The old saying “absolute power corrupts absolutely” is an apt description of the power of celebrity. Fame can be treacherous for those unprepared for the cost, and it can certainly cause a strain on a star’s friends and family, and romantic relationships in particular.
It seems that a celebrity marriage is far more fragile than those of the non-famous variety. Nothing helps end a power couple’s relationship more than when one partner’s power diminishes while the other rises. No one likes to be outshone and see their identity diminished, playing second fiddle to their significant other. This can make a formerly loving union turn intolerably toxic.
Fragile egos are a personality hallmark of many stars. Their need for acceptance and success can turn sour or tragic when it tapers off, especially if their mate’s career is skyrocketing. It can be a difficult balancing act, that generally leads to splitting up and divorce papers.
When they have to face the public, most celebs opt to take the highroad and not admit why things went wrong. But some are more forthcoming than others - and they made our list!
So let’s look at 15 Stars Who Couldn’t Handle Their Spouse Outshining Them.
Ben Indra and Anna Faris
Before Faris married (and divorced) actor Chris Pratt, she was wed to actor Ben Indra. The two fell in love on the set of the horror film Lover’s Lane.
Have you ever heard of Ben Indra? It’s likely you haven’t, and his lack of fame was the major reason for the couple’s split.
Faris explained as much in an interview, saying that her rising fame (thanks to films like the Scary Movie franchise and TV shows like Friends) “kind of destroyed my marriage… The divide became too great.'”
Her career uptick was only matched by his bad luck getting acting jobs, which led to a messy breakup, with Indra receiving a $900,000 settlement in the divorce.
Unfortunately for Faris, her troubles with relationships complicated by uneven career paths would continue, as you’ll see later on this list.
Chad Lowe and Hillary Swank
Swank and Lowe fell in love on the set of the film Quiet Days in Hollywood, when they were at the same level of success. But when Swank’s career skyrocketed thanks to films like Boys Don’t Cry and Billion Dollar Baby, while Lowe’s stalled out in second gear, it put a severe strain on their marriage.
Things got worse after she forgot to thank Lowe after she received an Oscar for Boys Don’t Cry in 2005. They divorced two years later.
Lowe discussed fame’s strain on their marriage in an 2007 interview with Larry King, noting that he was already used to living in the shadow of his more famous brother Rob Lowe, who “reached a level in his career and a certain amount of celebrity… And then, you know, marrying Hilary…”
Lowe added he preferred keeping a low profile: “I’m comfortable being the observer.” Perhaps it’s easier for him to do so from a distance.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
Many blamed Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s failed relationship largely on the fact that they co-starred in two critical and commercial flops (Gigli and Jersey Girl). While their dual film failure certainly didn’t help their cause, Lopez says it was another aspect that doomed their chances.
Lopez admitted her lavish lifestyle and massive entourage was the primary catalyst for their breakup: “There’s a lot of people in my life and that’s hard. There’s people in the house. There’s hair and makeup. It’s a lot, I think, for someone to deal with. … Forget about all the outside stuff (fame brings), being judged, being under scrutiny in the relationship… I guess that adds in… but I think they would say that (the entourage) was a big part of their discomfort, if there was any.”
Jenny Slate and Chris Evans
Chris Evans has starred in some of the highest grossing comic book movies of all time. Slate is a critically acclaimed comedic actor associated with indie projects. Given they came from such opposite levels of success and aesthetics, it shouldn’t be too surprising that factored into their relationship - and their breakup.
Slate admitted as much in an interview with Vulture, saying “we’re an odd match.” She clarified that she wasn’t jealous of her partner’s success, but uncomfortable with how his level of fame disrupted their life: “The stress that I saw him be put under, I’ve never seen that before…he’s not stressed. I was the person that was stressed.”
She added “if you are a woman who really cares about her freedom… her sense of being an individual, it is confusing to go out with one of the most objectified people in the entire world.”
Taylor Kinney and Lady Gaga
Sparks flew when Lady Gaga first met actor Scott Kinney, but it wasn’t built to last. Fans knew something was off when Gaga posted on Instagram, writing “Just like all couples we have ups and downs, and we have been taking a break. We are both ambitious artists, hoping to work through long-distance and complicated schedules to continue the simple love we have always shared.”
Her wish for a reconciliation didn’t happen though, and Gaga blamed their breakup on her massive success, which she claimed ended all her earlier romances as well: “My love life has just imploded. I sold 10 million [records] and lost Matt. I sold 30 million and lost Luke. I did a movie (‘A Star is Born’) and lose Taylor. It’s like a turnover. This is the third time I’ve had my heart broken like this.”
Russell Brand and Katy Perry
Given Russell Brand’s taxing personality and penchant for womanizing and Perry’s catty social media antics, no one gave them great odds on having a successful marriage. And sure enough, they crashed and burned in just 14 months.
Brand discussed their divorce on a British chat show, saying “Katy was obviously very, very occupied and busy. I was occupied and busy but not to the same degree. The marriage didn’t last for a very long time and I think that is due to the undulating nature of fame.”
That’s the nice version–he was much less civil discussing Perry during a 2015 documentary, where he sniped “I’m associated with the very thing I detest: vapid, vacuous, plastic, constructed, mindless celebrity.”
Perry was more concise about their split in an 2013 interview with Vogue: “I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011.”
Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johanson
Thanks to Deadpool’s success, Ryan Reynolds is one of the hottest actors working in movies today. Things were different back during his brief marriage with Scarlett Johansson (from 2008-2011), when he starred in a series of flops while she was attached to more lucrative projects.
The actress admitted this uneven power dynamic hurt their marriage, telling Parade magazine “Acting is a very strange world to be co-existing in. It’s very volatile. There’s always going to be the more successful person. It’s related to rejection. Because actors, if they’re not having success, connect it directly to unpopularity — to the fact that nobody wants them.”
She expanded on this in Cosmopolitan, saying “The logistics of being with another actor are challenging… if one person is more successful than the other, that also proves challenging. There may be a competitive thing.”
Ryan Philippe and Reese Witherspoon
By all accounts it was love at first sight when the two actors met on the set of 1999’s Cruel Intentions. Domestic bliss proved elusive, however, when professional rivalry set in.
Witherspoon’s career was white-hot thanks to hit films like Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, and Walk The Line, while Philippe had low-key roles in smaller films like Igby Goes Down, Antitrust, and Gosford Park.
Philippe’s competitive nature reared its head in a 2006 profile in Interview magazine, where his comment about their dueling careers felt bitter and reeked of jealousy: “Sometimes I think it’s a little cleaner to, at least at this stage in our lives, keep that stuff separate… I’d never write anything off completely, but I just feel like there’s something to be said for the individuality and mystery of doing things on your own.”
They would go on to divorce in 2007.
Eric Benét and Halle Berry
Halle Berry’s 2011 wedding turned heads in Hollywood, given the A-list, Oscar-winning actress was married to a musician that was almost unknown to the general public - although he was nominated for a Grammy in 2000.
Given their diametrically opposed levels of success, the union was a rocky one, and Benét became distant and hostile and strayed from their marriage.
“If there is such a thing as rock bottom, I was there,” the singer told People magazine in 2005, admitting he checked into love rehab in an attempt to salvage their marriage, but Berry filed for divorce in 2003.
When Berry was approached to comment on the same article, it was clear there was no love lost between the two of them: “I have no further comment on this matter as I have moved on with my life. I do wish Eric well.”
Tyga and Kylie Jenner
Tyga and Kylie’s on-again, off-again relationship made for great tabloid fodder, and the rapper made no attempt to hide the fact that being under the Kardashian family spotlight made him uncomfortable. He certainly seems happier as a single man than being part of the 24/7 media circus.
In a radio interview, Tyga complained that “Being in a very public relationship like that, it’s hard for other people to see you differently. It overshadowed a lot of my talents and a lot of things I worked hard for.”
While Tyga added that “Later on in life, maybe we might come back, but right now I want to focus on what I need to do,” Jenner has moved on with another rapper, Travis Scott. They had their first child together in February 2018.
Safaree and Nicki Minaj
To say that Nicki Minaj and Safaree’s relationship was volatile was an understatement. The producer discussed his many grievances with the rapper in an interview with The Breakfast Club.
“I was being treated like an employee instead of like her man… when you’re that big of a brand you’re like a walking, breathing corporation. You’re always on. If we go out, I can’t even hold your hand, I can’t even put my arm around you. I’m an affectionate dude. I don’t want to have to be walking a couple steps behind you and acting like you’re not my girl.”
Of course, one can’t blame their failed relationship solely on Minaj’s fame. His supposed infidelity likely didn’t help matters, but that’s between Nicki and her ex.
Vienna Girardi and Jake Pavelka
Reality show relationships always make viewers wonder what percentage of a romantic union is for real, and what’s played up for the camera. While we’ll never know how much The Bachelor’s Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi truly loved each other, we do know they ended up hating each other.
According to Pavelka, Girardi didn’t like how much he attention he continued to receive after the show.
Pavelka griped about what went wrong with the then-engaged duo in an interview with Extra saying “Fame changes people. She feels like Dancing with the Stars should have been hers, but in my view, I felt like it was ours. She started to get insanely jealous over these wonderful things that were happening in life, and they directly affected her.”
Pavelka blames this friction for Girardi’s alleged infidelity, which reportedly led him to call off their engagement.
Caitlyn and Kris Jenner
The Kardashian family has had a series of unstable relationships, but many were still shocked when Caitlyn and Kris Jenner divorced in 2015. Some in the media speculated their 23-year marriage ended due to Caitlyn’s transitioning.
Kris certainly tried to push that narrative, explaining that “He was married to me and he wasn’t who he wanted to be so he was miserable.”
For her part, Caitlin denied that was the root cause for their split. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she instead blamed the role that fame, money, and reality TV pressures played into the equation, which left her feeling ignored.
Caitlyn and been a world famous Olympic athlete when she was suddenly upstaged by her wife due to Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
“A lot of times she wasn’t very nice,” Caitlyn stated, adding “People would see how I got mistreated. She controlled the money… all that kind of stuff… Twenty percent was gender and 80 percent was the way I was treated.”
Anna Faris and Chris Pratt
Pratt and Faris’s marriage seemed like one of the most stable unions in Hollywood. Behind-the-scenes it was a different story, however. Faris grew uncomfortable with Pratt’s meteoric rise thanks to roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. It was a total role reversal from her previous relationship.
Despite fans across the world being shaken by the separation of two of America’s sweethearts, the signs had been there for a while. Prior to their breakup, Faris had shared her worries on her podcast: “Of course, in this crazy world where he’s off doing movies and I’m in L.A. raising our child, of course I’m going to feel vulnerable, like any normal human would… It made me feel incredibly insecure.”
Brynn and Phil Hartman
The 1998 murder of Saturday Night Live/News Radio star Phil Hartman shocked the world. Everyone asked: why would anyone want to harm such a beloved public figure? Things became even more shocking when it was revealed he was taken out by his wife Brynn, who took her own life shortly afterwards.
While the two kept up appearances, their private life was in constant turmoil. When Hartman threatened to leave her due to her addiction, she snapped and tragedy ensued.
Brynn had deep-seated resentment against her husband. She was emotionally volatile and ill-tempered and was angry that she hadn’t achieved the same level of success as Hartman. She confided this jealousy to her close friend Ron Douglas, just a few hours before the crime took place, robbing the world of a rich comedic talent, and leaving their two children as orphans.
Could you handle being the supporting actor in your own relationship? Let us know in the comments.
