21 Messy Celeb Divorces That Showed Celebs' True Colors
I don't know about y'all, but this whole Sophie Turner/Joe Jonas divorce business has COMPLETELY changed my opinion of Joe Jonas...and not for the better.
And turns out, it's not the only celeb divorce that really showed a famous person's true colors. Reddit user Sagebea recently asked, "What celebrity breakup made you see one or both celebrities in a different light?" and people had a lotttt to say. Here are 21 other celebs who people started to hate in the wake of their divorce.
1."John Mulaney and Anna Marie Tendler. Especially given the baby situation. It was supposedly a mutual decision not to have children, but then he immediately got another woman pregnant as the marriage ended, and now she’s having to freeze her eggs. ... He gives me the ick now."
"Everything about it seems weird. The timeline between his relationship with Munn was wayyyy too fast post divorce. Also, something about him suddenly being such a family man with Olivia after all those years of 'not wanting kids' with his ex-wife also rubbed me the wrong way. That and how he implied that Olivia was the only one who really helped him through recovery, completely ignoring his ex-wife’s part, was pretty fucked."
Here's what went down: Mulaney filed for divorce from Tendler in July 2021, after which point she released a statement reading that she was "heartbroken that John has decided to end [their] marriage." It was reported they'd broken up in February 2021, though Mulaney later claimed he'd asked for a divorce in October 2020. In September 2021, Mulaney revealed that he had been dating Olivia Munn since the spring (right off the heels of his time in rehab), and that Munn was pregnant with their child, despite the fact that Mulaney had been open about not wanting children. Mulaney has since credited Munn and their child in his recovery journey.
2."For me it was Jason and Olivia. He was always one of my favorite cast members on SNL, loved almost everything he was in. But serving her papers onstage while she was doing a presentation just made me change my mind immediately."
"I’m pretty sure Olivia...cheated on him with a much younger person on her movie set, and when he tried to serve her divorce papers, she was AWOL. And, they knew she’d be at that ceremony, so they served her."
"Don’t forget that he [allegedly] laid under her car so she couldn’t bring homemade salad dressing to her pop star boyfriend."
"Assuming he even had control over when she got served with papers — which is highly unlikely — if someone [allegedly] cheated on you brazenly onset (there was plenty of buzz at the time that Olivia and Harry were NOT discreet about the affair and it was making other actors uncomfortable, particularly Florence Pugh), then I'd say that's a lot more humiliating than being served divorce papers in public."
Here's what went down: Wilde and Sudeikis weren't technically married, but they were together for nine years, and were engaged and had two kids together. They announced their separation in November 2020. In January 2021, Wilde was spotted on a date with Harry Styles, which reportedly made Sudeikis "really hurt and somewhat jealous." There were also rumors that Wilde had been cheating with Styles on the set of Don't Worry Darling, while she was still with Sudeikis. There was also apparently some business with Sudeikis laying down in front of Wilde's car to stop her from bringing her homemade salad dressing to Styles. Things continued to get messy from there, with Wilde being served custody papers onstage at an event and Wilde publicly bashing Sudeikis for doing so (Sudeikis apparently did not know this would happen).
3."Not sure of the timeline of this incident in regards to their breakup, but I decided I was done with Russell Brand when he tweeted that pic of Katy Perry without makeup after having startled her awake. He also [according to Perry] texted her that he wanted a divorce. ... And now the things he's [allegedly] done have made those seem super insignificant, but I definitely started avoiding anything of his after that tweet."
"Taking that pic of KP and uploading without her consent was definitely disturbing to me. Like, yeah, it’s just a behind-the-scenes makeup-free picture, but I saw it as a power move to knock her down a peg. She obviously didn’t approve and made him take it down, but by then, it had gone viral. 'Little' things like that are major red flags."
4."Was never much of a fan of him, but when Alec Baldwin was mid-custody battle with his ex-wife Kim Basinger in 2007 and he left that absolutely atrocious voicemail to his 11-year-old daughter Ireland. Never watched something with him in it since and for more reasons even so now."
Here's the transcript of the main part of the voicemail, provided by u/fluffynerfherder97 (and confirmed by moi — alternatively, you can listen to the voicemail here):
“You have insulted me for the last time. You have insulted me. You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being. I don't give a damn that you're 12 years old or 11 years old or that you're a child or that your mother is a thoughtless pain-in-the-ass who doesn't care about what you do as far as I'm concerned. You have humiliated me for the last time with this phone. And when I come out there next week, I'm gonna fly out there for the day just to straighten you out on this issue. I'm going to let you know just how disappointed in you I am and how angry I am with you that you've done this to me again. You've made me feel like shit, and you've made me feel like a fool over and over and over again. And this crap you pull on me with this goddamned phone situation that you would never dream about doing to your mother, and you do it to me constantly and over and over again. I'm gonna get on a plane or l'm gonna come out there for the day, and l'm gonna straighten your ass out when I see you. Do you understand me? I'm gonna really make sure you get it. Gonna get on a plane, gonna turn around, and I'm gonna come home. So you better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me, so l'm gonna let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, okay?”
5."Chris Pratt and Anna Faris. I used to listen to her podcast pretty religiously, and they seemed like a really cool couple. I loved when he would sit in on the podcast. When they split, I just got this weird vibe from him all of a sudden, and he said and did some things that made me like him much less. I used to love Parks and Recreation-era Pratt and early movie star Pratt, but now if I see he's in a movie, it kind of makes me not want to see it."
"The divorce and quick remarriage to his trad wife was the beginning of my dissolution with Crisp Rat. I know he was playing a character and obviously wasn't Andy Dwyer, but his marriage to Anna Faris and subsequent breakup hints that he really did go through a personality change."
6."Kim and Kanye. We already knew Kanye was not well, but I didn't realize how dangerous and scary he was becoming. I didn't know he would get so dark — especially during Sketegate. And Kim? I was very impressed by how Kim handled the divorce and seemed to step back for a few months (a lifetime for her) to lie low. I thought she was overall quite classy and genuinely seemed to be putting her children first (to the extent that any Kardashian would). She also seemed to earnestly want to work with Ye and wanted to protect his image and give him every opportunity to rebuild himself for their children — even though she could probably take him to the cleaners. I think she really did her best here, and I respected it."
7."Ariana [Grande] and Dalton [Gomez]. I know little of their marriage, but after she wrote 'Thank U, Next' and the line 'only wanna do it once real bad, gon' make that shit last' about marriage, I thought they were genuinely end game. Then all the cheating allegations came out about how she [allegedly] ended the marriage of that SpongeBob guy [Ethan Slater] .... Really can't listen to her music the same way anymore."
Here's what went down: Ariana Grande filed for divorce from husband Dalton Gomez in September, but they've reportedly been separated since January. In July, it was reported she was dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater, who the source reported was separated from his wife Lilly Jay. However, Slater and Grande were quickly accused of having had an affair on the set of Wicked — it was also reported that they had gone on double dates with their then-spouses and each other, and that Grande had met Lilly and Ethan's child. Jay then told Page Six that Ariana wasn't a "girl's girl" and called her own family "collateral damage." However, other sources have claimed both Grande and Slater were single when they began dating and denied any cheating or affair was involved.
8."Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. I have trouble watching movies featuring either of them, because so much about their relationship is now public knowledge."
"I had been a Depp fan since I was a kid in the '90s. But holy hell, Amber's toxic behavior was not on par with his. I didn't even follow the trial because I didn't think it was my business, but it leeched into everything. You couldn't escape it.
I was talking to a buddy once because he said Depp was innocent. I then asked him if he would ever even joke about raping his girlfriend. He said no. I pointed out that Depp had [allegedly] said he would rape Heard's corpse to his friend, and even if it was a joke, what kind of decent man says that? My buddy went quiet after that.
Some of it was the insane social media hot takes that painted Heard as this harpy gold-digger. But I think a lot of it was taking the things Depp said and did as not indicative of character, habits, or even the potential to do worse. And all of it was somehow provoked or caused by Heard. Misogyny runs deep."
Here's what went down: There's far too much to describe here, but you can read about it in numerous articles, and you can check out Depp's alleged texts to Paul Bettany (referenced above) here, though I will note that Depp claimed to have a dark sense of humor and comparing drafting a text to making a painting, which suggests that he was not serious.
9."For me it was the Brad/Jen breakup. You could feel her pain, but she marched through that breakup like a champ even though things were smack in her face in a daily basis about Brad/Angie. Loved Jen after that when I was neutral before. Brad fell off [his] pedestal."
"Really sad in hindsight, too, because Jennifer said publicly she was having some fertility issues. That would be incredibly painful to go through, especially with everyone asking her 'when she’s going to have a baby?' Totally gross and nobody’s business."
Here's what went down: Jen filed for divorce from Brad in 2005 after an alleged affair he had with Angelina Jolie on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Brad later claimed he had not cheated on Jen and that he was still shooting the film after they separated.
10."Saw Brad Pitt posted already, but for me, it’s his divorce from Angelina. The way he has acted toward her and their children turned me off to everything he’s done and has going on. The way you act toward those closest to you speaks volumes of your integrity as a person, especially the way you conduct yourself with your children."
"I have been a huge fan of Brad's for a long time. I know he's iffy, but I would have never realized how shitty he was behind the scenes if they didn't divorce. I am truly embarrassed for how much I defended that man. Like, I was that person parroting his PR team and Angelina/the kids were lying and no one was injured or hurt on that plane. Yeah, I was humbled when it [the FBI reports] came out. ... Obviously, I completely switched sides after looking into their documents more."
Here's what went down: Brad and Angelina allegedly got into a physical altercation on a private plane in 2016 that allegedly included Pitt choking and hitting two of his children (which Pitt has denied). Brad and Angelina subsequently filed for divorce. FBI reports in 2022 from the incident included photos of Jolie's alleged injuries, including a “a rug burn-type wound” on her hand and a wound to her elbow. The FBI did not pursue criminal charges.
11."Sandra Bullock. Never really thought much of her, but I felt so terrible for her after being publicly humiliated by Jesse James and his cheating. While they were in the process of adopting a child, no less."
12."Kelsey Grammer. Gosh, he was great as Frasier. But he was such a tool during his divorce/cheating/remarriage. Camille may be a piece of work, but she is the mother of his children, and the stuff he said about her in the press was atrocious."
"She was extremely supportive while he struggled with his addiction and even took up fundraising for various addiction-related causes. I believe he [allegedly] moved his mistress into one of their marital residences in NYC while she was raising their kids on the other side of the country."
13."Taika [Waititi]...gives me sleazy vibes now."
Catherine Powell / Getty Images for MTV, Tommaso Boddi / FilmMagic via Getty Images
"I loved him so much. And then it just seems like he’s the nerdy kid who drops everyone once he gets a little popular. You don’t begrudge people for wanting more, but leaving your wife and kids?! Hard to empathize about that."
Here's what went down: In 2020, Page Six reported that Taika and his wife Chelsea Winstanley (with whom he shares two children) had been separated for two years. Rumors that Waititi and now-wife Rita Ora were dating began in 2021, but a post from Ora later revealed they'd met and had possibly been dating since 2018. There is nothing to suggest any cheating, but some people (like the commenters above) felt that Taika's divorcing his wife and then remarrying a celebrity after finding more high-profile fame himself was indicative of character flaws on Taika's part.
14."Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan — she had an affair with Russell Crowe, and then that was sort of her public downfall. However, he's now on his fourth wife, so I have to think that there was more to it than her just deciding to cheat."
"Dennis struggled with addiction. She stuck by him for a lot of that. Dennis has been clear that she was at the end of her rope with him over this. The affair was a symptom, not the root cause. I'm still cheering both of them on, and I hope they are each happy now."
15."Charles and Diana. I was so young when she died that most of my thoughts on this are retrospective, but she seemed so light in her post-divorce interviews, and it’s kind of obvious that her marriage was miserable!"
16."As much as I adore Harrison Ford, was super bummed to discover he was unfaithful to his wife Mary Marquardt with Carrie Fisher (who I also adored). He was 33, and she was 19."
17."This is an old one, but Ralph Fiennes [allegedly] leaving Alex Kingston for another woman."
"And then having an [alleged] two-year affair at the end of his relationship with that woman."
Here's what went down: According to Kingston, Fiennes broke up with her to be with Francesca Annis. Years later, in 2006, while Fiennes was still with Annis, Cornelia Crisan claimed to have had a two-year affair with Fiennes — Fiennes and Annis quickly separated. In the alleged affair's wake, Annis threatened to sue the Mail for defamation and invasion of privacy for reporting she had forgiven Fiennes for the alleged affair with Crisan, and including comments from "friends" she says were untrue though she did admit the two had separated.
It does not appear Fiennes has addressed these claims, though he did emphatically deny reports of an affair with Gina Gershon in 2005.
18."When Seal found out Heidi Klum was (allegedly) dating one of their security guards after their split, he said she was sleeping with 'the help.'"
Klum's rep responded to the comment, saying, "It is sad that Seal has to resort to false accusations." A rep for Seal said Seal was just "pointing out that they are separated and the divorce is not final, so they are legally still married." Klum's rep stated, "I cherish all of the great memories Seal and I created together over the years. Our separation was based on issues between the two of us. Seal has moved on, and so have I. My priority has and continues to be protecting and providing for our children."
19."Kenneth Branagh cheating on his then wife, Emma Thompson, with Helena Bonham Carter is mine. I didn't even know he had been married to Emma, but my mom had followed it closely back in the '90s, and she said he'd been really cruel after it — very public with Helena and very pushing it in people's faces. ... Any time Kenneth has a shite film these, days my mom is delighted, haha."
20."Ewan McGregor. I am good at moving past cheating scandals when it comes to celebs because it happens so frequently. If I come for one, then I'll have to come for them all, and I don't have the energy...except when it deals with kids. It is beyond cruel and almost unhinged to have your child meet, laugh, and have dinner with the person you're having an affair with."
Here's what went down: After Ewan filed for divorce from his then-wife Eve Mavrakis in 2017, it was reported that he had cheated with Mary Elizabeth Winstead. One of Ewan and Eve's children, Clara McGregor, then called Mary a "piece of trash," though she later called this not her "finest moment." It was also reported that Mary had met and had dinner with Ewan's family (including his children) before the affair news broke.
21.And finally, they didn't technically get married, but this one's so bad we had to include it... "Julia Roberts leaving Kiefer Sutherland at the altar...while running off to Ireland with his best friend, Jason Patric."