EXCLUSIVE | From Kevin Costner-Christine Baumgartner to Sophie Turner-Joe Jonas, experts weigh in on spate of 'bad' divorces
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The year 2023 has witnessed some of the biggest Hollywood stars getting involved in bitter divorce battles.
From Kim Zolciak-Kroy Beirmann and Kevin Costner-Christine Baumgartner to Sam Asghari -Britney Spears and Sophie Turner-Joe Jonas, A-listers are not just ending their marriages but parting on a bitter note.
The amicable split between Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness is the rare exception.
Amid a summer of messy divorces, New York-based relationship expert and bestselling author Susan Winter and family law attorney of Austin-based Kirker Davis LLP, Holly Davis, who has extensive experience in high-net-worth divorce cases, spoke to MEAWW about why so many recent celebrity divorces have become so acrimonious.
"When the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial garnered so much publicity and swayed the public’s opinion towards Johnny Depp and against Amber Heard, celebrities going through a breakup and divorce started trying to take a page out of that playbook," Davis began.
"Celebrities saw what happened when the public was let into those legal proceedings. It led celebrities to hope that the public would side with them and against their ex in their own divorce," she mentioned.
"Breakups become acrimonious when there are deep-rooted resentments from infidelity, betrayal, and dishonesty. If you add in the issues of fighting over marital assets and custody of the children, the divorce quickly turns bitter," added Winter
Pre-nuptial agreement - boon or bane?
Speaking about why a prenuptial agreement is important in high-profile marriages, Winter explained, "Prenups are an excellent idea for any couple marrying nowadays. This is especially so for high net worth individuals."
"We can no longer assume that we'll live together happily ever after. Recent history has shown that (eventual) divorce is more the norm than the exception. In this regard, Hollywood couples lead the pack in recycling their spouses," she added.
Davis echoed similar sentiments while discussing about pre-nuptial agreements. "A prenup is critical for a wealthy person to have when they get married. Without it, their entire fortune could be divided in half if they get divorced later, instead of being protected through a prenup," she mentioned.
"When a person is wealthy, they have to worry about whether or not people are marrying them for love or money. A prenup agreement resolves that for them by ensuring the spouse isn’t marrying the wealthy person to get rich after a divorce," Davis said.
When asked why prenups are making celebrity divorces complicated even though it is supposed to make the process easier, Davis said, "Prenups are only making celebrity divorces complicated when someone contests them, which was unsuccessful in the Baumgartner-Costner divorce."
"Prenups always make the divorce process easier than it would have been without one." she added.
Role of child custody battle in celeb divorces
From Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to Turner and Jonas, child custody battles have been a major part of celebrity divorces.
When asked if child custody battle is working as a contributing factor towards messy celebrity divorces, Davis said, "Divorces are made messy when they involve two high-conflict people, or at least one high-conflict person."
"Celebrities are used to being the center of attention and getting what they want. Oftentimes successful celebrities rarely hear the word 'no' and they rarely have to follow a rule they don’t like. Courts, on the other hand, don’t work that way," she continued.
"Celebrities have to follow the law in divorce, and they often don’t like that, or are upset at being rejected or broken up with, and as a result they create conflict in the divorce," Davis added.
"Custody battles are always contentious because rarely does anyone come out of a custody battle feeling like they won," she asserted.
"Because custody issues are more black and white, with the child living with one parent primarily if it’s not a 50/50 split, they lead to higher emotion and conflict," the attorney explained.
Meanwhile Winter said, "The issue of 'children' can be quite contentious in a divorce. Children are often used as a bargaining chip for a better divorce settlement, or as a tool of separation to punish the spouse."
Social media, cancel culture and fandoms affect celeb divorces
As seen during recent events, while celebrities fight a war in the court, their devoted fans often take it upon themselves to engage in a separate battle on social media by attacking the individual standing against their idol.
Speaking about the impact of social media, cancel culture and fandoms on celebrity divorces, Winter said, "Social media can certainly fan the flames of a contentious divorce and be used as a weapon of defamation to destroy the image and reputation of a spouse."
Meanwhile, Davis suggested, "There’s nothing for fans and reporters to scrutinize if a breakup doesn’t make it into the media. Oftentimes, it’s the celebrities themselves who are orchestrating leaks to the press of information about their divorce."
"If celebrities didn’t want cancel culture or social media to influence their divorce, they would keep it private, and resolve it out of court or through a private judge," she explained.
"When they don’t, you have to assume they have assessed the situation and determined it’s more favorable to try to allow their divorce to play out in public," the attorney alleged.
Common reasons behind the end of long-term marriages
Most of the latest celebrity divorces involved stars in long-term marriages, deciding to call it quits.
Discussing the key reason behind long-term marriages and relationships, especially ones under constant limelight and public scrutiny coming to an end, Winter told MEAWW, "Hollywood relationships are made more difficult by the prying eyes of the press."
"The smallest sideways glance caught on camera can be fodder for the gossip mill. Fueling rumors of cheating and highlighting bad behavior gets clicks and sells magazines. This marketing ploy does no favor to the Hollywood marriage," the relationship expert added.
Meanwhile Davis said that "Oftentimes two people break up when at least one of them has stopped working on the relationship or growing with the other person."
Publicized divorces impact celebs' mental health
Davis and Winter also discussed the impact of a publicized divorce on a celebrity's mental health while speaking to MEAWW.
"Distinguishing between celebrities and non-celebrities on this question is hard. Everybody suffers in a divorce. It’s a giant transition and stressor for anyone," said Davis.
"When it’s in the public eye and you are a celebrity who cares about your image, what your fans think of you, or whether or not you are going to land the next big role, a public divorce can be very very stressful," she explained.
"Divorce is a deeply dismantling event, independent of being a celebrity. The additional scrutiny of the press and multiple voices chiming in with their opinions on 'what happened' and 'who's to blame' add to the impact and severity of the emotional trauma," Winter concluded.