20 celebrity breakups that shocked the world

The fact that Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were getting a divorce wasn’t shocking to anyone. Viewers of Keeping Up with the Kardashians could clearly see the red flags. But what was shocking was how quickly the news came. The two split after a notorious 72 days. 

Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus’ split was shockingly sad. The two were a dream couple to anyone who watched The Last Song and everyone who grew up watching Hannah Montana. It’s still a sad divorce to reflect on. 

Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa had been together for nearly two decades when they announced they were breaking up. Anytime there’s kids involved, it only compounds the sadness. 

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston seemed like the perfect couple — both ridiculously good-looking, famous, and successful. Then they split and the world learns that Pitt cheated? It was a dark time in pop culture history. 

Brad Pitt’s second divorce was perhaps just as shocking and infinitely more sad. Pitt and Angelina Jolie had multiple children together and seemingly adored one another, but there was a lot more going on behind the scenes — and we’re not talking about a movie set — than anyone knew. 

Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow’s divorce would’ve been much less shocking if they had treated it like regular people. But instead, they famously popularized the phrase “conscious uncoupling” and received no mercy from the press or social media. 

Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter should’ve been together forever. They were married for over a decade, which is about 100 years in Hollywood time, and they were made for each other. Who else is as wonderfully kooky as either of them?

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s split came with loads of shocking and upsetting aftermath. The two remained supportive of each other, leading everyone to wonder why they divorced in the first place. Affleck revealed his insane back tattoo. It was a challenging time for everyone. 

While it’s not uncommon for actors to get divorced, governors typically don’t, which made Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s divorce so shocking. His political position also made the coverage that much more intense. 

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens's breakup ended many people’s childhoods. The shock of the news forced lots of Disney fans to reckon with the fact that the people you date when you’re a teenager usually aren’t the ones you end up with forever. 

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson were one of the first couples in a long case study of the strain that reality television can have on a marriage. Nevertheless, they’re still one of the most iconic reality couples of all time. 

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates’ divorce seemed quite unnecessary to the general public. After all those years, why not just stay together? But the divorce inspired the TV show Loot, and for that, we should all be grateful. 

Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus are another good example of a couple who had seemingly been together so long that they weren’t ever going to split up. But apparently, the total time spent together doesn’t cover every marital issue. 

How could Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner have gotten a divorce? He wrote a song about her! This couple seemed so in love, and while the split was most certainly more painful for the parties actually involved, it came with some residual sadness for their fans. 

Forget a song. Taylor Swift wrote an entire album about being in love with Joe Alwyn. It seemed like these two were in it for the long haul. But alas, they weren’t meant to be, and with their surprising breakup came a whole slew of new music for Swifties. 

Maybe Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara were just too good looking to be together. Their relationship just couldn’t handle so much hotness. Let it be a lesson to all the hot people in the world. 

Chris Pratt and Anna Faris seemed so good together. Funny, charming, and good-looking, the couple couldn’t have been written better. But after eight years of marriage, they called it quits, much to the surprise of their many adoring fans. 

Despite only having been married for five years, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ divorce came as quite the shock to the nation. The man jumped on a couch on national television for Holmes for goodness sake. Apparently that just wasn’t enough. 

Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s split was sad and surprising, but they’ve shown grace as exes. They’ve been a shining example of how to remain a blended family post-divorce. 

How can two people who dance so well together not make their relationship work? And why are celebrity breakups infinitely more upsetting when the couple met on the set of a movie?