The most surprising breakups in Hollywood

By Megan Riedlinger 5:14am PST, Jan 28, 2021

We love to follow along when our favorite celebrities unite, marry and have kids… but unfortunately in Hollywood, there isn't always a happily ever after. And some stars' splits hit harder than others. Take Brangelina, for example… The world was stunned when Hollywood supercouple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ended things in 2016. Angelina suddenly filed for divorce just a little more than two years after they married at their home in France, Chateau Miraval. The couple, who share six children, had been together since 2005. The beginning of their relationship set tabloids ablaze, as Brad later admitted he fell in love with Angie before he ended another famous relationship that was also a big of a shock to fans. Keep reading to reminisce with Wonderwall.com on that one too, and relive some other truly surprising Hollywood breakups…

Long before Brangelina broke up, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's January 2005 split announcement really shocked pop culture devotees. The couple had started dating in 1998 and wed in 2000. In the wake of rumors of a romantic entanglement between Brad and Angelina Jolie on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," fans were still heartbroken to see Brad and Jen go their separate ways.

After nine years of marriage and 12 years together, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan announced their separation in April 2018. The couple, who share daughter Everly, seemingly had a fairy tale Hollywood romance that including a sweet meet-cute that happened when they starred together in "Step Up" back in 2006.

Chris Pratt and Anna Faris seemed meant to be: They had a sweet Hollywood romance that sparked on a movie set and resulted in an adorable son and an eight-year marriage. But in August 2017, both took to social media to — seemingly out of the blue — announce the end of their time together, which came 10 years after they met on the set of "Take Me Home Tonight."

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner appeared to have a solid marriage. The duo met on the set of "Pearl Harbor" in 2000 but sparks didn't start flying until they worked on the 2002 movie "Daredevil" together — while they were both with other people (Jennifer Lopez and Scott Foley, respectively). They later got together and were engaged and pregnant by 2005. They married that same year and went on to welcome three beautiful children. But in 2015, they surprised everyone by announcing plans to divorce just one day after their 10-year wedding anniversary.

The seven-year itch struck power couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony in 2011. After seven years of marriage, the duo parted ways but kept their reasons to themselves. During their union, they welcomed twins Max and Emme, and managed to remain friends after they split.

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale had been a coupe for nearly 20 years when they celebrated an impressive 13 years of marriage in 2015, but that number proved to be unlucky. That same year, the rock stars — who share three sons together — split and the Bush frontman found himself in the midst of a nanny cheating scandal that left Gwen heartbroken.

After an impressive 10 years together, Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger ended their relationship in 2016. The couple, who'd seemed so devoted to one another, never made it to the altar, despite such a long courtship and fans assuming they'd go the distance. Instead, Diane was seen kissing Norman Reedus six months before she and Joshua announced their split.

Funny couple Will Arnett and Amy Poehler seemed to be a match made in heaven when they met in 2000. They wed three years later and welcomed two sons, but by 2012, it were over — their split shocked Hollywood. The reason for their sudden parting is still a mystery.

Sure, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth had broken up before. But when they reunited in 2015 and wed in 2018, it seemed like forever. The couple, who originally started dating in 2009, announced their separation in August 2019 less than eight months after they married at Miley's home in Tennessee — 10 years after they'd met and kicked off their roller coaster romance on the set of "The last Song."

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher's romance surprised Hollywood at first, thanks in part to their 15-year age difference, but once they made things official in 2005, it seemed they were the real deal. Unfortunately, despite a vow renewal in 2010, they parted ways in 2013.

Prior to her separation from Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore was involved in another shocking split back in 1998. That year, she parted ways from hubby Bruce Willis after 11 years of marriage. The famous couple had three daughters together — Rumer, Scout and Tallulah — whom they raised mostly away from Hollywood at their home in Idaho. Perhaps even more surprising than their split is that unlike so many Hollywood exes, Bruce and Demi managed to keep things amicable, even going so far as to quarantine together during the COVID-10 pandemic.

The end of TomKat came in June 2012 when Katie Holmes blindsided Tom Cruise with divorce papers after nearly six years of marriage. The couple, who share daughter Suri, had a whirlwind romance before that — who can forget Tom's couch-jumping declarations of love while on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2005?!

Diehard "Twilight" fans were heartbroken to discover Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's tumultuous romance was really over. Their real-life love story kicked off in 2009 — a year after the first film in the franchise was released — and despite their attempts to keep things private, they steadily dated while filming the next four installments. In 2012, fans were shocked to see photos showing that Kristen had cheated on Rob with her "Snow White and the Huntsman" director, Rupert Sanders, which resulted in a temporary breakup. Despite reuniting post-scandal, the duo were dunzo for good by 2013.

Though fans thought they were in it for the long haul, considering they'd made their marriage last for an impressive 18 years, Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas — who share daughter Stella together — decided to divorce in 2014.

One of most surprising reality TV breakups is up next! Though they didn't have the most conventional romance, fans were still surprised when Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick's journey together ended. Kourtney dumped him for good in 2015 after nine years together and three children.

On-again, off-again pop star couple Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez dated for an impressive seven years before things came to a halt for good. Fans were devastated to learn the duo officially ended things in 2018, and many didn't believe it would last considering how much back and forth there had been between the singers.

Eleven years of marriage and one daughter later, Courteney Cox and David Arquette's Hollywood romance drew to a close in October 2010. The announcement was a bit of a shock considering their lengthy marriage.