15 of the Most Scandalous Celebrity Divorces in Hollywood

Kreskin Sugay
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Divorce in itself is already a difficult ordeal, but it is twice as challenging if one of the parties involved is in the public eye, and thrice as more destructive if both people are celebrities. 

Take the case of ex celebrity couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The couple divorced after only 15 months of marriage in 2017, but 5 years later are still embroiled in lawsuit after lawsuit, with both of them unable to shake off the stigma of abuse that they cited as the reason for the split.

Almost everyone who is anyone in Tinseltown has gone through a divorce- Brad Pitt, Britney Spears, Madonna, and even Tom Cruise.

Scroll down for a summary of Hollywood’s most disturbing splits:

1. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp

This was the relationship and divorce that rocked the world. After all, their relationship tore apart  Johnny’s family of two children (Jack and Lily-Rose) and partner for almost 15 years, French singer Vanessa Paradis.

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp legally separated just after 15 months of marriage but it would prove to not be the end. The two have been suing each other since the formal divorce, even after the Pirates of the Caribbean star paid the starlet a 7-million dollar settlement.

The drama continues to unfold as Amber has yet to donate the full 7-million dollars settlement money she promised to charity. Meanwhile, Johnny has sued Amber for defamation after she claimed battery, sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence.

2. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

They were the epitome of a fairy tale. The two extremely good-looking and extremely successful Hollywood A-listers fell in love on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2016. It was a Hollywood fairytale.

It came to an end in 2016 when child abuse allegations were hurled against Brad Pitt. The famous incident involves an allegedly drunk Brad Pitt, a private plane, and the couple’s son Maddox. 

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have legally separated in 2019 and had to go through a difficult custody battle for their six kids.

3. Britney Spears and Kevin Federline

The Hit-Me-Baby-One-More-Time star surprised everyone when she married Kevin Federline. Their relationship was rocky from the onset and ended when Britney filed for divorce in 2006.

It broke her heart when Federline was granted custody of their children- Jayden and Sean, as Britney fought off her father’s conservatorship.

It seems that the two remained amicable as Kevin Federline expressed full support for his ex-wife when Britney finally got out of her father’s guardianship.

4. Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale

Cliche as it may sound, it was the nanny’s fault.

The two rockstars had an enviable romance for 13 long years but divorced in 2016 after the Bush singer was caught cheating with the couple’s Nanny named Mindy Mann.  

It was a long road to divorce as Gwen, a devout Catholic, wanted to get the Church’s permission to marry again. She got her wish in 2021 when the Catholic Church ruled that their marriage was annulled, allowing her to marry Blake Shelton.

The couple shares custody of their children named Apollo, Kingston, and Zuma.

5. Heather Mills and Paul McCartney

While there may not be over the top shock value over the divorce of Beatles bassist Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills, what came as a surprise to most was how much Heather received in the settlement.

After just four years of marriage, Heather walked away with a stunning USD $ 48.6 million.

While the two share a beautiful daughter Beatrice, Heather insinuated that in the four years they were married, she gave him back her confidence that sparked a renewal of Paul McCartney’s singing career.

6. Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey

Jessica and Nick married in 2002 but called it quits by 2005. The ex-couple had their own reality show fresh into their marriage and in fact was the theme of the show. Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica showed the life of a young, celebrity couple going about their day- mostly being silly.

The couple eventually became uncomfortable with cameras documenting their every move, with Lachey stating calling it one of the dumbest ideas he had ever pursued.

7. Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise

Another Hollywood love story that turned sour is that of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. Who can forget Cruise’s manic declaration of love for Holmes on the set of the Oprah Winfrey show?

They formally divorced in 2012 when the Dawson’s Creek star put her foot down about raising their child, Suri in Cruise’s religion which is Scientology.

Not surprising, Cruise was not awarded custody of Suri, which means princess in Persian.

The divorce was settled out of court with Cruise paying USD $ 33,000 per month in child support.

8. Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock

The original American Idol filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020 due to “irreconcilable differences.”

A year later in 2021, the two have yet to reach any consensus! Clarkson has had to pay monthly support to the tune of  USD $ 200,000. 

It’s been written in US weekly that the two really tried to get along but they just “clashed on so many levels.” When the couple and their two children were forced to go into quarantine together, their differences took a toll for the worse.

9. Linda Hogan and Hulk Hogan

WWE living legend and VH1 reality TV star Hulk Hogan parted with his wife in 2007 after being married for 24 years. It was alleged that Linda was having an extramarital affair with a 19-year-old while Hogan was rumored to be dating a female 20 years his junior. Linda ended up with around 10 million in the divorce settlement. He suffered a major depression soon afterward

and even contemplated suicide, but people from his circle saved him. He eventually remarried to Jennifer Mcdaniel but divorced in secret recently.

10. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Nick Cannon is a loose romance canon with multiple children from different love interests but his first baby momma was none other than diva Mariah Carey.

It was Nick who actually filed for divorce from the multi-Grammy award-winning singer. According to the America’s Got Talent host, the couple was already living separate lives for a couple of months prior.

They co-parent their twins named Monroe and Moroccan.

11. Marsha Garces and Robin Williams

The pair fell in love in 1989 when Filipino-American Marsha Garces worked as a nanny for the comedian's son, Zachary.

In their 20 years of marriage, Marsha’s career as a producer flourished, working alongside her then-husband on movies such as Mrs. Doubtfire.

After 19 years of marriage, they filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences but ultimately because of Robin Williams’ numerous cases of infidelity.

12. Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise

What made this divorce controversial at the time was that Tom Cruise filed for a divorce, blindsiding Nicole as she had mentioned in interviews. 

Hollywood didn’t anticipate that this perfect couple would head to splitsville for no apparent reason. Speculations as to the reason why have always circled back to Tom Cruise’s controversial religion, Scientology.

Kidman has since remarried Keith Urban and Cruise ultimately moved on with Katie Holmes after the split.

13. Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon

Professional poker player Rick Salomon and onscreen bombshell Pamela Anderson initially married in 2007 but separated within the same year. The marriage was officially annulled in early 2008 but both had a change of heart and wed for a second time years later in 2014. The following year saw the couple yet again struggling to maintain marital bliss. They finally split for good after their divorce was finalized in 2015. Salomon used to be married to actresses Elizabeth Daily and Shannen Doherty while Anderson used to be married to rockstars Tommy Lee and Kid Rock.

14. Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe

In 2002, the award-winning actress admitted that she and her ex-teen heartthrob husband were undergoing couples counseling after 3 years of marriage. Philippe was rumored to have been cheating on Witherspoon with Stop-Loss costar Abbie Cornish. They officially divorced in 2008 and had two children, Deacon Reese and Ava Elizabeth. Witherspoon went on to have a relationship with Rendition co star Jake Gylenhaal from 2007 to 2009 but eventually ended up marrying Jim Toth, a talent agent in 2011. Philippe dated Model Alexis Knapp in 2010 but their relationship ended in the same year. The model discovered some time later that she was pregnant by Phillippe and gave birth to a daughter the following year. The actor has since been in tempestuous relationships and has been charged with harassment and physical abuse by two different women. He is currently engaged to girlfriend  Paulina Slagter.

15. Yolanda Foster and David Foster

Yolanda Hadid of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame and music producer David Foster married in November of 2011. She was diagnosed in early 2012 with Lyme disease and had a falling out with Foster as a result of her debilitating disease. She filed for divorce in 2015.