Breakups and divorces: not the most pleasant life experiences, even more so when the whole world sees it. Imagine the thick skin your favorite movie stars had to grow to go through it over and over again – sometimes at a pretty quick pace… Here’s what went down in some of the very public breakups.
Johnny Depp & Amber Heard
The stunning actress and one of the world’s most beloved actors are all over the news again, and neither is gaining new fans due to the dirty laundry being aired. The couple has been through a nasty divorce with allegations of physical abuse from both parties, and they recently went back to court. Johnny has sued The Sun for defamation, as the newspaper called him “a wife beater”, and it’s safe to say that it’s still not clear who’s lying. One thing’s certain: it must have been one intense relationship, with Amber allegedly defecating on the actor’s bed and him writing messages with his own blood, among other insane claims.
Halle Berry & Olivier Martinez
Halle and her co-star from Dark Tide, Olivier Martinez, got together after the actress ended a relationship with the model Gabriel Aubry. They share a daughter, Nahla, and the custody battle was particularly nasty: at one point, Martinez and Aubry got into a fight that resulted in injuries and restraining orders. The judge didn’t let Berry move to France with Martinez and Nahla, so they were forced to stay in LA. The actress gave birth to her son, Mateo, in 2013, but two years later, another divorce followed. Why? We still don’t know. All she said for Extra was: “I just feel happy, you know? I’ve arrived at a really good place once again, that’s always good news. Down time, dark times, don’t last forever – the sun is out again and it feels great.”
Joshua Jackson & Diane Kruger
They’ve been together for ten years, but Kruger said their breakup was a long time coming. “We broke up many months before we said we were broken up, so by the time I made that decision, it didn’t feel like it was so urgent anymore. You don’t break up overnight after ten years, you know what I mean?” she said for Vulture. Joshua has since moved on with Jodie Turner-Smith and even became a dad recently!
Tom Cruise & everyone
Tom Cruise was in a couple of high profile relationships that didn’t end well, and some of them include truly awkward moments. Remember the meme-worthy pictures of relieved Nicole Kidman when she left an attorney’s office after her divorce settlement? And then there was Katie Holmes and Tom’s infamous “jumping on Oprah’s couch” incident, which was supposed to demonstrate his love. His exes rarely speak about their experiences, so we’ll probably never know what happened.
Everyone remembers these two A-lister wives, but it was actually his first one, Mimi Rogers, who introduced Tom to Scientology. And do you recall that he used to date Cher, as well as Penélope Cruz? Apparently, after Penélope, the Church of Scientology even started “auditioning” new potential wives!
Mila Kunis & Macaulay Culkin
Mila Kunis managed to get her fairytale ending with Ashton Kutcher, her on-screen boyfriend from That 70’s Show. A nasty breakup preceded her married bliss: she used to date Macaulay Culkin, famous from Home Alone, for eight years. Years later in Dax Shephard’s podcast Armchair Expert, Mila admitted it was all her fault. “I was an a**hole in my 20s and I’ll be the first to admit it. And that’s something that took me a long time to come out and be like, ‘Yeah, you know what, I was a d*ck,’ and accept it and I own it now. It’s f*cked up what I did and it’s f*cked up how I did it,” she said.
Kate Beckinsale & Pete Davidson
Everyone seemed to have an opinion when Kate Beckinsale, who is in her late forties, started dating the comedian Pete Davidson (26). Kate, as per usual, reacted with wit and grace. “I’m surprised by the interest. I’ve never been in this position before — never dated anybody who comes with their own bag of mischief. It’s all quite shocking, and something to get used to. I think if you liked the person less, you would bow out of it. If that were the main thrust of the relationship, there would be a problem. But it’s not,” she disclosed for Los Angeles Times. And as for online trolls? When one of them mentioned he’s disappointed in Kate’s dating choices, she responded: “fairly let down by your wonky beard but thought possibly rude to say” ?
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
Divorce is even more tragic when kids are involved, and in the case of Jolie & Pitt, it was six of them. Jolie claimed she decided to end the relationship for their sake. “I separated for the well-being of my family. It was the right decision. I continue to focus on their healing,” she said for Vogue India. It seems that Brad’s problems with alcoholism may have been the root of the problem, and the actor openly talks about getting sober after the breakup. “I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges,” he said for The New York Times, disclosing that he even joined Alcoholics Anonymous. He is doing much better these days, and he’s had a wonderful year full of acclaim for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Let’s never forget his hilarious acceptance speeches – he even mentioned that it was a big stretch to portray a “a guy who gets high, takes his shirt off and doesn’t get on with his wife.” ?