Reality Stars Who Treat Their Significant Others Like Trash

A huge subculture of reality TV is all about bringing people together. We seem to love watching couples fall in love, sometimes by process of elimination, like on "The Bachelor" franchise, or through the challenge of abstinence, like Netflix's "Too Hot To Handle." There are other winners, like "Love Island" or "Married at First Sight." Others tie in the complications of borders and visas, like TLC's "90 Day Fiance" and the myriad spinoffs that show has generated.

Then there are other reality shows that don't focus on relationships but inevitably involve them. What would "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" be without all the relationship drama? You wouldn't get anything good from MTV's "Teen Mom" series without the endless back and forth between partners. The same could be said for the "Real Housewives," no matter what region we're looking at. Even the Duggar family, with their now-defunct show, "19 Kids and Counting," was largely about relationships and finding a significant other, with some intense courtship rules to boot!

Our optimistic sides wish for the best in these romantic endeavors but sometimes, things go terribly wrong. Unfortunately, there's a pretty hefty list of reality stars who were less than lovely to their significant others and the blessing and curse of reality TV is that we all watched it unfold.

David Eason and Jenelle Evans might have one of the most turbulent relationships we've ever seen on reality TV. In fact, the relationship is so bad that it seriously impacted Jenelle's financial situation. The "Teen Mom 2" star brought David onto the series but he was quickly let go by MTV after posting homophobic content on his social media. Then, in 2019, David "shot and killed" her dog, Nugget, as Us Weekly reported. Allegedly, the dog "snapped" at their daughter, Ensley, but rather than rehoming the dog, David decided that this was the best way to handle it. Following the incident, MTV let go of Jenelle and in October of the same year, Jenelle "filed for divorce," according to Page Six.

One month later, Jenelle sought a restraining order from the courts and claimed abuse on the part of David. In June 2020, David was arrested "for assault with a deadly weapon" after hitting Jenelle's friend James Spivey and yelling at him: "I will blow your f***ing brains out." Then in November 2021, David was arrested again for "driving with a revoked license," a later publication by Page Six reported.

Despite their brief breakup, Jenelle and David ended up getting back together and when Jenelle launched her own cosmetic company, the manufacturer ended up dropping her, according to Radar, because of negative reviews and fan horror about what happened to her dog. As of this writing, Jenelle continues to defend David despite pushback from fans and followers.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Fans of "Temptation Island" know what went down between Evan Smith and Kaci Campbell. The couple of ten years joined the reality show for its first season, according to ScreenRant. The premise of the show is that couples move into a house with single people to see how strong their connection really is. Their personal issue was that Evan couldn't quite commit to Kaci and while on the show, Evan met Morgan Lolar. To everyone's shock, he proposed to her by the end of the season.

However, this relationship was no fairy tale either. Morgan later broke the news on Us Weekly's "Watch With Us" podcast that Evan was both unfaithful and financially dependent on her. "He didn't work the entire time that he lived with me for almost a year and a half," Morgan began. Then he took off only days before they were to move to Los Angeles, claiming that he was going to get a job to pay her back.

Morgan reached out to Kaci, noting a pattern in Evan's behavior. "I thought back on 'Temptation Island' and how Kaci and he ended, and I'm like, 'Oh my God, he's saying the exact same things to me that he's saying to her,'" Morgan explained. In a happy turn of events, Kaci shared her experience and the two became close. Kaci said of the unfortunate turn of events, "I'm definitely not surprised." Yikes! Evan wasn't good to either of them.

Tristan Thompson brought about both fan and family wrath for the way he treated Khloe Kardashian. The two got close in August 2016, according to Us Weekly, and kicked off their highly-publicized romance which, based on media, sounded really serious. Khloe told ES in an interview in April 2017 that she has "never been in this type of love" and should Tristan pop the question, she would absolutely say yes.

Then in December 2017, Khloe announced their pregnancy on Instagram. "Thank you for making me feel beautiful at all stages!" Khloe wrote, "Tristan, most of all, Thank you for making me a MOMMY!!! You have made this experience even more magical than I could have envisioned!"

But only two days before their daughter True was born in April 2018, outlets reported that Tristan had been spotted kissing other women, Us Weekly notes. However, they decided to reconcile. Then in February 2019, they announced that they had broken up due to Tristan's infidelity. News broke that Tristan had kissed Kylie Jenner's best friend, Jordyn Woods, according to People, while out partying. The two coparented their daughter amicably enough and it seemed to bring them together again because in August 2020, a source told Us Weekly: "Khloé and Tristan want to buy a house together" and that they were planning on having one more child. The couple broke up again in June 2021 and in December, trainer Maralee Nichols announced that she had conceived a child by Tristan in March of that year. Yikes!

Javi Marroquin of MTV's "Teen Mom 2" landed on the reality show because of then-wife, Kailyn Lowry, and their son, Lincoln, who was born in 2013. The couple split in 2016 and in July 2017, Javi and Lauren Comeau started dating after meeting at a wedding, according to The Ashley's Reality Roundup. They split up only two months later and Javi began dating "Teen Mom" star Briana DeJesus, but in January 2018, they broke up. After this, Javi and Kailyn hooked up briefly but in March 2018, Javi and Lauren reunited.

It seemed like a long time coming. "I never believed in love at first sight, but when I saw Lauren I definitely did," Javi told In Touch in September 2017, while with Briana. "I'm hoping Lauren and I can figure this out because she made me the happiest I've ever been." Things then got serious when, in May 2018, Javi announced that he and Lauren were expecting a baby. They welcomed son, Eli, in November 2018.

But things started to change between the couple. In August 2019, a later publication by The Ashley's Reality Roundup reported that there was a call for police assistance at their home after Javi and Lauren got into a fight. No arrests were made but Radar later claimed that Lauren allegedly caught Javi with a naked woman in their home. Then in the fall of 2020, Kailyn said that Javi tried to hook up with her and that she had text proof while he was with Lauren.

Kris and Caitlyn Jenner got married in 1991 in what appeared to be a perfect match. They each had four children and they were both divorced, Grazia magazine notes. As the years went on, the family blew up thanks to their reality show, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," and Kris and Caitlyn's relationship also became a talking point. In 2013, Kris told USA Today that they had separated. "But there is no animosity," Kris added. "We are united and committed to our family ... We ended a marriage, but that's not the end of our friendship." They divorced in December 2014. Then, in 2015, Caitlyn announced that she was transitioning.

Despite these claims of friendship, their connection became rocky in 2017, when Caitlyn published her tell-all memoir, "Secrets of My Life." In it, Caitlyn wrote: "I tell Kris about my gender issues before I make love to her. This will always be a subject of dispute between Kris and me as to how much she could intuit about my gender issues." Caitlyn also claimed that Kris controlled everyone's finances.

The public diss was heartbreaking to Kris. "Why does everything have to be that Kris is such a bi**h and an a**hole?" she asked during a KUWTK episode, per E! "All through the book — 'Kris knew. Kris knew before I even made love to her.' I'm like, 'What?'" She added: "I've never been so angry and disappointed in somebody in my whole life. I'm done."

Leading lady Andi Dorfman, who starred in the 2014 season of "The Bachelorette," gave her final rose to Josh Murray. While fans hoped this would be a match made to last, they were quickly proven wrong. "I was 100 percent sure I'd spend my life with him," Andi told Us Weekly, but there were some things Josh couldn't get over. Typical of "The Bachelor" franchise, Andi had a night with Nick Viall in the fantasy suites before picking Josh. Any devoted fan knows that this is the trajectory of every season. Andi admitted to lying to Josh about it and then finally told him the truth about sleeping with Nick. Josh was furious and verbally abusive with her about it.

"He was devastated, angry and hurt, badly," Andi wrote in the exclusive preview of her memoir, "It's Not Okay" for Us Weekly. "I apologized profusely for lying ... Several more apologies later, it became clear the issue was about my having sex with someone else. That one sexual escapade would become a power play used by my fiancé to justify his mistrust in me. It would be an excuse to call me a whore. And it would eventually lead to the demise of my engagement."

In response, Josh said in a statement to Us Weekly: "It saddens me and is very unfortunate that Andi has chosen to characterize me in such a negative way. I pray she finds peace." Andi clapped back on Twitter: "I speak two languages ... English and Truth."

"Teen Mom"'s Amber Portwood had a troubled relationship with then-boyfriend, Andrew Glennon, that was heavily documented on the MTV reality show. The couple welcomed son, James, in May 2018, according to Page Six. However, in July 2019, Amber was arrested for "domestic battery." As TMZ reports, Andrew locked himself in a room with their son while Amber hacked the door with a machete. Parts of the incident were caught on the family's security cameras and Andrew asked Amber if she had abused her medication.

The couple split up in 2019 and what's followed has been a highly contentious custody battle. Andrew "has primary custody of James," according to The Sun, but this has not stopped the drama. In one instance, James allegedly had a sore on the inside of his lip. She texted a photo to Andrew who then posted it to his Instagram Stories with the caption: "You hit your baby boy?... Really?!" In court papers obtained by The Sun, Amber's legal team said the "false and defamatory" comments were planned to "harm Mother and her reputation."

Then, in October 2021, Andrew demanded that Amber provide a drug test, according to a later publication by The Sun, because of his claims that she appeared "paranoid." In court papers, Andrew referenced Amber's history of drug addiction and said that in the past, he had "witnessed Amber under the influence of illegal drugs previously, specifically methamphetamine." However, Amber, as of this writing, has denied these claims.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

People will know Josh Duggar from the reality series "19 Kids and Counting," which followed the large family of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Josh, the oldest of their brood, hasn't just treated his wife poorly. He also has a serious history of sexual abuse. When he was a teenager, he was accused of molesting several girls, including some of his sisters, as The Sun reports.

Josh then married Anna Duggar in September 2008 after meeting at a homeschooling convention, according to In Touch, and went on to welcome seven children of their own. He was already married when, in May 2015, news broke of his molestation charges. Then in August 2015, reports aired that Josh had been using Ashley Madison, a website for married people who wish to pursue affairs. "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife," Josh wrote on his family's blog (via In Touch). Anna stayed by his side and they sought help after this through marriage counseling.

Then, in April 2021, Josh was arrested only days after they announced that Anna was pregnant with their seventh child. In December of that year, he was found guilty of "possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material," per People. During the court proceedings, Anna was at his side.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact theirlive chat services.

Hannah Brown took the lead in 2019 on "The Bachelorette," and fans watched as she fell for musician, Jed Wyatt. Interestingly, it was Hannah's parents who first noticed red flags, suspecting that Jed wasn't financially secure and wasn't pursuing Hannah for the right reasons. "It seems like they were mainly concerned with the financial aspect of our relationship," Jed said during the finale, (via Us Weekly). "They don't think I'm adequate or something."

Well, Hannah's parents were onto something. Shortly after Jed proposed in Greece, People broke the story that Jed actually had a girlfriend all along named Haley Stevens. Haley told the outlet, "He only did it for his career," claiming that Jed called it "a huge opportunity." To cut Jed the slightest bit of slack, he did tell Hannah on one of their dates that he saw the show as a chance for exposure, then explained his change in heart: "I came in with that mindset, but every moment that we've had has taken that away and shown me that now more than anything I want to be with you."

But Haley's story obviously poked holes in the romantic facade Jed had constructed. In a confessional on the show, Hannah said that Jed had told her he broke off the relationship "one week" before and gave her an explanation. However, when she saw the People article, Hannah said "it was not the same story" that Jed had told her. Obviously, Hannah called the whole thing off.

When Arie Luyendyk Jr. became the lead of "The Bachelor," everyone assumed that he would have a happily ever after with Becca Kufrin for the extremely logical reason that he proposed to her on camera. Unfortunately, two months later, Arie sat Becca down and told her that he "had a change of heart." Typical of the sometimes overly invasive world of reality TV, all of this was caught on camera, including Becca's heartbreak. Arie told Becca that he wanted to see the "possibility" of a future with Lauren Burnham, the runner-up of his season.

As ABC News pointed out, fan reactions were intense. People felt like Arie had been flippant and careless with Becca, yo-yoing her around as he remained indecisive. Through tears, Becca said that it felt like her "future was ripped away."

Arie did end up apologizing to her in front of a live audience and Becca forgave him and accepted his apology, which frankly shows what an understanding person she really is. Despite this pain, there's a happy ending for both Arie and Becca — just not with each other. Lauren and Arie got married and have welcomed three children, daughter Alessi and twins, Senna and Lux, according to Us Weekly. For Becca, the journey was a bit more circuitous. When she became the Bachelorette, she chose Garrett Yrigoyen but that ended, per a later publication by Us Weekly. Then she joined "Bachelor in Paradise" and wound up with Thomas Jacobs.

Jon and Kate Gosselin became popular thanks to the TLC reality show "Jon & Kate Plus Eight," which followed them and their twin children, Mady and Cara, and their sextuplets, Hannah, Leah, Alexis, Joel, Aaden and Collin, per People. While things seemed to be moving along nicely, in April 2009, Jon was spotted and photographed leaving a bar with a 23-year-old woman named Deanna Hummel. Deanna's brother claimed that they had been having an ongoing affair. Jon denied the affair but admitted that it was in poor taste to spend late night hours out with another woman.

The sudden airing of these photos prompted Kate to come forward and admit that they had been going through a rough patch. "I don't know that we're in the same place anymore, that we want the same thing," Kate told People in May 2009. Sure enough, after ten years of marriage, Jon and Kate announced that they were divorcing in June 2009.

Jon then spoke on "Good Morning America" in September 2009, saying that he had suffered "a lot of [verbal] abuse" from Kate throughout their marriage. The two went on with a lot of back and forth with Jon claiming that Kate kept the kids from him. However, daughter Mady told People: "He makes it seem like we're being kept from him, which is insane. He should maybe spend some time thinking about why we don't want to see him ... talking about us on TV is not the way to make that happen."

Meghan King and Jim Edmonds appeared on Bravo's "Real Housewives of Orange County," where fans watched them go through ups and downs. The couple faced fertility issues but were finally able to conceive through IVF, a process Meghan wrote about in her blog, and together they welcomed three children: daughter, Aspen, and twin boys, Hart and Hayes.

During Meghan's pregnancy with her twins, allegations of Jim's infidelity broke in June 2019. Allegedly, he sent nudes and NSFW videos on the exact same day that Meghan was in labor, per Us Weekly. Jim denied these accusations. "Regrettably, I had a lapse in judgment. I engaged in an inappropriate conversation with this person," Jim said in a statement. "At no time was there any type of relationship or physical contact." He added, "I never had any sort of a physical relationship outside of my marriage with her or anyone else."

Then, in October 2019, Jim filed for divorce and in the midst of it, Meghan accused Jim of having an affair with their 22-year-old nanny. In a blog post, Meghan said that Jim was taking their babysitters to hockey games and lying about it. "To be clear, I don't know if Jim slept with our babysitter or whether they were just being exceedingly inappropriate by hanging out socially without either of them telling me (and Jim expressly lying to me about it)," she wrote. Speaking of her unraveling marriage, Meghan added: "I am broken for my family. I am buried in despair."

Clare Crawley has been unlucky in love a couple of times on "The Bachelor" franchise. The stylist first appeared on the 18th season of "The Bachelor" when Juan Pablo Galavis was the lead. From the get-go, it was clear that Juan Pablo liked Clare, and sure enough, she made it to the final two and they shared a fantasy suite together, per E!

While things were going well, Juan Pablo said something privately to her during one of their dates which upset Clare. "What I thought was going to be sweet, kind, loving words was not what came out of his mouth, and I'm shocked," Clare said, (via PopSugar). "He chose to tell me something that no woman wants to hear. That he doesn't know me, and some sexual thing, I don't even want to repeat it. It was insulting, it was offensive, and it just made me feel awful." While the cameras didn't catch Juan Pablos' comment, Clare later said in a confessional: "Don't tell me you love [bleeped] me."

Juan Pablo ended up choosing Nikki Ferrell and when he told Clare, she gave him such a shakedown that it's become part of the fabric of Bachelor Nation. "I thought I knew what kind of man you were," Claire said to him. "I lost respect for you. What you just made me go through? I would never want my children having a father like you." On top of it all, things didn't work out between Juan Pablo and Nikki, either.

Kendra Wilkinson is no stranger to reality TV. The blonde bombshell starred in "Girls Next Door," which offered a view of life inside of the Playboy mansion. She moved on from Hugh Hefner with NFL player Hank Baskett and they got married at the mansion in June 2009, according to Us Weekly, with Hefner in attendance. She then became the face and name of a new reality series called "Kendra," which featured her life with Hank and their growing family.

Things became difficult for the couple in 2010, when a sex tape leaked of Kendra before she knew Hank. "It's hard on him because it involves another guy, of course, and it's hard on him because of our son and everything," Kendra said of Hank on an episode of their show, (via Us Weekly).

Then, in July 2014, news broke that Hank cheated on Kendra while she was "eight months pregnant" with transgender model Ava Sabrina London, Us Weekly reports. "I messed up," Hank told People of the event. "I put myself in a bad situation. And everything through me brought pain upon this family." However, Hank denied that he did anything, and said, "This person came to me and touched me." Kendra forgave him after the incident, but in February 2015, while appearing on "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" she kissed her co-star Jimmy Bullard. In April 2018, they announced that they were divorcing but have remained amicable co-parents.