The Real Reason Emilio Estevez And Paula Abdul Got Divorced

Emilio Estevez and Paula Abdul's marriage is yet another relationship to add to the list of celebrity couples you forgot ever happened. According to People, the couple first became acquainted in the early '90s while the singer was dating Full House star John Stamos. The actor initially called Abdul to express his admiration for her but then went on to continuously reach out every couple of months to "keep in touch." They finally met in person in New York during her world tour in 1991 after he left her a message at the hotel she was staying at. "After that he would send flowers or letters to every city I was in," Abdul told the outlet. "We would have phone conversations and visit every few weekends. We thought everything was perfect." Six months later, the two were engaged to be married. "He got down on his knee and said, 'I've been in love with you for a long time. I don't want to live my life without you,'" she recalled. "I just melted."

Entertainment Weekly reported Estevez and Abdul's nuptials, which took on April 29, 1992 at a "private ceremony in a Santa Monica judge's chambers," were "the Hollywood wedding of the year." Unfortunately, in 1994, almost exactly two years after they wed, she filed for divorce. Keep scrolling to find out the real reason the pair called it quits, including the exact moment Abdul realized her marriage to Estevez was never going to work.

On May 10, 1994, Paula Abdul announced she and husband Emilio Estevez were going their separate ways. "It's with tremendous reluctance and great sadness that I've taken this action," she wrote in a statement provided to People. "I have great affection and both personal and professional respect for Emilio. I know that we'll continue to be supportive of each other." The Mighty Ducks star added in his statement, "I have nothing but admiration, love and respect for Paula. I'm sorry we weren't able to come to a different conclusion." 

At the time, there were rumors that cheating may had led to their divorce, but Abdul later confirmed it was because the couple was not on the same page when it came to having children. "I let [Emilio] know that I was very interested in having children," she told People, adding that Estevez, who had two kids from a previous relationship, initially agreed. However, he later had a change of heart. "It was very hard for him to admit that he couldn't handle having kids again," Abdul explained. She called the realization "heartbreaking" for both of them.