Like everyone else, celebs experience love, heartbreak, and the complexities of human connection. Some celebrity divorces and breakups are amicable, with the parties involved emphasising their continued friendship and mutual respect. Others, however, are marked by drama, scandals, and public feuds, with details spilling out for all to see.
There has been a slew of high-profile breakups this year, including those of longstanding couples who have weathered many years together. Here are the celebrity divorces that have dominated headlines, and left us taken aback.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
We sure didn’t see this one coming. The world was taken aback when one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness announced they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage.
In a statement, they expressed: “We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.” The duo emphasised the importance of their family and urged for privacy during this transitional phase.
They had met on the set of the TV series Correlli in 1995, later tying the knot on April 11, 1996. They also share two children, Oscar, 23, and Ava, 18, both of whom they adopted as young kids.
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas
After four years of marriage and two kids, Joe Jonas, 34, and Sophie Turner, 27, have decided to go their separate ways. In their divorce papers filed in September, Joe Jonas cited their marriage as ‘irretrievably broken’. Some sources reveal that it’s due to their difference in lifestyles — Turner likes to head out while Jonas likes staying home. In any case, there are signs it’s a non-amicable split, with Jonas having deleted almost all photos of his ex-wife from his Instagram page.
They were engaged a year after they started dating, and married a few years later with a Vegas wedding in May 2019. It’s not the first time the couple has split. They broke up for a day right before the wedding, before deciding to go ahead with it after all.
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello
On July 17, 2023, the couple announced their split in a joint statement, with Manganiello officially filing for divorce two days later. The reason? According to reports, the couple had drifted apart due to their ‘different attitudes’, although they had initially bonded over being opposites.
The couple wed on November 21, 2015, during a glamorous ceremony in Palm Beach. They had also signed a multimillion-dollar prenup, which ensured a clean split and protection of their finances.
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez
In July 2023, it was revealed that Ariana Grande and her now ex-husband, luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez, had called it quits, though we now know the separation had happened in February. They finalised their divorce this week, stating ‘irreconcilable differences’. It appears that distance was the reason behind their split. And there’s no drama, too, with the pair having been ‘quietly and lovingly working on their friendship” since they separated, according to People magazine.
They wed in May 2021, with an intimate ceremony at their home in Montecito, California, with fewer than 20 guests.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari
After a six-year relationship and one-year marriage, Britney Spears and Iranian-American actor-model Sam Asghari (born Hesam Asghari) decided to split in July 2023.
The pop superstar, 41, wrote about their divorce on Instagram: “As everyone knows, Hesam and I are no longer together … 6 years is a long time to be with someone so, I’m a little shocked but … I’m not here to explain why because its honestly nobody’s business !!!”
After meeting on the set of the singer’s Slumber Party music video in 2016, the former couple got engaged in September 2021 and were married on June 9, 2022. He had also initially provided a support system for the singer during her conservatorship battle.
Makiyo
Japanese-Taiwanese television star Makiyo Kawashima and her husband, who is known only as Mr Chin, divorced a little more than one year after marriage in July this year. This came eight months after she delivered her newborn on Oct 29, 2022.
“Due to factors such as failing to get along and personality differences, Makiyo and Mr Chin have completed their divorce on July 14, with both sides reaching an agreement on the child’s custody rights and related obligations,” she wrote on Facebook.
Makiyo surprised fans on May 19, 2022, when she announced that she would register her marriage to Mr Chin, who is three years younger. They had known each other for more than a year, and began dating in December 2021, before discovering she was pregnant three months later.
Kim Lim
Back home, local socialite Kim Lim, separated from her husband in Dec 2022, and officially divorced in Feb this year. The billionaire heiress married IT entrepreneur Leslie Leow, 34, in Feb 2022 in an opulent affair. Sadly, the marriage lasted only two months.
In an interview with Icon Magazine in 2022, the 32-year-old revealed that her ex-spouse turned into a different person after they’d gotten married. She also let on that their marriage was characterised by daily quarrels, and did not live up to her hopes for a “sweet and warm” life together.
“I can only blame myself for not getting to know someone well, and everything was decided too hastily. Now I think it is more important to love the family around me and love myself,” she added.
Taylor Swift & Joe Alwyn
News of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s breakup, who had been in a six-year relationship, came as a huge surprise. And right as Taylor Swift was starting her world tour.
The pair have kept their relationship low-key throughout, and according to insiders, “they’ve had rough patches before”, but ultimately weren’t the right fit for each other and also grew apart. It’s also reported that the split was amicable, and they’re also on friendly terms.