Not every love story in 2024 had a happy ending.
After two years of marriage (and decades of history), Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on their wedding anniversary. (While Lopez and Affleck had eloped in July 2022, they renewed their vows in a grandiose ceremony at the Oscar-winning director’s Georgia residence the next month.)
“The timing of the divorce was a big f— you to Ben,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly at the time.
By October, Lopez opened up about her mindset for her ending her marriage.
“I did all the work and look where I am, and then it was like my whole f—ing world exploded,” she told Interview magazine. “Sometimes, it’s going to work out great. And sometimes it won’t. And that’s f—ing OK, too. I was thinking about this time in my life, and I’m like, ‘That’s not what I thought it was going to turn out like.’”
Lopez and Affleck were not the only celebrity couple to go their separate ways this year. Keep scrolling to look back at the biggest celebrity breakups of 2024:
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott
These two had their ups and downs for years, reaching a boiling point in June 2023 when McDermott confirmed via Instagram that they had separated. Within hours, he deleted the post. It wasn’t until March of this year, however, that Spelling filed for divorce and cited “irreconcilable differences.”
Spelling later revealed on her podcast that she initially thought it’d be a “disservice” to her and McDermott’s five children if they broke up and lived separately.
“I always thought as bad as things might be between my partner and myself, it’s better to have their dad in the house than in a different residence,” Spelling said on a December episode of her “Misspelling” podcast. “I think that kept me in the relationship far too long. It ultimately, I feel, did a disservice to my kids.”
Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo
Lindsay and Abasolo were known as one of Bachelor Nation’s success stories after meeting on The Bachelorette season 13. Abasolo filed for divorce in January, later claiming that the “stress” of fertility struggles factored into his decision.
Lindsay, for her part, revealed in July that she had felt “done” in their relationship before their respective filings.
“I think I read this somewhere, I’m not sure, but by the time women decide they want a divorce, they’re done [and] I was done,” Lindsay said in a YouTube interview. “Doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard or a re-adjustment. It’s still a struggle daily, but emotionally, I felt I was very sure this was what I wanted to do.”
Teddi Mellencamp and Edwin Arroyave
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum announced via Instagram in early November that she planned to file for divorce from Arroyave after 13 years of marriage. When Mellencamp submitted her court docs later that month, she said they separated in October.
“My priority is my children and ensuring that every care is taken with their privacy and wellbeing throughout this new chapter,” she wrote in her social media statement, referring to her and Arroyave’s three children. “Making a public statement is not something I wanted to do, but in an effort to protect my family from undue speculation and rumors, I felt being open, honest and vulnerable was the best path forward. Making a public statement is not something I wanted to do, but in an effort to protect my family from undue speculation and rumors, I felt being open, honest and vulnerable was the best path forward.”
A source later told Us that Mellencamp and Arroyave’s split was “a long time coming” after being in couple’s therapy for years. A separate insider claimed to Us that both Mellencamp and Arroyave previously had affairs.
Channing Tatum and Zoe Kravitz
Tatum and Kravitz met on the set of Blink Twice in 2021, getting engaged two years later. Within months of the movie’s release date this fall, Us confirmed that Tatum and Kravitz called off their engagement.
“Ultimately once the project ended, they realized they were on different pages with what they wanted,” a source told Us in October. “It fizzled fast after their press tour wrapped.”
Next, they are set to reunite in the upcoming movie Alpha Gang with a second source telling Us that they can amicably work together.
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright
Cartwright revealed on a solo February episode of her and Taylor’s “When Reality Hits” podcast that they were living separately. By August, she formally filed for divorce and served Taylor papers while filming The Valley season 2.
“I will say that Jax is a terrible husband, but a great dad,” Cartwright exclusively told Us in October. “I know that if I need something if I need help with something, Jax would be there in a heartbeat and that, you know, I can count on him for things like that. He loves [our son] Cruz.”
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
Lopez and Affleck were initially engaged between 2002 and 2004, ultimately splitting at the time over rampant media attention regarding wedding plans. They each moved on with other partners, reuniting in 2021 and tying the knot the next year. Rumors swirled over thethis summer that Lopez and Affleck had separated when they frequently stepped out in public solo without their wedding bands.
A source told Us in June that Lopez and Affleck “can’t get on the same page” and were discussing divorce. Lopez filed to dissolve their marriage without an attorney two months later.
Zach Bryan and Brianna ‘Chickenfry’ LaPaglia
The “Something in the Orange” singer revealed in October that he and LaPaglia, a Barstool Sports personality, ended their relationship after more than one year together. LaPaglia subsequently claimed that Bryan’s decision to share the split blindsided her. She further alleged that he was emotionally abusive.
“The last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life dealing with the abuse from this dude,” she said on a November episode of her “BFFs” podcast, claiming that she turned down a multimillion-dollar sum in exchange for signing an NDA. “I’m still scared right now because I’m scared of him still. My brain’s rewired. I’m scared to make him mad.”
Bryan never addressed the claims but stated in his social media statement that the decision was amicable.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev
The Dancing With the Stars pro was arrested on domestic violence charges in August after an alleged altercation with Garcia. They both filed for divorce one week later, requesting joint custody of son Matteo.
“I’ve been heartbroken,” Garcia said on her “Nikki & Brie Show” podcast in December. “You dream of having this family and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way. You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one.”
She added, “It’s been a struggle. I know being a public figure, I have to say a little bit about this, right? After this, I don’t want to ever talk about [it] again, because I truly do want privacy for Matteo.”
Garcia and Chigvintsev had settled their divorce weeks earlier in November.
Christina Haack and Joshua Hall
Haack and her third husband both filed to end their marriage in July, with a source telling Us that the HGTV star was “done.” In the wake of the breakup, Hall was cut from The Flip Off, a competition show between Haack and ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and their new spouses. In a preview for the series, Haack revealed that her and El Moussa’s kids asked her to leave Hall.
“Things with Josh have been bad for a long time,” she said in the clip. “The kids literally asked me to leave. They told me he’s not nice to me. Why would I stick around? I feel like I’m in a tornado all the time and I just can’t get out of it.”
Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose
Cyrus married Firerose in October 2023 and they separated seven months later in early 2024. In June, Cyrus filed for an annulment and cited “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct.” Firerose, for her part, claimed that Cyrus was abusive and controlling, which he vehemently denied.
They reached a settlement in August.
Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist
The first Golden Bachelor married his final rose pick, Nist, in January on live television. Just three months later, they announced their separation.
“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations,” Turner said on Good Morning America. “We’ve looked closely at our living situations and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s time for us to dissolve our marriage. “The things that strike me the most in our conversations it’s been how dedicated both of us are to our families. So, we look at these situations and I think we just feel like it’s best for the happiness of each of us to live apart.”
Turner announced in December that he was battling an inoperable form of cancer and denied that his diagnosis played into the divorce decision.
Christine Quinn and Christian Richard
Richard was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in March after allegedly throwing a bag with glass in it at Quinn. The glass had missed the Selling Sunset alum and hit their son, Christian. One month later, Richard filed for divorce.
In her own filing, Quinn requested sole legal and physical custody of their son because Richard’s “actions and behavior have put [their] son’s health and wellbeing at risk.” He never publicly addressed her accusations.
Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen
After two decades of marriage, Fisher and Cohen announced their split in April.
“After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down,” they wrote in a joint Instagram Story statement, alongside a throwback pic of the pair wearing tennis outfits. “In 2023, we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritized our privacy and have been quietly working through this change.”
A source told Us in November that Fisher and the Borat star, who share three kids, were discussing financial matters to resolve proceedings “amicably.”
Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan
Us confirmed in December that Carpenter and Keoghan called off their yearlong romance due to busy work schedules. While online rumors claimed that the Saltburn actor was unfaithful, a source denied the accusations.
“Barry was very faithful and loyal to her, and very devoted to her happiness,” the insider asserted to Us. “Barry’s very focused on his career and being a dad [to his 2-year-old son, Brando].”