Celeb Couples Who Divorced During The Coronavirus Pandemic

According to data obtained by Fox News, divorce rates in the United States have spiked 34 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel coronavirus appears to be closing down a lot of industries. "This indicates that recently married couples were less equipped to deal with the stressors of the COVID-19 virus than mature couples," Legal Templates, the group that reportedly compiled the data, explained. "It's possible that divorce rates will continue to rise as economic, financial, social, institutional, and psychological turmoil from the COVID-19 virus unfolds." No kidding.

California family law attorney Joe Wolch said he was getting calls from people not asking about the process of divorce, but already ready to file. "I would say the phone is ringing much more," he claimed (via ABC7). "Where they used to be able to get away from each other, during the days or in the evenings with their extracurriculars, but now they haven't had the opportunity. So now people are more acutely aware that they just can't stay together." Yikes.

Celebrities sadly aren't immune to these numbers, and since the global pandemic spread stateside in March 2020, several of them have filed for divorce from their partners. Perhaps doing marriage counseling on a Zoom call isn't ideal. While some high-profile couples were forced to postpone their weddings due to COVID-19, and others found interesting ways to spend their time during quarantine, these are the celeb couples who divorced during the coronavirus pandemic. 

After 20 years of marriage, Hootie & The Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker announced via Instagram that he and wife Beth Rucker "made the decision to consciously uncouple." (Shout out to Gwyneth Paltrow.) Noting that they "remain close friends and parenting partners and continue to be each other's biggest cheerleaders," he added in the July 2020 post, "Our priority will always be our beautiful family. We have so much love in our hearts for each other and will continue to encourage growth and expansion in one other. Please be kind as we take on this journey."

According to The Boot, the pair met in 1998 when Beth was working for VH1 in New York City. "I had been trying to get her to go out with me, and she wouldn't," Darius told the outlet in 2010. "I was in New York, and it was one of those rare nights off ... I was just in my hotel room. She called me and said, 'Hey, do you want to go see this play?' I was like, 'Sure!'"

It was love at first sight for the "Alright" singer, who shares daughter Daniella and son Jack with Beth. "She was walking up the stairs [to her apartment], and I said, 'Well, you know that I'm going to marry you, right?'" Darius, who's also dad to daughter Caroline from a previous relationship, continued. "She just laughed."

On July 10, 2020, food entrepreneur Elizabeth Chambers took to Instagram to reveal that she and Call Me By Your Name star Armie Hammer were divorcing after 10 years of marriage. Her soon-to-be ex-husband shared the same statement on his own account.

"Thirteen years as best friends, soulmates, partners, and then parents. It has been an incredible journey, but together, we've decided to turn the page and move on from our marriage. As we enter into this next chapter, our children and relationship as co-parents and dear friends will remain our priority," their statement read. "We understand this news lends itself to public dialogue, but in the interest of our children and our family, we're asking for privacy, compassion, and love during this time."

The Splitsville news came just two months after the couple, who first got together in 2008 (via Vulture), celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. They share two children, daughter Harper (born in 2014) and son Ford (born in 2017). According to a source cited by People, Chambers and Hammer "still love each other very much" and will remain a family despite calling it quits. The insider added, "I know their main focus right now is their kids and making sure nothing changes for them."

Kelly Clarkson put her Encino, Calif. mansion up for sale in May 2020. A month later, The Blast reported that she filed for divorce from her husband of almost seven years, Brandon Blackstock. After trying the knot in 2013, the couple — who'd been quarantined with their family in Montana ahead of their breakup — welcomed daughter River Rose in 2014 and son Remington Alexander in 2016 (Blackstock also has two children from a previous marriage).

As of this writing, neither party has publicly shared details about the split, but the former American Idol star opened up to Sunday Today host Willie Geist in September 2020. "I mean, it's no secret — my life has been a little bit of a dumpster," Clarkson said during their video chat. "Personally, it's been a little hard the last couple months." Noting that she was "talking to friends that have been through a divorce," she admitted, "It is the worst thing ever for everyone involved."

But in typical Clarkson form, she's taking her pain and focusing it on her music. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she revealed, "I don't know how anybody goes through something this traumatic — any kind of loss, honestly — without having some sort of creative outlet or therapy or something. Cause it's ... a lot. And especially this year ... you didn't need to add any kind of cherry on top of the dumpster fire we're all experiencing."

In late June 2020, TMZ reported that Nicole Young filed for divorce from music mogul Dr. Dre after 24 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. They reportedly had no prenuptial agreement, and the former N.W.A. member had a net worth of $800 million. Young also happens to be a lawyer. (We assume after all this is over the headphones will be called "Beats by Nicole.")

That September, Page Six obtained court documents in which Young requested nearly $2 million a month in spousal support and an additional $5 million in legal fees. The documents alleged that Dre controlled their assets and had kicked Young out of their Brentwood mansion "in the middle of the night" during a "drunken rage" two months before she filed for divorce. When Young moved into their Malibu home, Dre reportedly threatened to sell it if she kept spending money. "Do not spend one more cent," the rapper allegedly texted her. "... You can't be mean and disrespectful and spend my hard-earned money. F**k that!"

The former couple share two adult children, son Truice and daughter Truly. While Dre argued that they do indeed have a prenup, Young claimed, per People, that she "unwillingly" signed the agreement in 1996 due to "extraordinary pressure and intimidation" by the rapper. However, Dre allegedly "felt ashamed" and "tore up multiple copies" a few years after they were married. Per Young, this meant that the prenup was rendered "null and void" on that day.

After returning from a three-week quarantine together in the Bahamas in April 2020, Kristin Cavallari announced on Instagram that she and former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler were divorcing after seven years of marriage. "With great sadness, after 10 years together we have come to a loving conclusion to get a divorce," the Laguna Beach alum wrote. "We have nothing but love and respect for one another and are deeply grateful for the years shared, memories made, and the children we are so proud of. This is just the situation of two people growing apart. We ask everyone to respect our privacy as we navigate this difficult time within our family."

In legal documents obtained by TMZ, Cavallari cited "irreconcilable differences" as one of the reasons for the divorce, further accusing Cutler of being "guilty of such inappropriate marital conduct as renders further cohabitation unsafe and improper." She also alleged that Cutler was an absentee father and asked the court to grant her sole custody of their three children, sons Camden and Jaxon and daughter Saylor. 

For his part, Cutler refuted that allegation. "She denies that Husband has always been the available at home parent and primary caretaker of the parties' minor children. Wife would show that she has been the primary residential parent," his petition read. "... Husband has always been the available at-home parent and the primary caretaker of the parties minor children."

On July 3, 2020, country musicians Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly announced that they were divorcing after almost three years of marriage in a joint statement to the Associated Press. "With heavy but hopeful hearts we wanted to put our own thoughts into the air about what's happening," the statement began. "These kinds of announcements are always met with scrutiny and speculation and we want to stop that before it even starts."

"We believe that we were put into each other's lives for a divine reason and have both changed each other infinitely for the better," the statement continued. "The love we have for each other goes far beyond the relationship we've shared as husband and wife. It's a soul connection that can never be erased." 

The former couple first met at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tenn. in 2016 (via Glamour). Their growing relationship soon began inspiring one another's musical output, and they officially tied the knot in October 2017. However, by the end of 2019, Musgraves and Kelly began deleting all traces of one another on their social media accounts, perhaps hinting at their impending split. The reason for the divorce? "It simply just didn't work," their statement explained. "Though we are parting ways in marriage, we will remain true friends for the rest of our lives. We hold no blame, anger, or contempt for each other and we ask for privacy and positive wishes for us both as we learn how to navigate through this."

When Offset found himself at the center of infidelity rumors a year into his nearly three-year marriage with Cardi B, he found an ally from an unlikely source — Cardi B. "It's like everybody is coming down my neck like, 'Why are you not leaving him? You have low self-esteem.' I don't have low self-esteem ... I know I look good. I know I'm rich, I know I'm talented. I know I could get any man I want — any basketball player, football player," she explained to Cosmopolitan in April 2018. "But I want to work out my s**t with my man, and I don't got to explain why. I'm not your property. This is my life."

Indeed, Cardi B and Offset's relationship was never exactly smooth sailing. After secretly tying the knot in the fall of 2017, the pair welcomed daughter Kulture Kiari in July 2018, but initially split that same year. Offset seemingly won Cardi B back with a long public apology by early 2019: Admitting to "partaking in activity" he shouldn't have, he wrote in part on Instagram, "I want to apologize to you Cardi. I embarrassed you. I made you go crazy."

However, the "WAP" rapper filed for divorce from one part of the Atlanta-based Migos trio in September 2020. In court documents obtained by People, Cardi B claimed Offset had cheated once again. Noting that the marriage was "irretrievably broken," she said, "There are no prospects for a reconciliation."

After four years of marriage, R&B singer Ray J filed for divorce from fashion designer Princess Love in September 2020, ET reports. After getting hitched in August 2016, the former couple welcomed two children, daughter Melody Love and son Epik Ray Norwood. However, their relationship was never easy. 

In November 2019, a pregnant Princess Love told her social media followers that she didn't "want to be married anymore" after Ray J allegedly stranded her in Las Vegas. According to the publication, Ray J's divorce petition came just a couple months after Princess Love asked that her own divorce petition be dismissed. 

In an exclusive interview with ET, the "One Wish" singer explained his decision to end the marriage. "It was just how I felt at the time. I didn't really talk to nobody about it," Ray J began, explaining that he would've received "too many opinions" if he shared his plans. "I just went to God." However, Ray J suggested this might not be the end of their relationship: "It's still so early, I really don't know what's going to happen ... but I just want to make sure that my babies and my Princess is in a great place mentally and that they can enjoy life." He added, "I can't say too much, but I love you, Princess. That's what I can say."

In April 2020, Mary-Kate Olsen filed for divorce from her banker husband of five years, Pierre Olivier Sarkozy. According to court documents obtained by Page Six, the former child star claimed, "It was clear my marriage was over ... the relationship has broken down irretrievably." Olsen further asked for an emergency divorce petition after accusing Sarkozy of kicking her out of their home during the coronavirus pandemic. This petition was later denied.

"My husband has terminated the lease on our New York City residence ... without my consent," Olsen alleged in her filing. "This application is an emergency because my husband expects me to move out of our home on Monday, May 18, 2020, in the middle of New York City being on pause due to COVID-19." Claiming that she reached out to Sarkozy's attorney and their landlord, begging to stay past May 30 to no avail, the Full House alum stated, "I am petrified that my husband is trying to deprive me of the home we have lived in and if he is successful, I will not only lose my home but I risk losing my personal property as well."

Olsen and Sarkozy, who have a 16-year age gap between them, share no children together. They do, however, share what an Us Weekly source called an "ironclad prenup" — no doubt due to Olsen's estimated net worth of $250 million and Sarkovy's $60 million fortune. The insider added, "Her business interests and fortune are protected."

People reports that actress Jordana Brewster and her producer husband, Andrew Form, "quietly separated" in early 2020 in an "amicable" split. "They have the utmost respect for each other," a source told the publication. "They remain committed to lovingly co-parent their two children as a team." 

However, the separation later became official. On July 1, 2020, Brewster filed for divorced per court documents obtained by Page Six. Both parties refused to comment. After meeting on the set of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, which Ford produced, the couple married in 2007. During an earlier interview with InStyle Weddings (via Page Six), Brewster opened up about how the romance began. "We started dating in secret — you know, hanging out in my trailer — because it would have been unprofessional otherwise," she said. "But every day, Andrew wore these work boots to the set, and if I was lying down in the shot or there was equipment in the way, I'd look for his shoes. It was comfortable just to know he was nearby."

In September 2020, the Daily Mail published photos of the Fast & Furious actress and her new boyfriend, Mason Morfit — the CEO of San Francisco-based investment firm ValueAct Capital — frolicking on Malibu Beach.

In mid-September 2020, HGTV's host of Christina on the Coast, Christina Anstead, announced on Instagram that she and her husband, Ant Anstead, were separating after less than two years of marriage. "Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate," she wrote. "We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority. We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future."

She and Ant, who's the host of the car series, Wheeler Dealers, married in 2018 — just a year after Christina finalized her divorce from her Flip or Flop co-star, Tarek El Moussa. According to a source cited by Us Weekly, the Ansteads' friends were "shocked" by the Splitsville news. "They seemed happy together publicly and while in front of others," the insider explained.

Meanwhile, El Moussa, who has since moved on with fiancée Heather Rae Young of Selling Sunset fame, reportedly wasn't as shocked. "Tarek is sad that Christina is going through a hard time," the source said. "But [he] did not think that Christina and Ant would last." Not long after she announced her split from Ant, Christina was spotted conversing with El Moussa in between takes while filming their show (via the Daily Mail). While Christina and Ant welcomed son Hudson in September 2019, she and El Moussa have continued to co-parent their own kiddos, daughter Taylor and son Brayden.