Celebrities You Never Knew Walked Away From Their Starter Marriages Post-Fame

Hollywood can be a tough place for relationships, especially as stars become famous. Many celebrities were already married or in long-term partnerships before they achieved success. Some of these relationships lasted through the challenges of fame, while others didn’t survive the pressure. Looking back at these early partnerships gives us a fascinating look at what stars’ lives were like before they became household names.

George Clooney

George Clooney first married actress Talia Balsam in 1989, well before he became famous for his role on the TV show ‘ER’. They divorced in 1993, shortly before ‘ER’ premiered and launched his career. After that, Clooney famously stayed single for over twenty years before marrying human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie first married her ‘Hackers’ co-star, Jonny Lee Miller, in 1996. The wedding was famously unconventional, with Jolie wearing black rubber pants and writing Miller’s name on her shirt with her own blood. They separated a year later, in 1997, and officially divorced in 1999. This happened as Jolie was gaining international fame and won an Academy Award for her role in ‘Girl, Interrupted’.

Harrison Ford

You know, it’s funny looking back at Harrison Ford’s life. He actually married his college sweetheart, Mary Marquardt, way back in 1964. For fifteen years, they were together while he really hustled – mostly doing carpentry to provide for his family, all while trying to break into acting. It’s a little bittersweet because they ended up divorcing in 1979, right around the time ‘Star Wars’ blew up and made him a huge star. Then, just after the separation, he cemented his legend with ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and the Indiana Jones character. It’s like his personal life and career were on completely different trajectories at that point.

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian married music producer Damon Thomas in 2000, when she was 19. At the time, she wasn’t famous and worked behind the scenes as a stylist for celebrities. The couple divorced in 2004, three years before ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ premiered. Kim has described the relationship as an important lesson learned during her teenage years.

Will Smith

Will Smith and Sheree Zampino got married in 1992, while he was starring in the second season of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. They had a son, Trey Smith, but divorced in 1995, around the time Will Smith began to achieve major success in films like ‘Bad Boys’. Despite their divorce, they’ve remained close friends and continue to support each other.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez’s first marriage was to a waiter named Ojani Noa in 1997, but it ended quickly in 1998. This happened right as her career began to take off, with the release of her hit movie ‘Selena’ and her first album, ‘On the 6’. They continued to have legal disagreements over privacy issues for years after the divorce.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise and actress Mimi Rogers married in 1987. Throughout their three-year marriage, Cruise became an even bigger star with films like ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Rain Man’. They separated in early 1990 and officially divorced later that year. Mimi Rogers is often credited with introducing Tom Cruise to the Church of Scientology.

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia married in 1997, early in his wrestling career. They were married for ten years, during which time Johnson began to transition into acting, appearing in films like ‘The Mummy Returns’. They separated in 2007, but remained on good terms and continued to work together. Today, Dany Garcia manages Johnson’s business and is his co-founder at Seven Bucks Productions.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore began her career at a young age, marrying singer Freddy Moore at 18 in 1980. The couple divorced in 1985, which was also the year she gained widespread recognition with the film ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ as a member of the “Brat Pack.” Interestingly, she chose to continue using his last name professionally. By the 1990s, she had become one of the most highly paid actresses in Hollywood.

Johnny Depp

Before he was famous, Johnny Depp and I learned he actually married a makeup artist named Lori Anne Allison back in 1983. Sadly, they weren’t together for very long – they divorced in 1985, right when his career was starting to take off. I also found out Lori Anne was the one who introduced him to Nicolas Cage, which was huge because Nicolas really pushed him to become a professional actor. It’s funny, because shortly after their divorce, Johnny became a total teen heartthrob with ’21 Jump Street’!

Elisabeth Moss

Elisabeth Moss and comedian Fred Armisen got married in 2009, while Moss was becoming well-known for her work on the TV show ‘Mad Men’. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last long, ending after just eight months in the summer of 2010. Moss has since talked about the experience, describing the short marriage as a very difficult time in her life when she was still quite young.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito got married in late 2006, but their marriage didn’t last long. They divorced just four months later, in May 2007. This happened right before Cooper’s career took off with the hit movie ‘The Hangover.’ Since then, both actors have mostly kept quiet about the details of their short-lived relationship.

Uma Thurman

Uma Thurman and Gary Oldman got married in 1990 after meeting while filming ‘State of Grace’. Thurman was only 20 years old and hadn’t yet become a major star. They divorced in 1992, just before she gained fame with the movie ‘Pulp Fiction’. She’s described the marriage as a young person’s error that helped her grow and learn.

Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde married Tao Ruspoli, an Italian filmmaker, in 2003 when she was just 19. The couple famously ran away to get married on a school bus and stayed together for eight years, divorcing in 2011. This period coincided with Wilde’s rise to fame on the TV show ‘House.’ She has said she spent all of her twenties in the marriage and then decided it was time to focus on finding herself.

Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt and Anna Faris got married in 2009, while Pratt was gaining recognition on the show ‘Parks and Recreation’. Over the next eight years, Pratt became a major movie star with films like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Jurassic World’. They separated in 2017 and officially divorced in 2018, but have continued to publicly emphasize their dedication to raising their son together.

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson were married in a private ceremony back in 2008. At the time, Reynolds was a well-known actor, but hadn’t yet become a huge star with the success of ‘Deadpool’. They separated in 2010 and officially divorced in 2011. Since then, both have remarried and generally keep their short marriage private, rarely discussing it in interviews.

Jeremy Renner

Jeremy Renner and Canadian model Sonni Pacheco got married in early 2014, shortly after their daughter was born and as Renner’s career was taking off with his role as Hawkeye in ‘The Avengers’. However, the couple divorced just ten months later, with Pacheco stating they had irreconcilable differences. The divorce and the following fight over custody of their daughter received a lot of attention from the media.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe met while filming ‘Cruel Intentions’ and married in 1999. They built a life together during the start of Witherspoon’s rise to fame and welcomed two children. However, they separated in 2006, the same year Witherspoon won an Oscar for her role in ‘Walk the Line’. Since then, Witherspoon has become a successful producer and businesswoman in the entertainment world.

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette married in 1995, but their relationship was short-lived. They separated after only nine months, though their divorce wasn’t finalized until 2001. Despite the split, Cage enjoyed significant success during this time, winning an Oscar for ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ and starring in popular action films like ‘Face/Off’. Their marriage remains remembered as a somewhat private and notable Hollywood pairing.

Kaley Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco married tennis player Ryan Sweeting in December 2013, while enjoying great success and a high salary from her role on ‘The Big Bang Theory’. The couple divorced after just 21 months, in 2015. Cuoco later had a tattoo of their wedding date removed and continued her career, finding further success as a producer and leading actress in the show ‘The Flight Attendant’.

Bryan Cranston

Bryan Cranston and Mickey Middleton married in 1977, long before he became famous for his roles in ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ and ‘Breaking Bad’. The couple divorced in 1982, while Cranston was still building his acting career. He’s mentioned that this first marriage taught him valuable lessons that helped shape his later, successful marriage to Robin Dearden.

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner and Scott Foley met while working on the TV show ‘Felicity’ and married in 2000. The marriage happened right before Garner became famous for her role as Sydney Bristow in ‘Alias’. They separated in 2003 and officially divorced in 2004. Soon after, Garner’s career took off, and she starred in popular movies like ’13 Going on 30′.

Sandra Oh

Sandra Oh married filmmaker Alexander Payne in 2003, shortly before becoming famous for her role as Cristina Yang on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. They separated in 2005 and officially divorced in 2006. Since then, Sandra Oh has continued to receive praise and awards for her acting in both TV and movies.

Tell us what you think about these early celebrity relationships in the comments.

2026-03-18 05:46