The Shortest Marriages of Hollywood… And Their Repercussions
Hollywood marriages are infamous for ending in divorce, so it's no shock when a famous couple breaks up. But these pairs go for broke, and split up so quickly that the wedding cake is still in the freezer. Read on to see why Bradley Cooper, Jim Carrey, Helen Hunt, and more had marriages that were over really fast.
A Gentle Giant Vegas Quickie
Another couple caught in the Vegas fly-trap: Carmen, the former Baywatch beauty, and Dennis (who claimed he was heavily intoxicated during the nuptials), the NBA star, were married for nine short days before filing for an annulment. Carmen was arrested for spousal battering, charges were dropped, and the divorce followed immediately after Carmen's mug shot made the news.
Carmen called Dennis a "gentle giant," and revealed on Oprah that their relationship was great when it was good, but terrible when it was bad. "It's too easy to get married in Vegas," Carmen told Oprah. "It's too convenient." They went their separate ways as friends.
A Match Made In Reality Hell
Another famous beauty and her NBA love, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries dated for less than a year before wedding each other in a televised spectacular which took place on a 20-million-dollar estate. The wedding and marriage were regarded by many as a sham to drum up publicity for the reality star's show, but both Kim and Kris insist that their love–and marriage–was real, if not misguided.
After a series of miserable days (72 to be exact) of marriage– days well documented on Kim's show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians–Kim filed for a divorce. The divorce was finalized in time for Kim to get engaged to, and marry, Kanye West.
Thankful For Divorce Court
When a stunning Playmate marries a famous country rocker, it's no surprise the shindig is, as one guest said, "..a real rock n' roll wedding." Married on a cruise ship in full party mode, the bride wore a sailor’s cap, the groom a circle beard and stunned expression. Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock ran into each other after being apart for years and were married weeks later.
Thanksgiving that same year, they went to the courthouse within an hour of each other to file for divorce. (Kid Rock got there first.) Unfortunately, it was a real rock n' roll divorce, as well.
Bachelor Party Faux Pas
This couple actually dated seriously for six years before making it official and marrying near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in 2004. After model and actress Ali Landry was given an incriminating photo (brought to her by her sister) of her brand-new husband with another woman, Ali confronted Mario.
He had to admit that his bachelor party had gotten way out of hand, and he had been indiscreet. Mario spilled the beans in his memoir Just Between Us that though Ali looked "good on paper" he wasn't really in love with her. Ali Landry filed for divorce after two weeks of marriage.
Nothing Nice To Say About A Cheater
Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray acted together on the teen soap One Tree Hill, fell in love, and married seaside in Santa Monica, California, in 2005. Unfortunately, just like their characters on the show, the couple wasn't meant to be. As rumors of Chad's infidelity peaked (he was rumored to have cheated with Paris Hilton) Sophia filed for annulment on the basis of fraud, which was denied, and their divorce was final in 2006.
Their marriage lasted five months. When asked if she still talks to her ex-husband, Sophia replied, "My mother once said to me that if you don't have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all."
Engagement Ring Overboard
The daughter of Elvis, Lisa Marie Presley, and the famous actor, Nick Cage, had a hint of things to come before they were ever married, and it didn’t look so good. During a trip on Nick's yacht in July, Lisa threw her $65,000 engagement ring overboard. Yikes.
They recovered from whatever that impasse was and married the next month in Hawaii, Lisa Marie looking beautiful in a classic white gown. But only 102 days later, Nick Cage filed for divorce. The two stars didn't have enough in common to make it work, and according to Cage, they never should have married in the first place.
Pretending To Be Normal
Actress Elisabeth Moss played a ballsy woman on her breakout role in Mad Men, and threw no punches in her personal life either, after the break-up of her ill-fated marriage to SNL funnyman and actor Fred Armisen. Elisabeth was quoted as saying that Fred had to pretend to be a normal person, and in a feature profile in New York Magazine, revealed that their marriage was "traumatizing."
At least, she reasoned, they didn't have kids. Fred responded "yes, there's that" when Howard Stern questioned him about having difficulty with monogamy. Fred’s response was quite telling about what apparently ruined the marriage.
Dancers Couldn’t Make It Work
Actress, dancer and singer J-Lo met Cris Judd when he worked as a backup dancer in the music video for "Love Don't Cost a Thing." Cris–a professional choreographer and dancer–danced Jennifer right down the aisle, and they were married only a few months after meeting. The timing might not have been the best, as Jennifer had just broken off her engagement with producer and rapper Sean Combs.
After seven months, the couple waved the white flag, and filed for divorce. There is no bad blood between the two, with Jen calling Cris a "great guy" and Cris telling People magazine that Jen still "looks fantastic" but that the marriage "just didn't work out."
Master Manipulator
Actor Bradley Cooper and Blue Bloods star Jennifer Esposito married in December 2006 in the south of France, and four months later, Jennifer filed for divorce. The couple had dated for a year before becoming engaged, and after a brief two-month engagement, married. In 2014 and Jennifer released a memoir, Jennifer's Way in which she minced no words about her ex.
She claimed she didn't find him very attractive, but that he was funny, cocky and arrogant, enjoyable to be around sometimes, and the relationship felt familiar to her. She called him a "master manipulator" which made the tabloids.
Two Weirdos That Couldn’t Make It Work
Drew Barrymore, the famous actress, and Tom Green, the semi-famous comedian, didn't take marriage too seriously. They originally planned to marry on Saturday Night Live, and the skit was set. Tom asked Drew to marry him on stage at the opening of the show, and Drew said yes. Drew is known for her flower-child ways and Tom is known for being kind of a weirdo, so it strangely seemed to fit.
By the end of the show, Drew pulled out, chagrined over the idea of marrying on air. After being engaged for a year, they eventually eloped in the South Pacific in March of 2001. Tom Green filed for divorce after less than a year of marriage, saying he "wished it could have worked out."
Cage Finishes In Four Days
Four days. That's how long Nicolas Cage's latest marriage lasted with actress Erika Koike. The two wed in Las Vegas on March 23, but Cage filed for annulment four days later.
The court documents claim that he "lacked understanding of his actions in marrying [Koike] to the extent that he was incapable of agreeing to the marriage." The 34-year-old Koike asked for spousal support, but its unclear if she will receive it based on their divorce settlement.
Divorce Through Text
The wedding between singer Katy Perry and comedian and actor Russell Brand was epic, even by Hollywood standards: set in India, the stars flew in their families and friends to join them in a Hindu wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, the magic didn't last. Katy was on tour when Russell infamously texted her that he wanted a divorce; the aftermath of this is caught on camera during the filming of Katy's documentary, Part of Me.
Russell later released a documentary of his own, in which he stated that he knew he might have to leave Katy in order to be happy. After a trip to Africa in which he witnessed terrible poverty, he came home realizing that a pop-star lifestyle was "vapid" and not for him. The couple were married for just over a year.
Hair Metal Heartbreak
Axl Rose, lead singer of the famous '80s rock band Guns and Roses, was infamous for troubled relationships with women, and his union with Erin Everly, the daughter of one of the Everly Brothers, was no different.
Although Axl wrote the rock ballad "Sweet Child of Mine" for Erin, their relationship was abusive and at least occasionally violent. After dating off and on for four years, they married in 1990, and Axl filed for divorce four months later.
Bad-Tempered Comedian?
Eddie Murphy, famous SNL alumni and actor, married producer Tracey Edmonds at a sunset ceremony, New Year’s Day 2008, on a private island off Bora Bora in French Polynesia. But only two weeks later, they were publicly calling it off. Tracey's ex, singer Babyface, later said that even he didn't think it was a good idea, but it was "up to Tracey."
During the honeymoon, Tracey was reportedly embarrassed when Eddie repeatedly raised his voice and yelled at her in public. By the time they came back home, they were glad their marriage wasn't a legal union and called it off.
Sad Sunshine Split
SNL sketch artist and comedian Chris Kattan dated model Sunshine Tutt after meeting her at a birthday party. That same year, they were married in June in Yosemite Valley, California. They separated in August, citing the usual "irreconcilable differences" in the court documents. Chris had formally blogged on his website that “She makes me very happy. It feels real and honest and I have more of a continuous smile than I have ever had before.”
Sunshine's grandmother was later quoted as saying she thought they were good together, even though she "never understood what she (Sunshine) saw in him, but that didn't matter to us." Nice one, grandma.
Handcuffing Hippie Divorce?
One of the strangest, shortest marriages ever in the annals of Hollywood belongs to Dennis Hopper, the movie star, and singer Michelle Phillips (of the group The Mamas and Papas). In 1970, Dennis lived in Taos, living a very hippie, radical lifestyle that involved a lot of debaucheries. Michelle happened to visit, and she and Dennis made an impulsive decision to marry.
They were married for eight days, and Michelle cited Dennis' "unnatural demands" in the paperwork. There were rumors that Dennis had handcuffed Michelle in an attempt to keep her from leaving.
Pop Star Annulment
The famous Brit-Brit and not famous at all Jason were married for a whopping 55 hours which has to be some kind of a record. Britney married her old friend in an impulsive Las Vegas wedding, wearing a white baseball hat and blue jeans, after a few drinks. After her horrified family found out, the marriage was annulled.
The main concern was the lack of any prenup, with Britney being a millionaire. Britney calls the marriage a "joke that went too far." Not sure if Jason thinks it's funny; he now says of the whole experience, "Don't be a nice guy, nice guys finish last."
Material Girl + Spicoli = Disaster
They met on the set of Madonna's "Material Girl" video and fell madly in love. Sean, the young and volatile actor, and Madonna, the almost as young (she was two years older) and passionate singer, made a couple that the tabloids loved. They married in Malibu, and the priest thought they seemed very much in love. Their marriage lasted four years, during which Sean Penn had many public, violent outbursts, mostly toward paparazzi, but once toward a man bussing the table that Madonna sat at in a club, who Sean attacked, unprovoked.
Much later, Madonna addressed long-standing rumors about Sean's violence during their marriage, stating, "Sean has never struck me, ‘tied me up,’ or physically assaulted me, and any report to the contrary is completely outrageous, malicious, reckless, and false.”
Jennifer Garner Was Married Before Ben Affleck
Most probably remember Jennifer Garner's marriage to Ben Affleck, but she was actually married to someone else beforehand.
She met Scott Foley on the set of Felicity and started dating soon after. They married in 2000, but after less than three years of dating the pair called it quits. Their divorce records cited "irreconcilable differences."
Vial Of Blood Departure
The marriage of the two movie stars, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thorton, had strange elements that were tabloid sensations at the time. Angelina and Billy Bob were married in a quickie ceremony in Las Vegas; Angelina already had Billy's name tattooed on her arm. After the wedding, Angelina wore a vial of what was supposedly Billy Bob's blood around her neck.
Billy Bob left his fiancee, actress Laura Dern for Angelina. After three years, Billy and Angelina were getting divorced. Billy Bob later claimed the divorce was due to him never feeling good enough to be married to Angelina, while others believed it was the result of Angelina adopting Maddox, the boy that Brad Pitt later adopted as his son.
She Dodged A Bullet
"She's an angel sent from heaven to take me through the rest of my journey," said actor Charlie Sheen of model Donna Peele. They were married on Charlie's birthday in 1995 after Charlie bizarrely announced his engagement while on the stand at Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss' tax-evasion criminal trial. Charlie was also famously named one of Heidi Fleiss’ famous clients.
Donna was Charlie's first wife, of three. They married after only knowing each other for six weeks and were married for five months. Charlie Sheen said of the divorce, "You buy a bad car, it breaks down." Yikes.
Music Legends' Substance Nightmare
Cher, of Sonny and Cher fame, wed Gregg Allman days after her divorce from Sonny Bono was finalized breaking the hearts of everyone who loved the song “I Got You, Babe.” It turns out that Cher didn’t know Gregg half as well as she had known Sonny because just days into her marriage the ebony-haired singer called it quits.
Nine days after their marriage, Cher filed for divorce, claiming she had just discovered that her new husband had a huge substance problem. Whether or not she truly had not known about this problem ahead of time, this is proof that you should always get to know your prospective spouse before taking the plunge.
Golden Age Quickie
Ethel Merman was a staple of the golden age of Hollywood, famous for starring in musical films that featured her booming voice. The singing sensation tied the knot with her beau, actor Ernest Borgnine, back in 1964. Celebrity couples had marriage problems even back in the good old days of Hollywood; this was Ethel’s fifth marriage and Ernest’s sixth.
The marriage did not turn out to be the happily ever after Ethel and Ernest had hoped for. Just 32 days after getting married, the pair filed for a divorce, leaving Borgnine with half a dozen failed marriages under his belt.
Wild Child’s Psychic Wedding
Drew Barrymore was no stranger to short-lived marriages. Before she married Tom Green, a young Drew was in love with a man 13 years her senior. Still in her teens, Drew married Jeremy Thomas, a 32-year-old Los Angeles bar owner from Wales. The pair had only known each other for six weeks.
Their marriage did not last much longer than their courtship. Drew was only 19 at the time. The wedding was officiated by a minister/psychic/private investigator who the pair found through a 24-hour wedding hotline — not a good omen for a lasting marriage. They filed for divorce after just 39 days.
The Baywatch Beauty And The Video Star
Leave it to Pamela Anderson to have multiple failed marriages. The Baywatch actress married Rick Salomon, AKA the guy who co-starred in Paris Hilton’s infamous bedroom tape, in October of 2007. The wedding, much like the marriage, was a quick one. The pair wed in Las Vegas during a short break Pamela had from a show she was filming. This marriage lasted for less than ten weeks.
Just a couple of months after their Las Vegas elopement, Pamela filed for divorce. Her reason? “Irreconcilable differences.” It seems that there is something about marriage that helps people who are incompatible realize they cannot work out!
Naïve Starlet And The Hotel Magnate
Paris Hilton is not the only Hilton to be found in a scandal. Her grandfather, Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, married film star and timeless icon Elizabeth Taylor when the then-starlet was only 18 years old. Their marriage was lavish, as is only befitting of a famous actress and a hotel magnate. The marriage lasted less than a year, with three months spent touring Europe on an extended honeymoon.
During the divorce proceedings, young Liz blamed everything on Nicky, saying he had been verbally abusive, though she later stated that she had just been “very naive.” She would go on to get married seven more times.
Celebutante Oops
Fortunately, Elizabeth Taylor’s ex, Conrad Hilton, found love again. Decades later, his granddaughter, Nicky Hilton, would enter a short-lived marriage of her very own. The celebutante married her boyfriend, Todd Andrew Meister, in August of 2004. The businessman must have not offered her a good enough deal, because they filed for annulment just a few short months later.
The younger Hilton sister got married in Las Vegas, but, like her grandfather and namesake, was not so good at the whole marriage thing. The short-lived union ended just three months later when the couple filed for an annulment in November. Nicky has since remarried, into another famous family, The Rothschild family, and now has a baby daughter named Lily.
Hollywood Bad Boy’s Young Bride
Amelia Warner began dating Colin Farrell when she was just 18. Rumors started circulating that the pair were actually married. The two did have a romantic beach ceremony in Tahiti, although Colin later went on record as saying that the marriage was an elaborate pantomime rather than an actual legal wedding. Whether or not the marriage was legal, they did go through a ceremony in which they committed themselves to each other.
Despite the romantic sentiment, the relationship did not last. Just six months after the sham (or real, depending on what you believe) wedding, the pair called it quits. Amelia went on to marry 50 Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan.
Dumb and Dumber Divorce
Funnyman Jim Carrey had a short-lived marriage to American-Canadian actress Lauren Holly. The two starred together in the comedy film Dumb and Dumber and got along so well that they decided to get married. The marriage, however, did not last very long. The pair were married on September 23, 1996. Less than a year later, the couple entered divorce proceedings in July 1997.
A couple of years after that, Jim Carrey entered another romance with a co-star, briefly becoming engaged to Renée Zellweger with whom he starred in Me, Myself and Irene. He seems to have gotten cold feet following his marriage to Lauren, however, as he has not gotten married again.
From One Year To 24 Hours
Actress and model Robin Givens has more than one brief marriage in her background. She previously was wed to boxer Mike Tyson, a marriage that lasted only one year. She would later go on to marry her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinkovic. A marriage that lasts only a year is pretty bad, but Robin’s marriage with Svetozar only lasted a day!
She left him just 24 hours after getting hitched, although she waited a few months to formally file for divorce. Definitely not a good track record. Givens has two sons, an adopted child named Michael and a son she had with ex-boyfriend Murphy Jensen.
Secret Superstar Annulment
Janet Jackson is no stranger to scandals and controversy. One of her earlier publicized events happened back in 1984 when she eloped with her childhood sweetheart, James DeBarge. The budding diva was 18 years old, and her career was just getting started with her debut album having been released only two years before when the singer was 16.
Perhaps it was her rising fame that led to the end of the marriage, or maybe Janet and James just found they were incompatible. Whatever the reason, the marriage did not last long. They divorced after four months and later had the marriage annulled. It has been rumored that the two share a daughter together, whom they secretly gave up for adoption.
The King’s Daughter And Prince Of Pop
Janet’s brother, Michael Jackson, also had a short-lived marriage, to someone who had a couple short marriages of her own. Michael married Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in a quick and secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic just months after Lisa Marie’s divorce from Danny Keogh was finalized.
The couple were together for less than two years. Ultimately, Lisa Marie filed for divorce in January 1996, citing irreconcilable differences. She later said that she had “wanted to save” Michael. The nature of their wedding and its location, however, have caused people to wonder whether their marriage was ever actually valid.
Silent Film Star Bigamy?
Italian-born Rudolph Valentino was a famous silent film star during the early days of Hollywood. He married actress Jean Acker after just two months of courting. Acker reportedly regretted the impulsive marriage shortly after it happened, locking him out of their hotel bedroom on their wedding night.
Rudolph filed for divorce but did not wait for it to be finalized before entering his second marriage with Natacha Rambova. This led to a huge scandal following Rudolph subsequently being charged with bigamy.
Divorce, As Good As It Gets?
This couple dated for five years, but their marriage did not last as long as their courtship did. Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria were married on July 17, 1999, in a traditional Jewish ceremony held at their California home. Despite having been together for half a decade, the marriage proved to be too much pressure for the couple.
After being married for only a year, Hank moved out of the couple’s home. After six months, Helen filed for a divorce. She cited irreconcilable differences. The divorce was then finalized on December 18, 2000, just a year and a half after their wedding.
Beverly Hills Bust Up
Shannen Doherty is yet another celebrity who has more than one short marriage under her belt. Like many women, she probably went into her first marriage hoping it would last forever. Sadly, her relationship with Ashley Hamilton, son of the actor George Hamilton, lasted for only six months.
They were married on October 11, 1993, and went on to file for a divorce in April 1994. The Beverly Hills 90210 actress did not stop there, however. Following her failed marriage to Ashley, she would go on to woo another famous celebrity with a rocky history when it comes to short-lived marriages…
Serial Short Lived Marriages
Rick Salomon’s name has already appeared on this list. He is definitely a repeat offender when it comes to short-lived marriages. Maybe that is why he and fellow short-marriage survivor Shannen Doherty were attracted to each other. The couple were married in 2002, but their days of wedded bliss did not last long. They made the decision to end their marriage after just nine months.
It’s difficult to decide which of Salomon’s affairs is the most scandalous. His illicit tape with Paris Hilton? His two failed marriages with Pamela Anderson? Or his nine-month marriage to Shannen Doherty? Shannen later married photographer Kurt Iswarienko.
Several Times Around The Block
She might just be Jenny from the block, but Jennifer Lopez has been around that block a few times. While her marriage to Cris Judd was scandalously short-lived, she did make a slightly longer commitment to her first husband, Ojani Noa. This marriage lasted for an entire 13 months, more than a year! That’s a long time in J-Lo’s world.
After their marriage ended, however, Ojani did not take it very well. He has threatened to release an intimate tape which was recorded during the couple’s honeymoon back in 1997. Not a very nice thing to do, but then, love and jealousy can drive people to crazy things.
Janet Jackson's $200 Million Divorce
Pop icon Janet Jackson and Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana married in 2012 and kept their union secret for a year. It would be Jackson's third marriage and soon, her first child. 50-year-old Jackson gave birth to their son, Eissa, in January of 2017. It was only a few months later that the couple announced their split. Curiously, at the five-year mark, the divorce entitled Jackson to collect $100 million for five years of marriage, and another $100 million for having a child.
A source revealed to Page Six, "She thought he had become too controlling during the pregnancy and she had already allowed him to dictate her appearance and even the way she performed at concerts."
