A number of famous celebrities shocked the public and made headlines for days in 2023 after announcing their separations from their significant others with the public drama that follows.
- Dec 25, 2023
AceShowbiz - Even good things come to an end. Sadly, this also happened to some celebrity couples' relationships in 2023. As much as they were loved by fans and put on a united front most of the time, they had problems that were kept away from public until their splits were exposed.
Needless to say, the news shocked people and their fans in particular. While some former couples managed to end things on a good note, other celebrities' relationships turned sour in the end that sometimes led to ugly divorces and drama.
From musicians to actors, here are celebrity couples whose separations shocked everyone in 2023.
1. Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd
Ryan Hurd was perhaps as shocked as fans when Maren Morris filed for divorce from him on October 5 after being married for five years. Ryan allegedly thought that her decision to split came "out of the blue." On the reason behind the breakup, the "Middle" songstress wrote "irreconcilable differences" in court documents.
Maren, who tied the knot with Ryan back in 2018 after getting engaged one year prior, is seeking joint custody of their son Hayes. In addition, the country singer requested for a permanent parenting plan to be put in place and asked the court to honor their prenuptial agreement. On December 16, she announced that their divorce has been finalized.
2. Cardi B and Offset
Cardi B and Offset's marriage seemed to be solid in the last few years although it had been rocked by his alleged infidelities in the past. But bad habits die hard as the raptress confirmed on December 10 that she and Offset have separated after being married for more than five years. During an Instagram Live, she told her viewers, "I've been single for a minute now."
The news arrived around the same time the former Migos star was accused by fellow spitter Blueface of hooking up with Chrisean Rock, which Offset vehemently denied. Later, the "Bodak Yellow" raptress went on an online rant against her estranged husband, with whom she shares daughter Kulture and son Wave together, claiming that he has been "doing [her] dirty after so many f**king years."
3. Britney Spears and Sam Asghari
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari might not be an example of the healthiest relationship, but he had always been supportive of her. The actor, however, apparently has had enough of her antics as he filed for divorce in August, after only fourteen months of marriage. The two reportedly broke up because he caught the pop star cheating on him.
In the legal documents, the former personal trainer listed "irreconcilable differences" as the reason behind his split from the "…Baby One More Time" singer and July 28 as the official date of their breakup. In a statement, the 42-year-old said she was "a little shocked … But, I couldn’t take the pain anymore."
4. Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello might not always put their marriage on the spotlight, but they never failed to publicly show their admiration for each other. That, however, changed in July after eight years of marriage. They decided to go their separate ways just a few weeks after they were spotted on a romantic dinner in New York. In a joint statement, the former "Modern Family" star and the "Magic Mike XXL" actor stated, "We have made the difficult decision to divorce."
Sofia and Joe, who held a star-studded wedding ceremony back in November 2015, sparked split rumors one week prior. At that time, the actress was spotted without her wedding ring on that finger during her trip to Italy with her pals.
5. Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez
Ariana Grande seemingly had her happy ending when she married Dalton Gomez in May 2021, but that didn't last long. News of their split began swirling in the summer of 2023 after the singer/actress was spotted without her wedding ring at Wimbledon in July. Amid speculation of her romance with Broadway actor Ethan Slater, it was reported that she and the real estate agent had been separated since January.
The "Thank U, Next" singer and her then-husband allegedly "came to the decision together" after "having problems before January." In September, they filed for divorce from each other almost simultaneously. She wrote "irreconcilable differences" as the reason behind their split and February 20, 2023 as the date of their separation. In October, the two finalized their divorce settlement.
6. Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner-Smith
Just a few days before their split became public, Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson appeared smitten with each other while attending a fashion event in New York. However, on October 2, she filed for divorce after almost four years of marriage. She listed the usual "irreconcilable differences" as the reason behind their separation in the legal documents.
On November 22, Joshua submitted court papers wherein he agreed with Jodie's previous request for joint legal and physical custody of their three-year-old daughter Juno and the reason behind their breakup. However, he insisted that they officially separated on September 30, while Jodie wrote 13th of that month as the date of their split. The "Dawson's Creek" alum has since moved on with fellow newly-single actor Lupita Nyong'o.
7. Jeannie Mai and Jeezy
Jeannie Mai sang praise for Jeezy (Young Jeezy) just nine days before he slapped her with divorce papers. He submitted legal documents in Atlanta, Georgia on September 14 after being married to her for more than two years. In the court documents, the "Soul Survivor" rapper wrote that their marriage is "irretrievably broken" with "no hope for reconciliation."
Jeezy and Jeannie, who reportedly broke up due to lack of privacy in their home among other reasons, are still involved in a custody battle over their daughter Monaco. Things apparently turned tense between the exes as the "Leave You Alone" spitter accused his estranged wife of gatekeeping their daughter from him, but the former host of "The Real" claimed that she has concerns over his firearms and only wants to protect their daughter.
8. Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner
When rumors of his split from Sophie Turner began to swirl in September, Joe Jonas seemed to debunk it via social media. He, however, filed for divorce from the actress later in the same month after four years of marriage. In the legal documents, which were submitted by the Jonas Brothers singer in Miami, Florida on September 5, he wrote that his and the British beauty's marriage was "irretrievably broken."
On the reason behind their separation, it was reported that Joe and Sophie have been experiencing "serious problems" in their relationship. In addition, the singer is said to have been caring for his and the "Game of Thrones" alum's young kids "pretty much all of the time" over the past few months. In October, the two finally settled their custody battle.
9. Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner
Kevin Costner never expected his marriage to end this way. After he was slapped with divorce papers by his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner on May 1, the actor said through his representative that "circumstances [went] beyond his control." While she wrote "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their breakup in court docs, there were rumors that the split was over his infidelity, which were quickly shut down.
Things turned acronymous between the former spouses as the handbag designer reportedly wanted to challenge their prenup and asked for $175,057 a month in child support. Their divorce was finalized in September after she abruptly agreed to settle their divorce before she lost "everything."
10. Reese Whiterspoon and Jim Toth
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth had been married for 11 years before they announced their divorce on March 24, just two days before what was supposed to be their 12th wedding anniversary. The "Hot Pursuit" actress and her then-husband made use of Instagram to share the unfortunate news.
In a joint post, Reese and Jim penned, "It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce." Despite the separation, the two declared that they are committed to co-parenting their 11-year-old son Tennessee.
11. Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer had been married for 45 years, mostly without drama, before it was reported in October that they had been separated for six years. About their split, a source spilled to PEOPLE that the two "have been separated for more than 6 years."
The insider declared that the 74-year-old three-time Oscar winner and her 76-year-old estranged husband "have chosen lives apart." Though so, the insider noted that the two "will always care for each other."
12. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
No one saw it coming. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness were one of the sweet Hollywood couples who made everyone believe in love. Thus, they shocked people when they announced their separation in September after 27 years of marriage. In a joint statement, the former couple wrote, "We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage."
On the reason behind their separation, Hugh and Deborra-Lee declared, "Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth." Though so, the exes, who tied the knot back in 1996, maintain a good relationship as they declared that their two children are their "highest priority."
13. Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn had been together long enough that fans believed they would eventually marry. Sadly, that never happened as it was reported in April that the longtime couple had gone their separate ways after being in a relationship for more than six years. The hint, however, was there as the British actor was never seen at the Grammy winner’s "Eras Tour" shows.
Taylor and Joe, who had been speculated to have gotten engaged, reportedly had no drama when they decided to end their romance. Speaking to Page Six about their breakup, an insider revealed at that time, "It wasn't dramatic. [The relationship] just ran its course." Taylor is now happily in a relationship with Travis Kelce.
