Celebrity Couples Who Sadly Split So Far In 2023
2023 has been the undisputed year of breakups. Month after month, fans worldwide have been left reeling from the news of their favorite celebrity couples' decision to part ways — announced either through animated tabloid headlines or via formulaic social media statements by the parties themselves — and our hearts just won't stop breaking.
Why do we get so invested? According to experts, this all boils down to parasocial attachments that fans tend to form with public figures. "So when we find out that beautiful, gorgeous, wealthy celebrities are getting cheated on or divorcing or breaking up, it kind of humanizes them and can be validating for us to see that they have problems, too," clinical psychologist Dr. Andrea Liner told NPR. And in light of so many successive celebrity splits this year, our sympathies lie with the couples and the fans who've barely had time to recover from one breakup to the next.
Here's a rundown of all the celebrity breakups we saw in 2023.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari
Just when fans thought things had settled in Britney Spears' life, news broke that the pop princess was hurtling towards a divorce from her husband of one year. Model Sam Asghari, with whom Spears tied the knot just months after her long-drawn-out conservatorship ended, reportedly initiated the divorce citing "irreconcilable differences," TMZ reported. The pair had been together for six years, having met on the set of Spears' 2016 song "Slumber Party," in which he appeared.
Over a decade her junior, Asghari remained one of Spears' strongest allies as the Free Britney movement gained steam in 2021 to push toward ending her conservatorship. "I have always wanted nothing but the best for my better half, and will continue to support her following her dreams and creating the future she wants and deserves," Asghari told People back in February of that year.
The pair tied the knot in a dreamy, star-studded ceremony at their Los Angeles home, and Spears flooded social media with pictures of the seemingly happy couple on the big day. But, as a self-aware Spears herself remarked following the divorce filing: "My Instagram may seem perfect but it's far from reality." Not long after their picture-perfect nuptials, there was trouble in paradise and within 14 months, Spears' third marriage was over.
Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello
"Modern Family" darling Sofia Vergara and her ex-husband Joe Manganiello were the dream team for over seven years, before they announced their decision to part ways. Identifying themselves as "two people that love and care for one another very much" in a statement made to Page Six, the fan-favorite duo asked for privacy to grapple with their new situation. Interestingly, internet sleuths had been on the trail of Vergara and Manganiello's divorce long before they made it official, picking up on supposed clues for months together — from Manganiello missing from important celebrations in Vergara's life to the sitcom star ringing in her birthday alone in Italy amid talk of life giving one lemons.
Vergara and Manganiello had fallen in love under circumstances fit for a Hollywood rom-com, with the "True Blood" actor swooping into Vergara's life after her engagement with Nick Loeb ended. Vergara was floored but prophetically intuitive about their relationship. "I mean, we have no problems. I cannot believe it. I always tell him, 'This is very suspicious!'" she told radio show host Ryan Seacrest (via The Latin Times). The two married in a lavish Florida ceremony in 2015 and lived without having any children together — an apparent point of contention between the two, a source alleged to Page Six.
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner
The first whiff of rumors surrounding Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's relationship facing trouble was enough to rattle pop culture enthusiasts. One a former musical teen heartthrob and the other the Queen of the North — it was a match like no other. The contention between the two was blamed on alleged differences in the stars' lifestyles, and Jonas and Turner confirmed their split in a joint statement shared on Instagram. Discrediting media rumors of a sour rift between the two, Turner and Jonas stated that their decision to divorce was a mutual one. Divorce documents obtained by NBC News reportedly pronounced the four-year marriage "irretrievably broken."
Jonas and Turner's romance was somewhat of a new-age millennial fairytale. Friends had been trying to play cupid for the couple until one day in 2016, Jonas actually ended up sliding into the "Game of Thrones" star's DMs, Turner told Harper's Bazaar back in 2019. Their romance blossomed from there and the two tied the knot in May of that year, welcoming two daughters thereafter. The following year, the newlywed rather prescient Turner remarked to Elle, "I'm sure we'll have our hiccups and our different things. But right now, it's like the security and the safety is everything."
Reports proposed that Turner's hard-partying lifestyle put a strain on the couple's relationship, but as Jonas remarked on stage during a concert: "If you don't hear it from these lips, don't believe it. Okay?"
Billy Porter and Adam Smith
Tony award-winner Billy Porter separated from his eyewear entrepreneur husband Adam Smith after being married for six years. The couple had been together long before that, having met at a dinner party in 2009. Porter made the first move, seating himself beside Smith, who'd caught his eye, according to The New York Times. A friendship commenced and turned romantic over the years; by 2017, the high-profile duo were ready to say their "I dos."
Porter and Smith decided to exchange vows just days before Donald Trump took over from Barack Obama as the president of the United States. "This is an extension of our activist side," Porter told People. "It's still important to show the world what our love looks like; it's important for us to take that stand."
The pair's split was far from acrimonious, evident in Porter's reflections to Evening Standard in the aftermath. "I will always love him," Porter said. "We made it as far as we could." Not one to be tamped down by an impending divorce, he simultaneously put himself back up on the matrimonial market, announcing with trademark flair, "Looking for an English huzzzband."
Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied
"Black Swan" wasn't just an Oscar vehicle for Natalie Portman. It also proved to be a catalyst for the decade-long marriage she would go on to pursue with French choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who trained her for the 2010 film. "I was in dreamland. ... It seemed pretty fun the whole time," Portman gushed in a SiriusXM interview when asked about her physically demanding role as troubled ballet dancer Nina Sayers. Millepied even received a special shoutout from the Academy Awards show stage after Portman won for best actress. By the time the pair collaborated again on the 2018 musical "Vox Lux," they had married and welcomed two children.
The couple seemed to have perfected the art of spousal support. So when rumors of Millepied's alleged infidelity began making the rounds in 2023, it came as a real shock to fans. Reports of the dancer's extramarital fling first surfaced in the French media, as Portman and Millepied were predominantly living in Paris. Later, Us Weekly confirmed their separation. A source told the outlet, "They've been trying to work on their marriage but are currently on the outs." Portman and Millepied have been spotted together since, but notably without their wedding rings.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn
Few celebrities have to endure scrutiny over their romantic lives as actively and consistently as Taylor Swift. It is an aspect that has remained forever integral to the public image of this beloved music icon, with her string of paramours and songs corresponding to her relationships with them. So when Swift broke up with her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn, it instantly became front-page news — especially since her romance with the actor was her longest-known relationship to date. A source who spoke with People pinned Swift and Alwyn's split to their mismatched lives as well as Swift's magnified fame. "The differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together," the source added.
Swift and Alwyn kept their romance away from the spotlight as much as they could because, as Swift put it to The Guardian in 2019, their "relationship isn't up for discussion." Their commitment to privacy, however, didn't impede their commitment to each other. The celebrities were often spotted supporting each others' enterprises, with Swift even once skipping the Grammys to attend the BAFTAs with Alwyn, who starred in the heavily decorated film "The Favourite."
If the popular narrative is to be believed, there was barely any bad blood between Swift and Alwyn when their love story ended. And hey, at least Alwyn hasn't become the subject of a diss track ... yet.
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez
Pop music sweetheart Ariana Grande and real estate agent Dalton Gomez called time on their short marriage in early 2023. Reports suggested that the young lovebirds were finding it difficult to give marriage their all, especially in the midst of long-distance circumstances. But, it turns out, friends sounded the alarm long before Grande and Gomez's two-year marriage ended. "Ariana and Dalton's friends have always been concerned by their whirlwind romance and felt their relationship would ultimately be short-lived," a source told Entertainment Tonight, claiming that their relationship was "rocky at different points."
Gomez, whom fans may recognize from Grande's "Stuck With U" music video, was reportedly keen on working on his relationship with Grande, even as news of their doomed marriage dominated headlines, a source told People. However, Grande apparently didn't share his enthusiasm, and the couple split in January, according to TMZ. Within months of her separation from Gomez, Grande removed nearly all traces of her ex-partner from her social media accounts, and TMZ reported that she started dating "Wicked" co-star Ethan Slater in July, who incidentally separated from his wife earlier that month.
In September, Grande officially said "thank u, next" when she filed for divorce from Gomez.
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef
Latin pop sensation Ricky Martin and painter Jwan Yosef were among the many celebrity couples who called it quits in 2023. Since 2017, they had been raising four children together as a married couple until they "considered transforming [their] relationship," as Martin and Yosef shared in a joint statement on Instagram. "Our greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centered on our genuine friendship as we continue the joint upbringing of our children." Martin first connected with his Swedish ex-husband following a digital meet-cute, wherein Martin encountered Yosef's art on Instagram, and text exchanges commenced.
Recalling the moment they met in London six months later, Martin said on "Behind the Music" (via Out), "I think this is the man of my life and I think I am going to marry him." Though Martin's loved-up social media posts painted a rosy picture of their marriage, it wasn't always smooth sailing. The "Livin' La Vida Loca" singer once shared in an interview that the birth of their daughter in 2018 spurred him to become overprotective and led to "problems with [his] husband," he explained (via Hola!).
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner
In what turned out to be one of the messiest, most shocking splits of the year, acting veteran Kevin Costner and his wife Christine Baumgartner parted ways after over two decades together. In May 2023, TMZ confirmed that Baumgartner had filed for divorce. In a statement provided to TMZ, Costner's representative relayed the actor's sadness over the unfolding of "circumstances beyond his control," amid which the "Dances with Wolves" star sought joint custody of the three children he shares with Baumgartner.
Following a chance meeting in the 1990s when Baumgartner was 18 and Costner was in preparation for "Tin Cup," the couple pursued a long courtship. They went on to tie the knot in 2004. Couched between their fairytale romance was a prenuptial agreement that would become the bone of contention in the couple's eventual separation. Among the contentious monetary conditions pertaining to child support in the prenup was Costner's claim to his residential assets, which Baumgartner reportedly did not initially abide by. "l made it clear to her that I would not marry again without clarity that my separate property residences would remain mine to live in no matter what happened in our marriage," Costner stated in court, as reported by NBC News. The legal battle took months to be detangled and settled mutually.
Bebe Rexha and Keyan Safyari
Gone are the days when celebrities cloaked their breakups in secrecy. Pop icons today are shouting it out to the world from concert stages. Or at least that's how fans came to know of Bebe Rexha and Keyan Safyari's split, with the "Say My Name" singer announcing her new single status while performing in London. "Now I just went through a breakup so I might get a little emotional, so you need to help me here," she told the sea of attendees before belting out her romance number "Atmosphere," Billboard reported. Safyari, who has his own Los Angeles-based production company, had reportedly been with Rexha since at least 2020.
The ex-couple spent a good many months together, especially during the coronavirus pandemic when they were quarantined together. "I have a very wonderful man in my life right now and he's so amazing," Rexha had gushed to Entertainment Tonight at the time, even revealing that Safyari had her family's approval. "We like this guy," she declared. However, by July 2023, things seemingly soured, with the singer making public some controversial texts widely believed to be from Safyari. Rexha reportedly received a string of messages discussing her weight and a potential breakup, which led fans to suspect an impending split between Safyari and her.
Sophia Bush and Grant Hughes
Beloved "One Tree Hill" alum Sophia Bush is no stranger to attention directed at her romantic life. Her first marriage and divorce from television heartthrob Chad Michael Murray back in the early aughts was a major pop culture moment and the subject of intense media coverage. Despite the world not knowing a ton about Bush's second husband, entrepreneur Grant Hughes, news of their impending divorce made headlines.
Mere weeks after celebrating their first wedding anniversary, Bush and Hughes had parted ways. A source told People that the couple had known each other for a full decade before tying the knot in 2022 and that they would continue their friendship even after the divorce.
At the peak of their romance, Bush and Hughes were all about populating their social media feeds with PDA-fueled declarations of their love. "Running toward the future, grinning and laughing, together. I love you, my favorite," Bush wrote in one such (since deleted) post on Instagram that looked back at the couple's dreamy nuptials. Their vows may not have lasted, but Bush's dress did — and the actor put it to the best use possible. Bush repeated her silver wedding afterparty ensemble to a Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles, in what can only be regarded as a post-divorce celebration.
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
In a surprise announcement that no one had anticipated, Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth made public the "difficult decision to divorce" in March 2023. The statement on social media looked back at their 11-year marriage that was due to complete its 12th year just days later. "We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together," the former couple shared. Toth, a talent agent, first crossed paths with Witherspoon at a party, diffusing an animated situation between one of his drunk friends and the Hollywood star. "It happened out of the blue," Witherspoon told Elle.
Things moved quickly thereafter, and within a year of dating, the two were engaged to be married. Sadly, the union didn't last, but as a source told People, Witherspoon and Toth's divorce didn't become contentious: "They really are the best of friends and this is such an amicable decision." Witherspoon and Toth, who finalized their divorce in August, established a smooth divorce agreement involving shared assets and custody of their son, according to People.
This marked Witherspoon's second divorce – and the "Legally Blonde" star didn't shy away from reflecting on her circumstances. "It's a vulnerable time for me," she said in a tell-all with Harper's Bazaar.
Maisie Williams and Reuben Selby
It seems 2023 wasn't the best year for the Stark family. Just months before her "Game of Thrones" co-star Sophie Turner's impending divorce was announced, headlines were dominated by Maisie Williams' breakup with Reuben Selby, her boyfriend of five years. In fact, it was Williams herself who went public with her updated relationship status in a social media post. "Since we met 5 years ago, our connection always extended deeply into our shared, and separate, creative careers ... and it will continue to do so," she penned on Instagram. The breakup — or rather "the end of an era," as Williams termed it, appears to have been amicable, with both parties commemorating it with lighthearted reminiscence.
Though Selby, a businessman, was not a part of Williams' showbiz world, he was spotted flanking the actor at entertainment events throughout the course of their relationship. It was clear that the pair bonded over shared interests in experimental fashion, often matching outfits, hair colors, and makeup looks. In fact, Williams' news-making red carpet outfit at the 2019 Emmys was a special creation by her then-boyfriend. "I asked Ruben if he would design something with me in mind; my height, my shape, my likes and insecurities," Harper's Bazaar quoted her saying.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
Hugh Jackman gushed about his wife Deborra-Lee Furness every chance he got, whether in interviews or on social media. "Your laughter, your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, courage and loyalty is an incredible gift to me. I love you with all my heart," the Hollywood dreamboat wrote of Furness on the couple's 27th wedding anniversary in 2023. Unfortunately, this was to be the final time the duo would mark the occasion as a married couple, with news of their separation breaking just months later. "Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth," the pair said in a statement provided to People. The couple share two children.
Ever since the Australian actors became a thing after first sharing the small screen in the 1995 series "Correlli," they set major couple goals for fans. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows throughout, with Furness expressing hesitation about pursuing a relationship with a younger actor, who was convinced she was the love of his life. "I just knew 100 percent, I even knew when she was trying to work out reasons to break up with me," Jackman said on the "Aussies in Hollywood" podcast. While they got over that initial hump, they'd eventually break up decades later.