Celebrity couples who broke up in 2021 – from JLo and ARod to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
NOT ALL good things can last, and 2021 certainly proved that with some of our favorite Hollywood couples.
From the Kardashians to the housewives and beyond, here is a breakdown of the hardest-hitting celebrity breakups of the year.
KENYA MOORE AND MARC DALY
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore and husband of four years Marc Daly broke up for good in January.
The pair previously separated in 2019, but were able to overcome their differences.
In a statement to , Marc said: “After recently attending mediation, Kenya and I have agreed to end our marriage.
“I will always have great care for her and look forward to amicably continuing to co-parent our daughter Brooklyn with an abundance of love and wisdom.”
KIM KARDASHIAN AND KANYE WEST
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West always showed a strong facade despite facing many ups and downs together like pregnancy complications, a very public feud with Taylor Swift, Kim being robbed at gunpoint in Paris, and constant rumors about the status of their relationship.
After a controversial summer in 2020 – which saw Kanye announce his bid for presidency and claim Kim discussed aborting her first pregnancy – the doubters of their relationship only became louder.
Then, in February, Kim filed for divorce from her husband of seven years, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
The divorce has seemingly gone over well, with both sides agreeing to joint custody over their children and not needing spousal support.
However, Kanye has made several public pleas to Kim in an attempt to save their marriage.
Kim has made it clear the marriage is over, though, as she asked the courts to declare her "legally single" in December amid her romance with Pete Davidson and moved to restore her maiden name.
TINSLEY MORTIMER AND SCOTT KLUTH
According to insiders close to , Scott had tried ending the relationship several times, but Tinsley refused to accept it.
“Her perception of when they broke up is clearly different from Scott’s, but Scott communicated to her that they were broken up months ago,” the source said at the time.
In a confirmation to , Scott stated: “After fourteen months of engagement, Tinsley and I have ended our relationship, and we have been living independently for the last few months.
"We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects.
“We wish the best for each other and one another's children."
They added: “Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have is to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support."
The couple was previously planning on getting married, but their wedding was twice postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The split seemed to be clean and Jennifer quickly and famously moved on to former fiancé Ben Affleck.
BILL AND MELINDA GATES
In a turn of events that very few – if any – saw coming, the charitable Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and wife Melinda Gates separated after 27 years of marriage.
"We have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.
"We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
They announced their split in May and the divorce was finalized by August.
KATIE HOLMES AND EMILIO VITOLO
Katie Holmes and chef Emilio Vitolo sparked romance rumors in September 2020 and went on to enjoy each other’s time until May of the following year.
It marked Katie’s first serious relationship since her split from Jamie Foxx in 2019.
“They figured out they’re better off as friends.
“There’s no drama that went down with the breakup and in fact, they’re still friends.”
The insider added: “She’s focusing on being a mom and her upcoming projects.”
KHLOE KARDASHIAN AND TRISTAN THOMPSON
The tumultuous relationship between Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson reportedly came to a halt in June after they worked hard to build a seemingly supportive and positive relationship.
Just days after spending Father’s Day together, a source told Tristan and Khloe had separated.
"The ups and downs with Tristan were always very frustrating for Khloe.
"She has worked so hard to trust Tristan," the insider said.
The split came after Tristan was granted $52,000 in a libel lawsuit against Kimberly Alexander, a woman who claimed to have a child with him.
That storyline would reappear with another woman, Tristan’s former personal trainer Maralee Nichols, who claimed Tristan is the father of a baby boy she gave birth to on December 1.
Tristan has since admitted to hooking up wth Maralee for months – while supposedly in a relationship with Khloe – but the paternity has not been revealed as of this writing.
LA LA ANTHONY AND CARMELO ANTHONY
Media personality La La Anthony filed for divorce from Carmelo Anthony in June after 11 years of marriage and having a son, Kiyan, together.
While the news of the iconic duo splitting was a shock to many, La La said it was a long time coming and alluded to infidelity in the marriage.
“It’s been years now that we’ve separated, so I’ve dealt with the emotions behind it.”
She also gave insight into how she was dealing with the heartbreak: “I was bad because it was public.
“I was bad because there were other people involved.
“We are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently and are on great terms,” he said at the time of the news.
VICKI GUNVALSON AND STEVE LODGE
He pleaded no contest to four criminal harassment charges, resulting in a fine and a requirement to take anger management classes.
SCOTT DISICK AND AMELIA HAMLIN
Scott Disick started dating Amelia Hamlin in October 2020 two months after splitting from his girlfriend of three years, Sophia Richie.
While there was chatter about Scott and Amelia’s age difference (he is 18 years her senior) and blatant disapproval from Amelia’s mom, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna, the couple seemed to be happy.
However, their relationship ended almost a year after they began dating reportedly due to Scott’s relationship with ex and mother to his kids, Kourtney Kardashian.
Just days before the split, Kourtney’s ex, Younes Bendjima, shared screenshots of messages he claimed Scott sent him about Kourtney’s romance with Blink-182 drummer and now fiancé, Travis Barker.
“Yo is this chick ok!???? Broooo like what is this.
“In the middle of Italy,” Scott’s messages read along with a photo of Kourtney and Travis showing affection on a trip to Italy.
KATIE THURSTON AND BLAKE MOYNES
“We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently.”
Katie very quickly moved on with her former contestant John Hersey and seems smitten.
"I really don't think there was any physical cheating there, but there's clearly emotional for it to transition as quickly as it did," Blake theorized.
"I feel stupid and foolish for allowing it to happen, I guess to some degree.”
KODY BROWN AND CHRISTINE BROWN
Sister Wives’ Kody Brown and his third wife Christine Brown announced their divorce in November after 25 years of marriage.
“After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” Christine wrote in an post on November 2.
“We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family.
“At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family.”
Kodi, along with his other wives, refused.
Kodi released a following Christine, which said: “Christine's decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness.”
"We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her.
"Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents.”
The former couple shares one son and five daughters together.
CAMILA CABELLO AND SHAWN MENDES
Fans were shocked when Camilla Cabello and Shawn Mendes suddenly announced their separation in November after two years together.
They were certainly not afraid to show PDA on social media or in public throughout their relationship and were spotted together several times amid the pandemic looking nothing less than in love – but it seems as though the relationship simply ran its course.
In a joint statement to their respective Instagram Stories announcing their breakup, the popstars wrote:
"Hey guys, we've decided to end our romantic relationship, but our love for one another is stronger than ever.
There has been no public comment made about the split by Anthony, Jasmine, or their representatives.
COMMON AND TIFFANY HADDISH
Common and Tiffany Haddish broke up in November after more than a year of dating.
They originally met on the set of 2019’s The Kitchen, and Tiffany confirmed she was in a relationship with the rapper in August 2020.
Like so many other Hollywood romances, each party’s demanding careers got in the way, as they were both always on the go and not often in the same place at once.
"It really didn't allow for us to spend as much time and put as much energy into our relationship,” Common revealed in a December episode of
"We care about love too and partnership, but I think the energy that has been put into our careers and continuing to want to do the things that we do for ourselves and for people ... it was hard for me to balance all of that and keep the relationship fed."
TAYSHIA ADAMS AND ZAC CLARK
Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark met on Tayshia’s season of The Bachelorette, where they got engaged in the final rose ceremony in 2020.
The couple had been open about how difficult it can be to nourish a relationship between two people with such different obligations, as Tayshia traveled frequently for her Bachelor franchise gigs and other media jobs, while Zac is an addiction specialist with his own recovery clinic located in New Jersey.
News of their split came shortly after the pair ran the New York City Marathon together in early November.
A source told in December their split had nothing to do with serious issues between the two, but more with Tayshia’s demanding job and Zac’s lack of comfort with life in the spotlight.
On the Men Tell All episode of Michelle Young’s Bachelorette season, Tayshia opened up about the split and said she was “heartbroken” as she held back tears.
DUA LIPA AND ANWAR HADID
Superstar Dua Lipa and model Anwar Hadid broke up after two years of dating in late December.
According to an insider, they had been off and on quite a few times, and were discussing breaking up for good in November.
“The couple floated the idea about putting the brakes on their romance last month as traveling so much and being apart is proving tough,” the source told The Sun.
“Their relationship is going through a crisis and appears to be on the rocks.”
Weeks later, celebrity gossip site Deux Moi reported the couple had officially called it quits.
CHRISHELL STAUSE AND JASON OPPENHEIM
Selling Sunset stars Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim announced their romance in July with a series of loved-up photos from a group vacation in Italy.
Things seemed to be pretty solid, so it came as a surprise when they announced their split in December.
It turns out that the couple was not on the same page about having kids, which led to their demise.
In a note Chrishell shared to her Instagram page discussing the breakup, she wrote: “Jason was and is my best friend, and other than our ideas for family ultimately not being aligned, the amount of respect and love we have for each other will not change going forward.
“Men have the luxury of time that women don't and that's just the way it goes.
“All of that being said, navigating this public terrain is difficult and I am just trying my best.”
MEGHAN KING AND CUFFE BIDEN OWENS
Former The Real Housewives of Orange County star Meghan King announced her divorce from Cuffe Biden Owens, the nephew of President Joe Biden, on December 27.
“I've been asked by many outlets and individuals to comment on the state of my marriage,” Meghan wrote in an emotional post to her Instagram Story.
“I am rattled. This situation is profoundly devastating. This is obviously not what I imagined when I made my vows – and I'm shocked and saddened by the way things turned out.
“I am moving forward with my children as we privately process our pain and begin to let go of shattered dreams.”
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She continued: “At this time I ask for your grace and gentle kindness as I navigate this labyrinth of grief with my family.”
The two had been married for just two months.