When it comes to dating, there's one rule that seems to be especially helpful: Don't date a co-worker. It can be hard, since that's where so many of us meet our friends. And sometimes, feelings are just too strong to avoid a relationship. But, when it ends, it's extra painful. If this sounds familiar, don't worry. Plenty of celebrity couples know exactly what it's like to work with their ex, even after they've broken up! And they've had to do it on camera with the entire world watching. In a word: Yikes.
Recently, Entertainment Tonight rounded up all the stars who have had to work together after a split, and as it turns out, it's way more common than some might think. Celebrity breakups happen all the time, and it's all the more unfortunate when they happen while filming a TV show or movie where on-screen relationships have gone off-screen. Even some of the biggest and most experienced celebs, like Justin Timberlake and Penn Badgley, aren't immune to this happening!
Read on for stars who have broken up while still working together. It had to make for some seriously awkward moments.
Camila Mendes & Charles Melton
These Riverdale stars attempted a relationship in real life, and it worked — for a while. After dating for just over a year, Camila Mendes and Charles Melton went their separate ways in December 2019. At the time, sources told E! News that they were just "taking a break," but so far, they seem to be staying apart … even though they're both still working on the show together.
Mindy Kaling & BJ Novak
Kelly and Ryan's relationship on The Office was kind of a train wreck, so it was surprising to find out that Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak actually dated in real life. But according to what Mindy told Vulture in 2012, they ended things and remained "best friends" as they continued to work on the show. And they've been close ever since.
Penn Badgley & Blake Lively
On Gossip Girl, Dan and Serena's relationship was one of the main storylines. Turns out the heat between costars Blake Lively and Penn Badgley was real. They dated for the first two seasons, but when they split their co-stars were never the wiser because of how well they were able to separate work and play.
"They kept the breakup hidden from the crew, which you could never do now," executive producer Joshua Safran told Vanity Fair. "I don’t even know how they did it. They kept it from everybody which is a testament to how good they are as actors. Because they did not want their personal drama to relate to the show.”
Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony
After their marriage ended, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony obviously had to continue to be in each other's lives — they share kids, after all. But even beyond that, they worked on the show Q'Viva! The Chosen together, and they've frequently been spotted out and about with twins Emme and Max in the years since their divorce.
Nina Dobrev & Ian Somerhalder
These Vampire Diaries stars dated each other for about three years while the show was filming. But ultimately, their relationship just wasn't meant to be. They continued working together on the series and have actually remained friends ever since — Nina Dobrev is even friends with Ian Somerhalder's wife, Nikki Reed.
Joey King & Jacob Elordi
Jacob Elordi and Joey King made the cutest couple after filming The Kissing Booth. But then, things ended … and that left them in the position of filming the sequel and playing romantic interests, even though the actual romance between them in real life had been over for a while.
Tarek & Christina El Moussa
Tarek and Christina El Moussa rose to HGTV fame as a married couple who successfully flipped houses together on Flip or Flop. When they decided to divorce in 2017 after seven years of marriage, the show had to go on. They've co-parented their kids and worked together on the show ever since, and so far, it's going a lot better than fans might have expected.
Chad Michael Murray & Sophia Bush
Brooke and Lucas's relationship was on and off during One Tree Hill, and things between Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray got so serious off-screen that they even got married in 2005 before separating less than a year later. They continued working on the show together for years afterward, but Sophia has since described her decision to marry Chad in an interview with Andy Cohen as being "22 and stupid."
Jennifer Lawrence & Nicholas Hoult
While working together on X-Men, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult dated for five years. That's not just a flash in the pan! But they had to continue working together on the franchise after they split, and Jennifer said in a 2015 interview with Diane Sawyer that it made her realize she needed to find herself.
Johnny Galecki & Kaley Cuoco
The Big Bang Theory stars Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco were so good at working together again after a breakup that nobody even knew they had ever dated! In a 2010 interview with CBS Watch (via Today), Kaley admitted they'd secretly dated from 2007 to 2009.
"It was such a huge part of my life and no one knew about it," she said. "It was a wonderful relationship, but we never spoke a word about it and never went anywhere together."
Cameron Diaz & Justin Timberlake
It seems like such a long time ago that Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake were together, and that's because it was — they broke up in 2007, after all, right around the time Justin met his wife, Jessica Biel. Still, they went on to star in Bad Teacher together, and it didn't seem like there was any bad blood between them.
Jennifer Aniston & Tate Donovan
Rachel had a short-lived relationship with Joshua in the early seasons of Friends, but fans might not have known that Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan actually dated — and it was before they ended up working together on the sitcom, which Tate told Us Weekly was a bit of a challenge.
"That was tricky to sort of act, and act like we are just meeting each other and falling in love or whatever, interested in each other, when we’re sort of breaking up," he said. "That was just tough."
Jennifer Morrison & Jesse Spencer
Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer were engaged when they ended their relationship, but they still had to keep working together on House. They handled the whole thing pretty maturely, though. When they announced their split, they shared a statement to People saying, “After much consideration, we have decided not to get married. We are still very close, and we look forward to continuing to work together on House.”
Milo Ventimiglia & Hayden Panettiere
Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere dated for almost two years before going their separate ways, but they still had to film Heroes together after their breakup. Fortunately, as ET points out, the show ended less than a year after they announced their split, so they didn't have to play nice for too long.
Katie Holmes & Joshua Jackson
Fans of Dawson's Creek know how sacred Joey and Pacey's relationship was. But it wasn't all acting! Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson dated in real life, and according to ET, she even described him as her "first love." But it ran its course before the show ended, meaning they had to keep working together after their breakup, and fortunately managed to remain friends through it all.
Dominic Cooper & Amanda Seyfried
After playing a couple in Mamma Mia!, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper dated in real life for three years. But by the time the cast reunited to film the sequel, Amanda and Dominic had split. Fortunately, Dominic told Attitude post-breakup that they were still friends, so it might not have been too awkward for them.
Adam Brody & Rachel Bilson
The OC simply wouldn't have been the same without Seth and Summer's relationship. Behind the scenes, Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson were together for a long time, too. But they broke up just before the show's last season, and had to go on playing a couple for one more year.
