Biggest celebrity breakups in 2018: From Courtney Stodden to Miranda Lambert
Many celebrity couples called it quits in 2018. Here are some of the biggest celebrity breakups, from Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchinson to Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, and Miranda Lambert and Anderson East.
Love didn't necessarily die in 2018, but these couples' romances and marriages didn't make it to 2019. Grab some Kleenex and Ben and Jerry's, put on your sappiest playlist, and reminisce on all the celebrity couples who called it quits this year.
Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower
Robert De Niro and wife Grace Hightower have reportedly split after over 20 years of marriage, according to multiple outlets. (Getty)
Oscar winner Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower, his wife of 20 years, announced their separation in November.
"Grace and I have two beautiful children together. We are entering a period of transition in our relationship which is a difficult but constructive process," the "Goodfellas" star's rep told Fox News in a statement. "I honor Grace as a wonderful mother and ask for privacy and respect from all as we proceed to develop our roles as partners in parenting."
De Niro and Hightower dated for a decade before tying the knot in 1997. They share son Elliot, 20, and daughter Helen, 6.
The split was the second time De Niro and Hightower called it quits: Two years after tying the knot, they filed for divorce and engaged in a custody battle over Elliot before reconciling.
Paris Hilton and Chris Zylka
Paris Hilton and Chris Zylka (Reuters)
Paris Hilton and fiance Chris Zylka called it quits in November after about two years together.
Hilton said that she's enjoying her "me time" since the split, adding, "I just feel that when I fall in love, I fall in love fast and hard. It was this whirlwind romance and I’ve always been obsessed with Disney stories and love stories, and I thought it was going to be my happy ending and I just realized after time that it wasn't the right decision."
In December, Hilton revealed that she had every intention of keeping the $2 million engagement ring she received from "The Leftovers" actor — and sources said it was because she got it from a jeweler pal for free in exchange for publicity.
Kathy Griffin and Randy Bick
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: Comedian Kathy Griffin (L) and Randy Bick attend the 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage)
In early November, comedian Kathy Griffin announced her split from Randy Bick, her boyfriend of seven years.
"God help me, but I’m gonna be one of those people who announce a breakup," the funny lady and outspoken critic of Donald Trump tweeted. "After 7 years, Randy and I have decided to part ways. It's not acrimonious and I will always adore him." She added, "There, now those jerks at TMZ wont get the story first. Go back to your bootlicking, @HarveyLevinTMZ."
Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Kelley
Mary-Lou Retton Kelley and her husband Shannon Kelley laugh during a performance by the Jersey Boys following a dinner hosted by President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the White House October 13, 2008 Washington DC. Columbus Day was being celebrated today in the U.S. (Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images)
Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton announced her divorce from husband, retired football player Shannon Kelley, in late October after 27 years together — on "Dancing with the Stars."
"I went through a divorce. People don't know that. It's the first time I've actually said it publicly," she told her partner, Sasha Farber, during a rehearsal segment on the show. “We still love one another, but we weren’t good together anymore.”
She added that her and Kelley's daughters, Shayla, 24, McKenna, 21, Skyla, 18 and Emma, 16, helped her get past the split.
"My daughters were amazing,” she said. "There's that fine line between a daughter and a friend, so there’s a lot that I couldn’t share with them. They were angry in the beginning, and any child should be with their family being torn apart — but we’ve vowed that we would do holidays together and we're going to try to make it as seamless and as painless as possible."
She added, "I don't think they were surprised. We were arguing towards the end a lot, but I think that they were shocked that it actually happened."
G-Eazy and Halsey
Halsey and G-Eazy rekindled their love at Post Malone's "2018 American Music Awards" After Party at the upcoming 1 Hotel West Hollywood in Los Angeles, Calif. on October 9. (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images)
Rapper G-Eazy and singer Halsey ended their on-again-off-again romance seemingly for good in October.
The couple were together for nearly a year and collaborated on songs including the hit "Him and I" before calling it quits for the first time in July. They seemingly rekindled the flame at the MTV Video Music Awards in August.
Neither Halsey nor G-Eazy has officially commented on the split.
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson had a whirlwind romance and engagement from May until October, and even months after the split the drama has yet to die down.
The couple called it quits shortly after Grande's ex, Mac Miller — from whom she'd split just weeks before the "Saturday Night Live" star put a ring on it — passed away from an overdose in September.
Davidson poked fun at himself over the split on "SNL," and Grande referenced him by name in her song and video for "Thank U, Next."
Despite their attempts at finding humor in the failed romance, they then shaded one another over "weaponizing mental health" in early December, which culminated in Davidson posting an alarming message on Instagram leading those close to him to worry that he'd end his own life. Grande raced to his side at NBC Studios, but he reportedly turned her away. Thankfully, he seems to be doing better after being sent to get help.
Shelly and Zac Brown
Singer Zac Borwn (R) and Shelly Brown attends the 2013 MusiCares Person Of The Year Honoring Bruce Springsteen at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Zac Brown's marriage ended up like a country song after all.
The crooner and his jewelry designer wife of 12 years, Shelly, announced in October that they were separating.
"We have led a whirlwind life together growing into a beautiful family with five amazing children and while life will be rearranging a bit, our love and commitment to our family will always be there," the pair said in a statement. "This was a difficult decision, but we’ve done plenty of tough things together and this is our next venture — love, mutual respect, and care for each other are what we are moving forward with."
The pair married in 2006 and share four daughters and a son.
Ben Affleck, Lindsay Shookus and Shauna Sexton
Ben Affleck went through a flurry of relationships ending in 2018.
In August, it was revealed that the Oscar winner had split from his girlfriend of more than a year, "Saturday Night Live" producer Lindsay Shookus, reportedly because she struggled to cope with his alcoholism after he'd fallen off the wagon.
Shortly after shaking off Shookus, Affleck was linked with 22-year-old Playboy model Shauna Sexton — and then he checked into rehab after an intervention from estranged wife Jennifer Garner. While in treatment, he and Garner finalized their divorce.
Once out of rehab, he briefly reconnected with Sexton, but called it quits right after she posted photos of him on Instagram.
Kourtney Kardashian and Younes Bendjima
Kourtney hasn’t responded yet to the comment left by her boyfriend Younes Bendjima, who she started dating in 2016. (AZ-Daddy/X17online.com)
Scott Disick wasn't the only member of the KarJenner clan to rebound with a younger model — Kourtney Kardashian dated hunky Younes Bendjima, 14 years her junior, for two years before splitting in August. While Kourtney didn't comment on the split, her sisters Kim and Khloe called Bendjima out for getting a bit too cozy with a bikini-clad woman while allegedly on a "boys' trip."
John Cena and Nikki Bella
Nikki Bella and John Cena had one of the most drawn out splits of the year, and maybe in WWE history. In April, just weeks before they were set to walk down the aisle, Bella reportedly dumped Cena because he didn't want children.
The couple had other issues plaguing their relationship, least of which was the 75-page cohabitation contract Cena had Bella sign when they moved in together. Despite efforts to work on their relationship — including Cena offering to reverse his vasectomy to raise kids with Bella — they called it quits for good in July.
Ric Ocasek and Paulina Porizkova
Ric Ocasek and his wife Paulina Porizkova have called it quits after 28 years of marriage. (Instagram/ AP)
Who's gonna drive him home now? In May, The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and supermodel Paulina Porizkova, who've been married for 28 years, revealed that they'd been separated for a year. Porizkova said in a statement that their family was "a well built car," but "as a bicycle, my husband and I no longer pedal in unison."
Miranda Lambert, Anderson East and Evan Felker
In April, it was revealed that Miranda Lambert and Anderson East, her boyfriend of two years, were dunzo … and days later, it was revealed why: She was linked to Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker the same month. Their relationship wasn't without complications, as Felker was still married to now-ex-wife Staci at the time. A week after Felker finalized his divorce, Lambert announced she was "happily single," and the Turnpike Troubadours dropped off of her tour.
Brooke Burke and David Charvet
David Charvet and Brooke Burke announce their split after six years of marriage. (Randy Shropshire/Getty Images Entertainment)
Brooke Burke and David Charvet filed for divorce in April after six years of marriage and almost 12 years together. The couple, who share a daughter and son, cited irreconcilable differences for the split. Their date of separation was listed as Jan. 23, 2018.
It was the second divorce for Burke, who was previously married and shares two daughters with surgeon Garth Fisher. She previously said of her first divorce, "I regret having a marriage that didn't work, because divorce is ‘forever’ for children. I regret that my two oldest daughters have to grow up knowing that sometimes a family falls apart."
Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett
Kendra Wilkinson admitted in February that she and husband Hank Baskett had marital problems, and in April, she finally pulled the trigger and filed for divorce from the retired NFL star. They were together for nine years and share son Hank Baskett IV and daughter Alijah Mary.
The couple's marriage was plagued with problems, most of which stemmed from Baskett's alleged "incident" with a transgender model in 2014.
In November, it was reported that their divorce couldn't be finalized after a judge rejected their paperwork for filing errors.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Possibly the most genetically and gym-blessed couple on this list, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan called it quits on their marriage in April after nine years of marriage and 12 years together, telling press in a statement, "There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision — just two best-friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible."
In October, Dewan officially filed for divorce from Tatum. Days later, she went public with her new boyfriend, Tony winner Steve Kazee, while Tatum moved on with British pop star Jessie J.
Olivia Culpo and Danny Amendola
NFL player Danny Amendola and model Olivia Culpo attend The 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images))
Former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and NFL star Danny Amendola first split in March 2018 before reuniting over the summer — but they called it quits once more in October after Amendola was spotted getting a bit too close to a bikini-clad beauty named Bianca Peters (another former beauty pageant queen) when Culpo was away.
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber
For seemingly the umpteenth time, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber called it quits in March 2018 after reuniting last October following her split from The Weeknd. The brief reconciliation was rife with drama: In December 2017, Gomez's mother was hospitalized, reportedly due to the stress of Gomez and Bieber getting back together.
After the split, Gomez reportedly took a break from the spotlight — and Bieber went full-speed in his relationship with his reliable rebound, Hailey Baldwin, who he married in September.
Usher and Grace Miguel
Usher and Grace Miguel
Singer Usher and Grace Miguel, his manager and wife of two years, announced their separation in March. They told People in a statement, "After much thought and consideration, we have mutually decided to separate as a couple. We remain deeply connected, loving friends who will continue supporting each other through the next phases of our lives. The enormous amount of love and respect that we have for each other will only increase as we move forward."
The couple share no children, though Usher has two sons from his first marriage to Tameka Foster.
The announcement came after the crooner was plagued with lawsuits and rumors of infecting groupies with herpes. The couple filed for divorce in December.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux
Not again!
Just after the world seemed like it was finally done treating Jennifer Aniston like a perpetually heartbroken, scorned woman, she and Justin Theroux announced their split in February.
"Normally we would do this privately, but given that the gossip industry cannot resist an opportunity to speculate and invent, we wanted to convey the truth directly," Aniston's rep said in a statement. "Whatever else is printed about us that is not directly from us, is someone else's fictional narrative. Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another."
The couple got engaged in August 2012 and tied the knot three years later. They were married for less than three years when they called it quits.
Theroux later said of the "painless" split, “The good news is that was probably the most — I’m choosing my words really carefully — it was kind of the most gentle separation, in that there was no animosity. In a weird way, just sort of navigating the inevitable perception of it is the exhausting part.”
Part of why it may be so painless? The couple reportedly signed an "ironclad prenup" before walking down the aisle.
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart
Eric Dane and his wife Rebecca Gayheart. (Reuters)
In February, Eric Dane (famous for his role as "McSteamy" on "Grey's Anatomy") and "Jawbreaker" star Rebecca Gayheart filed for divorce. Details of the split remain murky, but Gayheart requested spousal support as well as joint legal and physical custody of their two daughters.
Bristol Palin and Dakota Meyer
Bristol Palin confirmed her divorce from ex-husband Dakota Meyer on Instagram Wednesday. (Reuters)
Bristol Palin and Dakota Meyer's rollercoaster relationship came to an end this year.
Meyer filed for divorce from Palin in February, citing "discord or conflict of personalities." Palin confirmed the split in August, saying she was "freshly divorced and single forever."
The couple first got engaged in March 2015 but called off their wedding just days before they were set to tie the knot. They reunited after their daughter, Sailor, was born and wed in June 2016. They also share daughter Atlee who was born after they were married.
The exes are currently hashing their issues out on "Teen Mom O.G."
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