m Honest.
Ryan Phillippe & Reese Witherspoon
As a hot “it” couple of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it seemed like Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon were meant to be — especially after their gorgeous genes combined to make two beautiful children, Deacon and Ava. But in 2006, they decided to divorce, though they’ve remained on good terms since then.
Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore
Given their age difference, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s relationship was definitely an unconventional one from the start. But things seemed to be going well between them — until they weren’t. In a statement in 2011, Demi revealed the big news of their split.
“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton,” her statement said, via ABC News. “As a woman, a mother, and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life. This is a trying time for me and my family, and so I would ask for the same compassion and privacy that you would give to anyone going through a similar situation.”
