After two long years of depressing headlines dominated by coronavirus, recession, and war, some argue that the era of the celebrity is making a comeback. From Pete Davidson tattooing Kim Kardashian’s children’s names on his neck, to Megan Fox confessing that she and Machine Gun Kelly drink each other’s blood for ritual purposes, it seems like celebrity love lives have never been so weirdly enthralling – and although nothing’s set in stone in Hollywood, here’s a roundup of this year’s most interesting A-list breakups so far.
Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus
In April, Miley Cyrus’ parents announced their third breakup due to “irreconcilable differences”, but following three decades of union. The couple met in the early ‘90s and embarked on a whirlwind romance while the “Achy Breaky Heart” hitmaker was legally married to Cindy Smith, and also in a casual relationship with Kristin Luckey.
Although there’s no exact timeline of Billy’s overlapping relationships, he and Kristin conceived a son, Christopher, who was born in April 1992 – by then, the singer/musician was already dating Tish, and the young lovebirds were expecting Miley, their first daughter. Despite the situation being far from ideal, the couple threw caution to the wind, and married in December 1993 in the living room of their home.
Tish Cyrus reportedly has filed for divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus, making it their third divorce filing in their nearly 30 year marriage. pic.twitter.com/pGxLF9wr2W
— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 12, 2022
After facing a backlash from his music label, and criticism from the general public due to his rumored philandering ways, Billy and his team made a big effort to clean his image up, which is why his first divorce filing in 2010 rocked the world. Interestingly, the artist withdrew his request five months later, and stated in an interview that he wanted to get his family back together.
2010 was a big year for the Cyrus family in general, as Billy also told GQ Magazine that the series “Hannah Montana” – which starred Miley – had destroyed his family and changed his daughter beyond recognition. Thankfully, he and Tish patched things up, and appeared to be stronger than ever… until she filed for divorce citing “personal matters” in 2013.
In July of the same year, the couple released a joint statement saying: “We both woke up and realized that we loved each other and decided that we wanted to stay together.” They also thanked couples counseling for their improved communication and closer relationship. For the next few years, the Cyrus clan managed to stay out of the press for negative reasons, which is why some fans think this third divorce filing is a mere publicity stunt. Don’t hold your breath!
Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa
Lisa and Jason’s relationship has been far from conventional, since they met at a jazz club in 2005, but it’s always worked for them… that is, until they announced their divorce in January. The “Game of Thrones” hunk and the critically acclaimed actress released a flowery joint statement in which they announced: “We share our family news that we are parting ways in marriage… Not because we think it’s newsworthy, but so that as we go about our lives we may do so with dignity and honesty.”
Jason first saw his future wife in 1987, when she was a rising star in the TV series “The Cosby Show” – and married to Lenny Kravitz. Strange twists of fate led to the Hawaiian native meeting his childhood crush in Los Angeles 18 years later; by then, Lisa had divorced Lenny, with whom she shares one daughter.
At the time, Jason was living out of a hotel, and convinced Lisa to drive him home. The pair stopped at Hollywood’s 101 Coffee Shop, where Lisa ordered a late-night Guinness and grits. During an interview with Men’s Health, Jason shared his initial reaction: “Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m with a woman who ordered a Guinness. I love her.”
The rest was history, after their unusual first date, which led to the couple welcoming two children – Lola and Nakoa-Wolf – and becoming the poster child for blended celebrity families. Their relationship went from strength to strength, as they also embarked on joint professional ventures such as “Road to Paloma”, a 2014 film produced, directed, and co-written by Jason in which Lisa starred.
However, instead of their secret 2017 wedding ceremony being a happy ending, it was merely the prelude to the dynamic couple’s tragic breakup. Although longtime fans still hold out hope, even if Lisa and Jason never rekindle things romantically, the public will fondly remember the epic pop culture moments they’ve given us – such as their joint red carpet appearance in matching pink Fendi outfits in honor of the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfield.
Liam Payne and Maya Henry
Liam has been making news for all the wrong reasons lately, given that furious One Direction fans recently besieged his social media, with negative comments after the crooner claimed to have outsold his former bandmates Harry Styles and Zayn Malik. In May, his fiancée at the time, Maya Henry, discovered that thanks to a photo that began circulating on Instagram, the handsome musician had been spending quality time with another lady.
Keeping a dignified stance, Maya commented: “Please stop sending me these pictures of my fiancé wrapped around another woman. This is not me, and it’s hard enough knowing this has happened without seeing it.”
Although Maya’s prior dating history is unknown territory, it’s a well-known fact that Liam has always been unlucky in love. In 2016, the 1D heartthrob began dating the model and musician Cheryl Cole – whom he met at the tender age of 14 when she was a judge at his X-Factor audition – and embarked on his most serious relationship to date, until they called things off two years later.
Despite the two moving in together, regularly treating onlookers to very public displays of affection, and welcoming their only son, things didn’t end on the best of notes, after Liam was rumored to be immature and a deadbeat daddy, which ultimately led to the demise of their promising relationship. The singer himself said in his 2019 documentary, that fatherhood was “a difficult thing”, and began dating Maya after “waiting several months out of respect for Cheryl”, as well as celebrating his newfound singledom with a not-so-discreet fling with the supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Maya, who’s been enjoying a lot of girls’ nights out since Liam was caught gallivanting with another woman, has yet to say anything else about her ex-fiancé. Meanwhile, the musician is promoting his fascinating new projects, including a credit card made out of 75% recycled plastic.
Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers
As a couple, Shailene and Aaron were perfect on paper: a gorgeous, critically acclaimed actress and a handsome NFL player worth a cool $200 million. Sadly, the rumors of homosexuality and cheating got to be too much for the lovers, who met in 2020, and began dating in February 2021 after a year of close friendship.
Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley have reportedly called off their engagement. https://t.co/MLgdJ5asEb
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 16, 2022
The former lovebirds called off their engagement in February 2022, with a source in the know claiming that they had a hard time seeing each other, with “busy careers in different industries”. Their short and sweet reunion – emphasis on short – to work things out reportedly turned sour when the “Divergent” star saw that Aaron was stuck in his ways, and nothing would change in the relationship dynamic, thus marking their second and possibly final breakup in April.
Aaron is currently said to be dating the actress and model Eiza Gonzalez. His former flames include Olivia Munn, and he was also rumored to be in a relationship with his personal assistant Kevin Lanflisi, who posted photos of himself wearing Aaron’s Super Bowl ring, and attending red carpet events with the hunky quarterback. As for Shailene, she’s keeping her love life discreet, and focusing on work for the time being.
Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard
Known for being A$AP Rocky’s ex-boo, and one of the best-paid models of the early 2010s, Chanel met the NFL star Sterling Shepard at Victor Cruz’s birthday party in 2016. From romantic magazine covers to gushing interviews and an engagement proposal all within a year of dating, the sky was the limit as they became Instagram’s favorite couples.
Chanel Iman’s new man >>>>> pic.twitter.com/czkJgMKz23
— mya abraham. (@myabriabe) April 18, 2022
The pair said “I do” at a stunning wedding ceremony in LA’S Beverly Hills Hotel just months later, with famous faces such as Jourdan Dunn and Odell Beckham present. They wasted no time in expanding the family with the births of Cali and Cassie, who were welcomed to the world in August 2018 and December 2019.
All seemed well between the two, despite Sterling raising eyebrows after comparing Chanel to his mother in an interview, but the first divorce rumors began making their rounds online just months later, when Chanel deleted all photos of him off her Instagram page, and was seen out and about sans wedding ring. It has since been confirmed that Sterling filed for divorce in June 2021, with the official announcement coming seven months later.
Billie Eilish and Matthew Tyler Vorce
After almost a year of dating publicly, the lesser-known thespian and writer Matthew Tyler Vorce confirmed that he and musical powerhouse Billie Eilish had broken up. “Nobody cheated on anyone,” he posted on Instagram, quelling the rumors of infidelities on his end. “Relationships end. Creating rumors and LYING on the internet is dangerous.”
📸 | Billie Eilish pictured with Matthew Tyler Vorce recently. pic.twitter.com/nRbUH1Aj7R
— I🕊 (@Bilmiguee) April 19, 2021
Just a month before the split, Billie and Matthew were spotted cuddling on a coffee date, which is why the news has come as such as shock. The popstar first hinted at the relationship in her Apple TV+ documentary “The World Was a Little Blurry”, when she and Matthew spoke on FaceTime after she won five Grammy awards.
Some fans of the “Bad Guy” hitmaker who have never been fond of Matthew, argue that the relationship was doomed to fail from the very beginning. The obvious age gap – Matthew’s age is listed at 29 by his agency, while Billie just turned 20 a few months ago – and the difference in their bank accounts were what caused the vitriol and skepticism, with Billie’s more vocal followers claiming that she was being used by the actor for 15 minutes of fame.
Although the official reason given for now is that Billie’s hectic work schedule left no time for a relationship, Matthew is still getting bombarded with hate mail, and has lashed out at the singer’s fanbase for their “heinous” comments. Meanwhile, Billie is booked and busy with numerous events lined up, while also juggling the promotion of her fragrance, book, and merchandise.
Shakira and Gerard Piqué
The most recent and perhaps most heartbreaking split of all, Shakira and Gerard officially called things off in June 2022, after the Colombian superstar was reportedly hospitalized following an anxiety attack – which allegedly stemmed from the Barcelona player’s affairs. Although the singer’s PR team worked overtime to change the narrative, the damage was done, with the couple releasing a statement less than two days later.
Addressing the rumors with a brief but impactful message that devastated millions, the superstars said: “We regret to confirm that we are separating. For our children, who are our top priority, we ask for respect for privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
On the other side of the coin, critics would say that “how you get them is how you lose them”, given that both celebs were in committed long-term relationships when they met in 2010, while Shakira filmed the music video for “Waka Waka”, her iconic FIFA World Cup anthem. Although they didn’t confirm their relationship until May 2011, Gerard later confessed in an interview that their love story began while both were in South Africa, and he wrote to her to ask about the weather.
In September 2012, the pop star confirmed her pregnancy with a sweet snap and the caption: “I could have another 9 months like this!”, thus marking a new chapter and solidifying their union. Despite welcoming their first son, Milan, a few months later, the beautiful blonde publicly confirmed over the years that she had no intentions of walking down the aisle, because she wanted to “keep him on his toes”.
2018 was a rocky year for both, with Shakira being hit with tax evasion charges and rumors of a crisis, but the couple privately worked things out – until now.
