Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are hardly the first to surprise the world by splitting. From Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, here are 9 other shocking celebrity breakups.
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston
Before Angelina, there was Jennifer, and the public was equally obsessed. Aniston’s name is still frequently brought up in the tabloid press in connection to Brangelina over a decade later.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
Amid allegations of domestic violence and a very public divorce battle, Depp and Heard finalized their severance just a little over a year after they got married.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
Their whirlwind romance, quick wedding and pregnancy took everyone by surprise, but probably not as much as Holmes’ request for divorce five years later, with fear of Scientology’s influence over their daughter Suri being a primary reason.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
Before Holmes, Kidman was married to Cruise for more than 10 years. During one memorable post-split talk show appearance, Kidman quipped, “I can wear heels now,” referencing their noticeable height difference.
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards
Personifying the ugly Hollywood divorce, leaked e-mails and text messages, and allegations of abuse and addiction plagued this divorce, which came just three years after they married. And Sheen hadn’t even hit peak crazy yet.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
After breaking up the marriage of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Taylor left Fisher to marry Burton. The two had a legendarily tumultuous relationship, leading to two divorces from each other.
Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger
A nasty custody battle between the “Marrying Man” co-stars culminated in a leaked voicemail in which Baldwin was heard calling their daughter a “rude little pig.”
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
Though they were never married, when paparazzi caught Stewart cheating on her “Twilight” co-star with a married director, it was the scandal of the summer 0f 2012, and led the press-shy actress to issue a public apology to her on- and off-screen squeeze.
Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon
The politically active couple were together for more than 20 years and never married, but their split in 2009 still sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood and the tabloid-reading public.
