MomSkoop
One famous couple announced their separation the day after their tenth wedding anniversary. Another pair stayed married for 27 years before sharing a joint statement that they were parting ways as husband and wife. Those numbers stick with me because Hollywood marriages often get teased for lasting about as long as a movie press tour.
The couples on this list beat that stereotype by years, and a few of them beat it by whole decades. Long relationships carry shared homes, shared kids, and shared red carpet photos that fans remember for ages. When one ends, people naturally wonder how two famous people untangle a life built over so much time together. I find the aftermath more interesting than the headlines, since several of these exes now co-parent with surprising grace.
1. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
Timing can feel almost cinematic in Hollywood.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced their separation on June 30, 2015, just one day after their tenth wedding anniversary.
Their story started on screen.
The two first worked together on Pearl Harbor, which filmed in 2000, and their romance grew while making Daredevil, released in 2003.
They married in June 2005 and went on to have three children: Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel.
For years, fans saw them as one of the steadier couples in a town known for quick breakups.
The divorce took a while to wrap up.
It was finalized in October 2018, more than three years after the first announcement.
What happened next is the part worth noticing.
Photographers have often caught the pair at school events, sports games, and holiday gatherings with their kids, showing up as a parenting team.
Garner has spoken in interviews about keeping things respectful for the sake of the children.
You don’t have to be famous to see the value in that approach.
If you ever face a tough family change, their example shows that a marriage ending doesn’t have to mean a family falling apart.
Showing up still counts for a lot.
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
Few couples blended Hollywood and politics quite like these two.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was an action star turned California governor, while Maria Shriver was a well-known TV journalist from the Kennedy family.
They met in 1977 at a charity tennis event and married in April 1986.
Over the years, they raised four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.
Their marriage lasted 25 years before they separated in May 2011.
The split followed news that Schwarzenegger had fathered a child with a member of the family’s household staff years earlier.
Here’s a detail that surprises many people.
The legal divorce didn’t become final until December 2021, a full decade after the separation.
Both have spoken publicly since then in a measured way.
Schwarzenegger has openly called the situation his own failure, and Shriver has written and talked about rebuilding her life on her own terms.
Their kids have stayed close to both parents, often appearing with each of them on social media.
Katherine later married actor Chris Pratt, which gave the family a fresh round of headlines.
The takeaway here is simple but real.
Healing can move slowly, and paperwork can move even slower.
3. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
Wolverine might have claws, but Hugh Jackman was known for something much softer offscreen.
He often praised his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, in speeches and interviews.
The Australian actors met in 1995 on the TV series Correlli, where she was already an established star.
They married in April 1996, less than a year after meeting.
Together, they adopted two children, Oscar and Ava.
Furness also became a strong voice for adoption reform in Australia, working on the issue for many years.
So the news in September 2023 caught plenty of fans off guard.
The couple released a joint statement announcing their separation after 27 years of marriage.
Their statement said they had been blessed to share a marriage built on love and kindness.
It also said their journey was now shifting and that family would remain their top priority.
That kind of message stands out in a world of messy celebrity breakups.
If you ever wonder whether a breakup can be handled with grace, this one offers a pretty good model.
Sometimes the kindest exit is the quietest one.
4. Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus
Achy Breaky Heart turned out to be more than a catchy song title for this family.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus married in December 1993, right as his country music career was booming.
They raised five children together, including pop star Miley Cyrus and singer Noah Cyrus.
The family even shared the spotlight when Billy Ray played Miley’s dad on Hannah Montana.
Their marriage had plenty of ups and downs in public view.
Divorce filings came up more than once over the years, but the couple reconciled each time.
That changed in April 2022.
Tish filed for divorce, ending a marriage of nearly 28 years, and the divorce was finalized later that same year.
Both moved on fairly quickly.
Tish married actor Dominic Purcell in August 2023, and Billy Ray also remarried, though that later marriage ended in divorce too.
Fans who grew up watching the Disney show often feel a little connected to this family.
Seeing the TV dad and real mom part ways felt like the end of a long chapter.
It’s a reminder that celebrity families face the same twists as anyone else.
Theirs just come with a soundtrack.
5. Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen
A blind date set up by a friend in 2006 led to one of the most famous sports and fashion pairings ever.
Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls, and Gisele Bündchen was among the highest paid models in the world.
They married in February 2009 and had two children, Benjamin and Vivian.
Brady also has an older son, Jack, from a previous relationship.
For years, fans saw them cheering each other on in very different arenas.
Bündchen showed up at games, and Brady attended fashion events with her.
Brady retired from football in early 2022, then changed his mind just weeks later.
That return drew huge media attention, and reports of tension in the marriage followed.
In October 2022, the couple announced they had finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage.
Both posted statements saying they would keep focusing on their kids.
Brady officially retired for good in February 2023.
Interestingly, he chose to make that announcement in a short video recorded on the beach.
Their story shows how big career choices can affect a whole household.
Even superstars have to balance work goals with life at home.
6. Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock
Comedy fans know Chris Rock for jokes about marriage, so his own marriage drew plenty of attention.
He married Malaak Compton-Rock in 1996, around the time his stand-up career was taking off.
Compton-Rock built her own path too.
She became known for charity work, including founding a nonprofit that helped women prepare for job interviews.
The couple raised two daughters, Lola and Zahra.
For years, they kept their family life fairly private compared with many famous couples.
In December 2014, Rock filed for divorce after about 19 years of marriage.
The divorce became official in 2016.
Later, Rock spoke openly in his stand-up about his own mistakes in the marriage.
His 2018 special, Tamborine, included material about the divorce and being a dad.
That honesty surprised some viewers.
Comedians often joke about others, but turning the lens on yourself takes a different kind of nerve.
If you enjoy stand-up, his later shows give an unusual look at how a performer works through a breakup on stage.
It’s personal, a little painful, and still funny in places.
7. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban
An Oscar winner and a country music star make an unusual match on paper.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban met at a 2005 event in Los Angeles honoring Australians.
They married in Sydney in June 2006.
Their daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, were born in 2008 and 2010.
For nearly two decades, fans loved watching them at awards shows.
Kidman often cheered for Urban at music events, and he showed up for her big film moments too.
The couple made Nashville their home base, which kept them a bit removed from the Hollywood spotlight.
That choice fit their lower-key style as a family.
In September 2025, Kidman filed for divorce in Nashville after 19 years of marriage.
The news surprised many people who had seen them as one of the most stable pairs around.
Court filings showed they had agreed on a parenting plan for their daughters.
That detail suggests both wanted to keep the process as calm as possible.
When a long marriage ends this way, it reminds you that public photos only show a tiny slice.
Smiles on a red carpet can’t tell the whole story.
8. Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
Here’s a fun bit of trivia: Jim Toth was a Hollywood talent agent, not an actor.
He married Reese Witherspoon in March 2011 at her ranch in Ojai, California.
Their son, Tennessee James, was born in 2012.
Witherspoon also has two older children, Ava and Deacon, from her first marriage to Ryan Phillippe.
During their marriage, Witherspoon’s career moved in big new directions.
She founded the media company Hello Sunshine and her popular book club.
In March 2023, the couple shared a joint statement on Instagram announcing their divorce after 12 years.
They said they had made the decision with great care and lots of thought.
The statement also said their biggest focus would be their son and their shared family.
It was a short message that skipped any drama.
Fans noticed how calm and kind the announcement sounded.
Many celebrity breakups come with a flood of rumors, but this one stayed pretty quiet.
If you follow Witherspoon’s book club, you might appreciate the thought that life has chapters.
Some end, new ones begin, and the story keeps going.
9. Courteney Cox and David Arquette
Love can bloom in strange places, including a horror movie set.
Courteney Cox and David Arquette met while filming Scream, which came out in 1996.
She was already famous as Monica on Friends, and he played the lovable Deputy Dewey.
Their real romance grew while their characters dated on screen.
They married in June 1999.
Cox even changed her credited name on Friends to Courteney Cox Arquette for a while.
Their daughter, Coco, was born in 2004.
The couple announced their separation in October 2010 after more than ten years of marriage, and the divorce became official a few years later.
What makes this pair stand out is their friendship afterward.
They returned together for later Scream movies, playing Gale and Dewey once again.
Both have spoken warmly about each other in interviews since the split.
They’ve also appeared together at events focused on their daughter.
If you’re a horror fan, there’s something sweet about that.
A franchise built on scares ended up showing a softer side of its stars.
10. Demi Moore and Bruce Willis
Back in the late 1980s, few couples drew more camera flashes.
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis married in Las Vegas in November 1987.
Both were huge stars during their marriage.
Willis had Die Hard, and Moore had hits like Ghost and A Few Good Men.
They had three daughters: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah.
The family often spent time away from Hollywood in Idaho.
The couple separated in 1998, and their divorce was finalized in 2000.
That gave them about 13 years of marriage.
Their story didn’t end with the divorce, though.
The two stayed close friends and continued raising their daughters as a team.
In 2020, Moore and Willis spent part of the pandemic together in Idaho with family.
Photos of them in matching striped pajamas spread quickly online.
Willis later married Emma Heming, and Moore has publicly shown support for that blended family too.
You don’t often see exes and new spouses posting kind words about each other.
If you need proof that a family can change shape and still stay close, this one offers a hopeful example.
11. Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale
Two rock bands crossed paths in 1995, and a long romance followed.
Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and Gavin Rossdale of Bush started dating around that time.
They dated for years before marrying in London in September 2002.
Their sons, Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo, were born over the next decade.
Fans saw them as a cool music couple with a strong sense of style.
They often looked like they had walked out of a fashion magazine.
In August 2015, they announced they were divorcing after nearly 13 years of marriage.
The divorce was finalized in 2016.
Stefani later began dating Blake Shelton, whom she met as a fellow coach on The Voice.
They married in July 2021 in Oklahoma.
Rossdale has talked in interviews about his feelings around the split.
Both have kept a focus on raising their three boys.
Their story shows how a new chapter can look totally different from the last.
A punk-pop rocker ending up on a country ranch is quite the plot twist.
12. David Duchovny and Téa Leoni
Back when The X-Files ruled TV, David Duchovny was everywhere.
In May 1997, he married actress Téa Leoni after a short courtship.
Leoni was a rising star herself.
She later led the political drama Madam Secretary, which ran for six seasons on CBS.
The couple had two children, Madelaine and Kyd.
For a long time, they kept their home life mostly out of the news.
Their marriage had a few rough patches in public.
They separated in 2008, reconciled, and then separated again in 2011.
The divorce was finalized in 2014, ending about 17 years of marriage.
That’s a long run by any standard, famous or not.
Both have mentioned in interviews that they still care about each other.
They’ve shown up together for their kids at important moments, like graduations.
Duchovny has also turned to writing novels and making music in recent years.
It’s a reminder that people keep growing after a big life change.
If you enjoy learning about TV history, their story connects two popular shows from very different eras.
13. Robin Wright and Sean Penn
Their on-again, off-again story could fill its own movie script.
Robin Wright and Sean Penn starred together in the 1990 film State of Grace.
They became a couple around that time and had two children before marrying.
Their daughter, Dylan, and son, Hopper, were born in the early 1990s.
The pair married in April 1996.
Over the next decade, they filed for divorce more than once and then changed course.
The final divorce came in 2010, about 14 years after the wedding.
Their relationship lasted far longer than that once you count the years before marriage.
Both stayed busy with their careers.
Wright later won a Golden Globe for playing Claire Underwood on House of Cards.
Penn won two Academy Awards for Best Actor, for Mystic River and Milk.
Both films came out while he was married to Wright.
Their children have since started their own acting careers.
Dylan even starred alongside her father in the 2021 film Flag Day.
Hollywood families often keep working together long after a marriage ends, and theirs is no exception.
14. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Tabloids gave them a nickname, Brangelina, and the name stuck for years.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith, released in 2005.
They became one of the most photographed couples in the world.
Over time, their family grew to six children through adoption and birth.
After nearly a decade together, they married in August 2014 in France.
The ceremony took place at Chateau Miraval, their estate in Provence.
Just two years later, in September 2016, Jolie filed for divorce.
Both were declared legally single in 2019, but the full divorce settlement took much longer.
It wasn’t finalized until December 2024.
That’s eight years of legal steps after the first filing.
Their dispute over the French winery estate has continued in court.
It shows how complicated things can get when shared property is involved.
Fans who remember the early red carpet days may find the long ending surprising.
Their story proves that splitting up can take far longer than falling in love.
If anything, it’s a reminder to keep shared plans clear, even when life feels like a movie.