Celebrities Opening Up About Divorce Is So Relatable
It seems like celebrities are in and out of relationships every other day. When they stick together, fans can't help but root for their love. Then, it feels like a little time has passed before everything begins crumbling around some of the world's favorite "it couples," resulting in divorce.
Some of those celebrities have taken time to heal, opening up during interviews about the messy process, heartache, and what it's like to split from someone they once deeply loved. Keep reading and learn what A-listers such as Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie, and Nicole Kidman have to say about divorce.
Reese Witherspoon Gets Real About Her Split From Ryan Phillippe
Reese Witherspoon met her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe on the 1999 film Cruel Intentions, where they played two young people who fall in love under unusual circumstances. But the movie brought the two actors together, and they were married later that very same year. Unlike their characters, though, this couple didn't have a happy ending together.
During an interview with Parade, Witherspoon opened up about their divorce, saying, "Sometimes it is very difficult to make sense of how it could possibly happen...Laying blame is so easy. When you make wrong choices, you have to take responsibility for them: 'What part of this do I own?'"
Scarlett Johansson Said Divorce Is The Hardest Thing
Actors Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds began dating in 2007, becoming engaged one year later. After their 2008 wedding, things in their relationship quickly unraveled. In 2010 they separated, and in 2011 their divorce was finalized. Johansson called the process "very lonely."
During an interview, the actress opened up about her divorce, saying, "It was devastating. It really throws you. You think that your life is going to be one way, and then, for various reasons or whatever, it doesn't work out. It's a very lonely thing. It’s like the loneliest thing you’ll ever do, in some way."
Nicole Kidman Was Real About Her Divorce From Tom Cruise
Meeting in 1990 on the set of their film Days of Thunder, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise didn't wait long to marry. That being said, they didn't really wait too long to get divorced either. After adopting two kids, the two divorced in 2001, resulting in one of the most relatable pictures on the Internet -- Kidman walking out of her lawyer's office after finalizing the papers.
Even so, Kidman has discussed in an interview how their divorce wasn't easy, saying, "It's a nightmare, it just is, and you can pretend you're fine. And days you're great [and] days you're not great."
Jennifer Aniston Rose Above Her Public Split From Brad Pitt
One of the more public divorces in Hollywood history was between actress Jennifer Aniston and actor Brad Pitt back in 2005. Wed in 2002, their relationship was considered a rare Hollywood success story. Well, until Mr. & Mrs. Smith rolled around, and people became either "Team Aniston" or "Team Jolie."
When asked about the very public break-up, Aniston was straightforward, saying, "It's sad, something coming to an end. It cracks you open, in a way -- cracks you open to feeling. I'm a human being, having a human experience in front of the world. I wish it weren't in front of the world. I try really hard to rise above it."
Elisabeth Moss Says Her Divorce Was A Traumatic Experience
Emmy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Moss met former husband Fred Armisen in 2008 on Saturday Night Live. They quickly began dating and were engaged just three months later. Soon after, in 2009, the two were married. And while the two actors' marriage only lasted until 2011, Moss says she's happy it happened when it did, and not when she's 50.
During an interview with Vulture, Moss said, "It was extremely traumatic and awful and horrible. At the same time, it turned out for the best. I'm glad that I'm not there. I'm glad that it didn't happen when I was 50."
Kate Hudson Says She Divorced For All The Right Reasons
Actress Kate Hudson and The Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson met at a party in New York in 2000, famously moving in with one another days after. Less than a year later, the two were married, saying "I do" when on New Year's Eve. Then, after six years, they divorced, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.
During an interview with Daily Mail, Hudson said, "Chris and I had no animosity. Chris and I divorced for the right reasons -- we just didn't work." She does say their crazy schedules had nothing to do with their split.
Anna Faris Didn't Think Chris Pratt Was 100% Right For Her
In 2007, sparks flew for actress Anna Faris the day she sat down with co-star Chris Prat for a table read for their film Take Me Home Tonight. The two began dating shortly after, becoming engaged in late 2008 and marrying in 2009 in Bali, Indonesia. Unfortunately, what people thought was a Hollywood fairytale relationship came to an end in 2018.
During her Unqualified podcast, Ferris discussed her split, emphasizing one thing. The actress said, "And if that would be the final piece of advice I could give you, that would be know your worth, know your independence."
Miranda Lambert Talks About How People Change
Country stars Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton's love story began when they were paired together for the CMT 100 Greatest Duets special in September of 2005. There, they sang "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," falling in love with one another on stage. They married in 2011.
The two were together for 10 years. But during that time, they changed as people, drifting apart and divorcing in 2015. During an interview, Lambert discussed their marriage, saying, "[Marriage is] a tough business, and we gave it our best college try. I met him at 21 -- I am now almost 32. You change as people."
Gwyneth Paltrow Had To Revaluate The Term "Failure"
Gwyneth Paltrow met Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin in October of 2002. One year later, the actress and musician were married in a hotel in Southern California. But the two eventually called it quits, finalizing their divorce in 2016. For the actress, the split made her reevaluate her definition of failure.
During an interview with the New York Daily News, Paltrow said, "It was very challenging for me in terms of having to re-assess what that said about me, ideas that I had about that kind of failure. I am from a tribe of people who stay married. I really don't come from a culture of divorce at all..."
Jennifer Lopez Says Co-Parenting Is The Hardest Work
Long-time friends Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony began dating in 2004, marrying later the very same year. After years together and two children, the couple announced their separation in 2011, finalizing their divorce in 2014. It wasn't easy for Lopez to forgive Anthony, and co-parenting with an ex is still one of the hardest things she's ever done.
During an interview with W magazine, Lopez said, "When my marriage ended, it was not easy to find forgiveness. But Marc is the father of my children, and that's never going away. So, I have to work to make things right. And that is, by far, the hardest work I do."
Gwen Stefani's World Changed After Her Divorce
Gwen Stefani met lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995 when No Doubt opened for his band Bush. The two musicians were married in 2002. Then, after 13 years, three sons, and a solid life together, the two divorced. For Stefani, it was as if her world had blown up, and she hit rock bottom.
During an interview with CBS News, the singer said, "At that time everything was like I had no skin, it was so raw. During that time period, I felt like I was down all the way, like, you don't go down lower than that. It was rock bottom."
Olivia Wilde Tried To Change For Her Former Husband
Before marrying Jason Sudeikis, actress Olivia Wilde was married to Italian Prince Tao Ruspoli. In 2003, at the age of 19, Wilde said, "I do" to the prince in an abandoned school bus, the only place they could be alone since their marriage was a secret at the time.
The two were together for years, but in 2011, they divorced. Wilde has since opened up about the marriage, saying that she tried to change once she realized things were going south. During an interview, Wilde said, "you don't want to end a marriage; you just know that something's off, so you try to change everything else."
Hilary Duff Now Knows That Marriage Is Hard
Actress Hilary Duff wasn't expecting to find a husband when she went on a getaway with friends. But she did. On a flight to Idaho, the actress met Mike Comrie, a professional hockey player. The two hit it off, marrying in 2010. Unfortunately, they couldn't make it work, divorcing six years later.
During an interview on The Love Bomb podcast, Duff talks about marriage and divorce, saying, "marriage is sacred, and marriage is not for everyone. Marriage is work. Marriage is really hard. Everyone's like, 'Are you going to get married again?' I'm like, 'I don't know!'"
Miranda Kerr Went Into A Bad Funk
Model Miranda Kerr and actor Orlando Bloom began dating in 2007, keeping their relationship away from the public eye. The two dated for a while before announcing their engagement in 2010; they married one month afterward. Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last. The two split in 2011, with their divorce being finalized in 2013.
When asked how she felt after the split, Kerr said, "When Orlando [Bloom] and I separated [in 2013], I actually fell into a really bad depression. I never understood the depth of that feeling or the reality of that because I was naturally a very happy person."
Jessica Simpson And Nick Lachey Only Worked On-Screen
After meeting at the Hollywood Christmas Parade in 1998, singers Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey soon became the new "it couple." They dated for a few years, marrying in 2002 before landing their own reality television series, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. Unfortunately, the two didn't know how to be alone together because of the show, let alone be married. They divorced in 2005.
In her memoir Open Book, Simpson discusses her divorce, saying, "We were young and pioneering our way through reality television, always mic'd and always on. We worked, and we were great at it, but when it came time to being alone, we weren't great at it anymore.”
Jennifer Garner Doesn't Place Blame
After becoming friends on the sets of Pearl Harbor and Daredevil, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck began dating in 2004. A year later, the two married in a private ceremony. But things became rocky, and the two split in 2015, finalizing their divorce in 2018.
But Garner doesn't lay blame on her ex, saying, "You have to have two people to dance a marriage. My heart's a little on the tender side right now...but I know that, with time and some perspective, I'll have a clearer sense of where I let the system down because there's no way I get off in this."
Mandy Moore Is Now Focusing On Herself
Actress Mandy Moore began dating former Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams in 2008. One year later, the two announced their engagement, marrying later that same year in Savannah, Georgia. The couple separated six months prior to filing for divorce, which was finalized in 2016.
After years in the relationship she calls "unhealthy," Moore is now working on herself. During an interview, the actress said, "It's just not a coincidence to me that things sort of opened back up, and I'm able to focus back on myself again."
Drew Barrymore Had A Hard Time With Divorce
In 2011, actress Drew Barrymore began dating art consultant Will Kopelman. The two announced their engagement one year later, saying their vows in 2012 in Montecito, California. Unfortunately, their love didn't last, and after years together, Barrymore and Kopelman divorced in 2016. According to the actress, their split made her feel like a failure.
During a guest appearance on Chelsea Handler's talk show, Barrymore discussed her divorce, saying, "When you break up with somebody, you're like, 'Yeah, that didn't work. When you get divorced, you're like, 'I'm the biggest failure. This is the biggest failure.' It's so shameful and hard to actually go through that, even privately."
Tom Brady And Giselle Bündchen Split Amicably
On October 28, 2022, NFL superstar Tom Brady and model Giselle Bündchen announced they finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage. While the news wasn't really a shock for fans who saw the two distancing themselves from one another, it was still nice to hear the two split on good terms.
In her statement, Giselle wrote, "The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always."
Katie Holmes Has No Rules For Herself
Katie Holmes began dating Tom Cruise in 2005. Only seven weeks after the two got together, they were engaged. The couple was wed a year later, in 2006; the beginning of their five and a half years of marriage. Holmes filed for divorce in 2012. After her experience with Cruise, the actress doesn't have many rules for herself.
During an interview, Holmes said, "I don't have any fear now, I don't have a lot of rules for myself, and I don't take myself that seriously. I don't want that moment in my life to define me, to be who I am."
Divorce Made Katy Perry Feel Too Intense, And Not In A Good Way
Singer Katy Perry and actor Russell Brand met during the 2008 VMAs when he asked if she and some other singers would make cameo appearances in his upcoming movie Get Him to the Greek. A year later, they met at the VMAs again. This time, they began a whirlwind romance, becoming engaged three months into their relationship.
Unfortunately, their marriage didn't last, and the two split in 2012. For the singer, divorce was a very intense feeling. During an interview, she said, "there were two weeks of my life where I was like, 'OK. All right. I can't feel this. This is too intense right now."
