What to expect from celebrity divorces in 2023: 4 ways high-profile break-ups have changed, from Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas’ public opinion battle to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s united front

Oct 30 , 2023

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, and Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are two of the many celebrity couples going through divorces this year. Photos: AFP, AP

Celeb marriages are having a tough year past the ‘summer of separation’, with splits including Britney Spears and Sam Asghari, Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez, and Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner

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Celebrity marriages are having a tough year.

Even as the “summer of separation” turned to autumn, break-ups among the rich and famous have yet to slow. More than two dozen high-profile figures have called their relationships quits in the last 10 months.

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth appear at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California, in February 2017. Photo: AP

Everyone from award-winning actors to bestselling pop stars are trading wedded bliss for divorce proceedings as they return to their prenuptial agreements. Reese Witherspoon and Sofía Vergara announced their respective divorces in the spring while Britney Spears and Ariana Grande ditched their dudes this summer.

While most famous couples are keen to release a half-hearted joint statement and hash out the divorce details in private, a few especially messy separations this year have signalled the arrival of a new normal for splitting celebrities – one that no longer follows the established rules of yesteryear – as they try to curry favour among fans and “win” the break-up.

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner split up this year. Photo: @kevincostnermodernwest/Instagram

Kevin Costner’s drawn-out divorce with long-time wife Christine Baumgartner drew media scrutiny this summer as the couple haggled over eye-popping financial details in court. Meanwhile, obsession over celebrity splits reached a social media fever pitch this fall as Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas battled it out in the court of public opinion following their divorce announcement.

“Celebrities are just like normal people when it comes to break-ups,” said Holly Davis, a high-net-worth family law lawyer based in Texas. “They’re often hurt and reactive and responsive.”

But in the social media age, as cultural attitudes toward gender roles and relationships are constantly evolving, the celebrity divorce playbook has been forced to adapt in real-time – and some are learning faster than others.