I love seeing my favorite celebrity couples get together on Instagram, but I spend the most time thinking about the Most Shocking Celeb Breakups.
(Seriously, have you ever had a fever dream about Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake? No??? Okay, NVM.) While some relationships between two famous people end on good, nay, friendly terms, others degenerate into total tabloid nightmares.
And when the star you care about the most is offended by their boos, it can hurt like an actual breakup. I’m still reeling from Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt’s divorce.
From cheating scandals to heated exchanges, Hollywood’s hottest couples have had some messy breakups. It’s incredible to fall in love, but these couples prove that sometimes things end badly.
And of course, there’s a whole other step in the celebrity breakup life cycle where one half of a former couple moves on from their ex in a big way for an even bigger turn (Ladies and Gentlemen, Pete Davidson). Here, take a guided tour of Splitsville with this list of the most shocking Hollywood breakups.
JENNIFER ANISTON AND BRAD PITT
These two were the “it” couple after they got together in 2000. People couldn’t cope when their marriage broke up after five years due to the actor’s reported date with his co-star Angelina Jolie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
In February 2019, he attended a birthday party in honor of his ex, which raised many eyebrows. However, after their unexpected reunion, it was revealed that they were “definitely not dating or going down that road.”
ANGELINA JOLIE AND BRAD PITT
A confused beginning led to a chaotic ending. They announced their separation in 2016 and have been battling it out in the courtroom. They have six kids– Maddox, Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox.
ASHTON KUTCHER AND DEMI MOORE
Before he became the man of Mila Kunis’ dreams, Ashton Kutcher had a bumpy love life. He and Demi Moore split after eight years of marriage in 2013 amid tabloids depicting the actor allegedly cheating.
“I’m maybe the first person to get this award for a character whose name was in all the tabloids five years ago as an adulterer,” he said on stage while accepting the 2017 Best Actor award.
Demi has written a tell-all book, Inside Out, documenting more of their tumultuous relationship.
BEN AFFLECK AND JENNIFER GARNER
This divorce was finalized in October 2018, but they still had a three-year separation that included reports of the actor cheating on their nanny in 2015. They have three children – Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel.
AMBER HEARD AND JOHNNY DEPP
One of the ugliest divorces… ever. Unfortunately, the couple’s split was filled with allegations of abuse, threats of blackmail, and stories of the toxicity of their relationship.
“Depp and Heard had one of the most twisted marriages you can imagine,” a source told In Touch at the time. “No one is coming out of this divorce unscathed.
IGGY AZALEA AND NICK YOUNG
The basketball player and the rapper broke off their engagement after evidence surfaced that the athlete was cheating on her.
To make matters even more awkward, Nick’s ex Keonna Green – with whom he already shared one child – was four months pregnant with his daughter when he and Iggy broke up.
KIM KARDASHIAN AND KRIS HUMPHRIES
This whole relationship is still a mystery. Before divorcing in 2011, the couple was famously together for just 72 days.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Humphries accused the reality star of using him for fame and cheating on him with Kanye West — two things the KKW founder denied.
Their split was finalized in 2013, just days before she gave birth to her eldest child, North West.
KRISTEN STEWART AND ROBERT PATTINSON
Our dreams came true when these Twilight stars were a part, but things crashed and burned quickly when photos surfaced of the actress kissing franchise director Rupert Sanders.
The exes briefly reconciled but quickly ended things for good in 2014.
MADONNA AND SEAN PENN
Our ’80s fantasy couple broke our hearts when they split in 1989 after four years of marriage. Although allegations of violence erupted between them, they maintained a united front to the public.
“I felt like no one wanted him and me to be together,” Madonna told Rolling Stone. “They celebrated our union and then wanted us apart.
A week after the wedding, there were rumors that we were getting divorced. We fought it. And yes, it’s hard. I don’t know if anyone can do it.
KIM KARDASHIAN AND KANYE WEST
Kim arranged for divorce in February 2021 after nearly seven years of marriage.
Kanye did not take the breakup well, posting threatening messages on social media and publicly bashing her now-boyfriend Pete Davidson.
JENNIFER LOPEZ AND ALEX RODRIGUEZ
After breaking off her engagement to the former baseball player, Jennifer found herself back in the arms of Ben Affleck, 17 years after they called off their engagement.
The reunited couple packed on the PDA around the world, and it looked like they were planning a long road trip.
“A-Rod can’t take a hint,” an insider said In Touch. “She understands that she and Alex were together for five years, planning to get married, and everyone was hoping for them, but it ended. It’s the end. It is done.” “J. Lo wishes him to move on,” the source continued. “Wish him well.
GWEN STEFANI AND GAVIN ROSSDALE
The No Doubt singer and Bush lead singer had been married for 20 years and had three children when Gavin was rumored to have had an affair with the nanny.
The couple split in 2015. According to Us Weekly, Stefani discovered Rossdale was cheating when another babysitter found intimate photos and texts on the family’s iPad.
TOM CRUISE AND NICOLE KIDMAN
Perhaps no one in the world looked more jubilant than Nicole after finalizing her divorce from Tom, who she was married from 1990 to 2001. Nicole is currently happily married to Keith Urban.