20 Celebrity Couples Who Got Divorced After Being On Reality TV – Reality TV Couples That Ended in Divorce
Is reality TV the bane of lasting marriages? These celebrities might say so. For reasons spanning from infidelity to irresponsible spending, these couples have decided to call it quits on their marriage – sometimes after decades of being together! These divorces came swiftly after the couples invited reality TV cameras into their private lives, but the reasons behind divorce didn't always play out on screen.
It Was One Thing After Another For Tarek And Christina El Moussa
Flip or Flop'sTarek and Christina El Moussa were happily married for four years before their show premiered on HGTV in 2013. Flip or Flopbecame a huge success, but from there the El Moussa's troubles began.
Tarek was diagnosed with thyroid and testicular cancers. While undergoing chemo, Christina was trying to get pregnant via in vitro fertilization but ended up miscarrying. By the time they did have their second child and Tarek was healthy again, tensions were so high that they ended up divorcing in 2017. Despite the split, they continue to do the show and work together to support their kids.
Kris Jenner Pushed Bruce Away and Into a New Life
Kris and Bruce Jenner filed for divorce in 2014 after 23 years of marriage. Citing irreconcilable differences, it was clear that a huge factor leading up to it was the family's showKeeping Up with the Kardashians.
Sources close to the couple say that Kris became a new person when E!cameras entered their lives. As the family's fame progressed, Bruce receded further into the background. After their divorce, the former Olympian admitted he was transgender and quietly transitioned, reemerging as Caitlyn. Though amicable after initially splitting, Caitlyn's revelation took its toll on Kris, causing tension to rise between the pair again.
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson Knew It Never Should Have Happened
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson might have ruined a good thing too quickly. After marrying in 2002, the pop stars subsequently starred on MTV's Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.
Lachey once told Rolling Stone, "Jessica and I began playing these parts even when we were by ourselves. It became a really blurred line. There was a question about what truly was our reality." In addition to that, rising tensions over money, popularity, and priorities caused Simpson to announce that she wanted a divorce in 2005. The two have left the drama in the past and have moved on with their lives.
Jon and Kate Gosselin Let Everything Unravel In The Public Eye
Jon and Kate Gosselin were a national spectacle when their lives raising twins and sextuplets were broadcast on reality television in 2007. But raising such a big family in the spotlight didn't go over well for the couple, who would end up separating just two years later.
The highly publicized split was escalated by Jon's partying ways and Kate's dive into the reality TV fame. Their separation was even addressed on the show and later, the name was changed to just Kate Plus 8. They've asserted that the show wasn't the reason for the split and it was clear that their differing personalities were the real causes.
Bobby Brown's Show Put Whitney Houston In a Bad Light
Whitney Houston married Bobby Brown in 1992 and 13 years later, people got a rare glimpse of the "real" Whitney Houston when Being Bobby Brownwas picked up by Bravo. The show was nationally known as a train wreck and ultimately fast-tracked the couple to their 2007 divorce.
Brown has said that he convinced producers that Houston would appear on the show. For her part, Houston would later tell Oprah that she only did the show because she was Brown's wife. The show did not return for a second season and by then, Brown and Houston were reportedly fighting all the time.
Real Housewives Was The Tipping Point For Kelsey And Camille Grammer
Kelsey and Camille Grammer married in 1997, during which Grammer later told Oprah was a dark time in his life, having to deal with a drug addiction. He said, "It was pretty much over as soon as it began" – despite the fact that the marriage lasted for 13 years.
In 2010, Camille appeared on the first season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsand had the most well-known spouse on the show. But it was clear that their marriage was on the rocks and they were divorced by the end of the season. Kelsey claimed that she only married him for fame, while Camille alleged that he was abusive.
Hulk and Linda Hogan Knew What Was Best For Their Marriage
Hogan Knows Best seemed to primarily be a vehicle to promote Brooke Hogan's singing career, but the world saw much more than that. It went on for four seasons until filming stopped in 2007 when producers were unsure about the fate of Hulk and Linda Hogan's marriage.
That year, Linda filed for divorce after 24 years of marriage and many believe it was Hulk's alleged affair with Brooke's former friend. Apparently Lina claims that her ex-husband has been unfaithful for years and that at some point things got a little abusive.
Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy After Ever After
Bethenny Frankel was a fan favorite off of The Real Housewives of New York, so when she finally found love with pharmaceutical sales executive Jason Hoppy people were quite pleased. But the relationship made its way onto television with Bethenny Getting Marriedand later Bethenny Ever After.
The tensions between Frankel and Hoppy were clear on the show and they ended up filing for divorce by 2013. The split was followed by a bitter custody battle over their daughter, Bryn, which would last for years. Their divorce was finalized in 2016, but the following year, Frankel sued Hoppy for full custody.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline Were Indeed Chaotic
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline got married in 2004. There was huge media speculation surrounding their relationship leading up to that since Federline was her backup dancer and at the time he'd just broken up with actress Shar Jackson who was pregnant with their second child.
Still, amid their sudden marriage, UPN broadcastBritney & Kevin: Chaoticwhich was comprised of home movies that showed their relationship. But the show was a huge failure and after two kids, Spears filed for divorce in 2006. The tumultuous split lent itself to Spears' infamous downward spiral in 2007.
Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro Couldn't Be Real With Cameras Around
Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra documented the road to their marriage with 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Davein 2004. Unfortunately, the couple wouldn't last through 2007 when they amicably divorced.
Electra has reportedly laughed off claims that their divorce came as a result of a "reality TV curse," but the couple did say that while the show tried to capture the real parts of their relationship, it was hard to be real with a whole camera crew following you around. Either way, Electra and Navarro remained friendly following the split and have continued to support each other.
Clint Eastwood Was Upset That Dina Put Them On TV
Former television news anchor Dina Ruiz was the second woman ever that Clint Eastwood felt compelled to marry, despite numerous long-term partnerships. The pair wed in 1996 and were happily married for almost 20 years until E!cameras invaded Eastwood's coveted privacy.
Mrs. Eastwood & Companypremiered in 2012 and primarily followed Dina and Clint's youngest daughters Francesca and Morgan. Eastwood reportedly hated that Dina put their lives out there and mid-way through the first season their marriage was already on the rocks. They began living separately for some time before their divorce was finalized in 2014.
Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler Were Always Fighting
Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler married in 2004 and subsequently had two children in the years that followed. In 2005, they invited MTV cameras into their family with the show Meet the Barkers.
However, the only thing the cameras captured was Barker and Moakler's on-and-off relationship. After two seasons, Barker filed for divorce in 2006. Moakler even threw a "divorce party" for them. The couple went back and forth between being together and not, but ultimately they would officially call it quits by 2009. It was a long time coming, but it wasn't until 2016 that the couple became friendly again.
Luann De Lesseps Didn't Reveal This When RHONYStarted
When The Real Housewives of New York Citypremiered in 2008, one of its principal cast members, Luann, presented herself as one of the classiest women on the show.
She was known as Countess Luann de Lesseps, since at the time she was married to Count Alexandre de Lesseps. They married in 1993 and had two children together. By the time she started Real Housewives, however, very few people were aware that her marriage was crumbling. By 2009, they divorced after the Count told her he had fallen in love with someone else.
Porsha And Kordell Stewart Didn't Last One Season
The Real Housewives of Atlanta'sPorsha Williams began dating former NFL quarterback Kordell Stewart after they met in 2009. The couple married in 2011 and their lavish wedding was featured on WE TV's Platinum Weddings. The following year, Williams joined the cast of Real Housewives.
It seemed that the Stewart marriage wouldn't make it past one season since Kordell filed for divorce in 2013. To add insult to injury, Porsha found out about it through Twitter. Apparently, the NFL star wasn't pleased with the way Porsha changed because of the Bravo cameras in their house and decided to split as the best decision for his family.
Ramona Didn't See This Coming When She Was Busy With RHONY
When The Real Housewives of New Yorkpremiered in 2008, cast member Ramona Singer seemed to have the perfect marriage. As her fellow cast mates struggled with their respective relationship problems, Singer was the one who basked in the delight of her lasting 22-year marriage.
It all came crashing down, however, in 2014 when Singer filed for divorce from her husband Mario. The news came on the heels of rumors that Mario was involved in an affair. Singer reportedly caught Mario at their Hampton's home with his mistress and read in the New York Postthat he had gotten her pregnant!
Vicki Gunvalson Regretted Divorcing Donn
Vicki Gunvalson is a mainstay on The Real Housewives of Orange County. At the show's start in 2006, Gunvalson was happily married to her husband Donn, whom she married in 1994. The marriage seemed to be fine for much of her time on the show, but by seasons eight and nine, the damage was already done.
Vicki and Donn divorced in 2014 and she subsequently got in a relationship with Brooks Ayers. Later seasons of Real Housewivessaw Ayers getting accused of faking a cancer diagnosis. The drama apparently caused Vicki to lament her divorce, with her telling Andy Cohen that she regrets splitting up with Donn.
Tamra and Simon Let It All Unravel In Orange County
When Tamra Judge joined The Real Housewives of Orange Countyin season three, she was then known as Tamra Barney. She was married to Simon Barney for almost ten years and had three kids with him.
However, over the next three seasons, viewers watched their marriage deteriorate into an ugly divorce. While Tamra claimed that Simon was "controlling and evil," he would claim that she was "abusive and disloyal." Either way, it was enough for both of them to call quits on their marriage in 2011. Things got so bad, that even Tamra's children are estranged from her.
Yolanda Hadid and David Foster Shocked Everyone With Their Divorce
Former model Yolanda Hadid married music producer David Foster in 2011, just before she joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsfor season three in 2012. Three years later, the couple filed for divorce.
Apparently, the announcement of their split came as a shock to pretty much everyone. Foster made a handful of appearances on the show and everything seemed fine. But there was reportedly things underneath the surface that caused the split. One major factor was the fact that Foster's job caused him to be away a lot, which didn't seem very supportive while Hadid was going through her Lyme disease diagnosis.
Lynne Curtin Had To Leave After Getting Embarrassed On TV
When Lynne Curtin joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange Countyin season four, she and then-husband Frank Curtin were privy to spending money. But their spending got so bad that eventually Lynne was served an eviction notice on camera.
The announcement of their split came in 2012 after 22 years of marriage. After news of her divorce filing was made public, Frank reportedly remained silent. Gossip sites reported in 2018 that the divorce was thrown out and that the couple are still technically married, due to Frank's unwillingness to cooperate.
Cynthia Bailey Decided She Had More Important Priorities
Cynthia Bailey joined season three of The Real Housewives of Atlantain 2010. Much of her plot line on the show revolved around her engagement, wedding, and marriage to Atlanta club owner Peter Thomas.
Throughout her time on the show, however, she had to deal with naysayers who didn't agree with her relationship, along with Thomas's shady financial dealings. Regardless, Bailey and Thomas would end up separating and filing for divorce in 2016. While Bailey acknowledges everyone's doubts regarding the marriage, she ultimately said that the divorce happened because her daughter was more of a priority than Thomas.
