Retrieved from POPSUGAR Australia
From Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner to Rauw Alejandro and Rosalía, a lot of celebrity couples are suddenly breaking up or divorcing after years of being together. And I’m here wondering: was there an anti-love pandemic in 2023 that we should have known about?
One of the key characteristics of pop culture and the entertainment industry is celebrity couples. We enjoy learning about new relationships, marriages, and even pregnancy news. Stan Twitter or should I say… stan X, goes wild upon learning about potential lovers, scandals, and rumors. Every year we learn different things about the people that make up the entertainment industry all over the world, but 2023 was different from what we were used to. This year can be categorized as a pandemic…. but not of COVID-19. A lot of celebrity couples are suddenly breaking up, others are even divorcing after years of being together and it’s kind of alarming. There are a lot of things happening and people are even saying 2023 has a curse for couples and not only for celebrities, but for non-celebrities too.
But… Why do we care so much about celebrities breaking up? The article “Celebrity couples keep breaking up, Why do we care so much?” by: Rachel Treisman does a good job explaining just that. In this piece, Alice Leppert, a media and communications professor at Ursinus College who focuses on stardom and celebrity culture explains that “most people have at least one celebrity figure (broadly construed, be that an athlete, a social media influencer or YouTuber, or a more traditional celebrity) that they care about, and whose personal life they’re invested in in one way or another.” As a society, we are constantly being bombarded with the perfect idea of love, from songs, to movies, to reality programs, everywhere and in everything, we see romance. Rachel Treisman points out that our culture—from Disney movies to The Bachelor—places a high value on monogamous, romantic love, so most of us are conditioned to want and idealize “happy, long-lasting couplings.”
In that same article, Dr. Andrea Liner, a clinical psychologist and break up coach, talked about how celebrities share much of their lives online. As netizens, users of the internet, we learn a lot about celebrities from their birthday or favorite color, to their ideal type and their romantic relationships. We feel as though we’re part of their lives, even though they do not know about ours. One aspect that caught my attention from the article was something that Dr. Andrea Liner explained: “So when we find out that beautiful, gorgeous, wealthy celebrities are getting cheated on or divorcing or breaking up, it kind of humanizes them and can be validating for us to see that they have problems, too,” she adds, “But it can also confuse us because we think that they shouldn’t be having problems like that if they’ve achieved these levels of success.” One example of an unexpected breakup was Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn. They had been in a relationship for six years and Swifties were happy for them, so when the news of their separation spread, some of them were surprised and downright upset because of the split. With that being said, here are six celebrity couples that shocked me once I learned the news of their breakup in 2023.
Retrieved from swirlster
- Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner (married)
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After four years of marriage and two children, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner called it quits. Over the past years, we had seen how supportive and romantic their relationship had been. From red carpets to concerts, we saw how in love they were. Even on Tiktok, there were edits of this couple and all their moments classified as “couple goals.” However, one day, all over the media was the news announcing their divorce and the now messy drama between them. It was a surprise for me, even though I do not follow the couple or am a fan of them.
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Retrieved from Page Six
- Ariana grande and dalton gómez (married)
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The renowned American singer, songwriter, and actress, Ariana Grande, shocked the world in December 2020 by announcing her engagement to her non-celebrity boyfriend, Dalton Gomez. Later on, they secretly got married in May 2021. His voice was even featured in the hit single “Stuck with U” with Justin Bieber. She expressed that he was the “mastermind” behind her being a president in the “Positions” music video. Their relationship brought forward a new side of Ariana Grande, but, after two years of marriage, it was reported that they filed for divorce, a process that has since been finalized. The most shocking facts about this breakup are the rumors regarding the possibility of there being other people involved. When I saw the news for the first time, I thought they were fake rumors because I really thought that she was happy in that marriage.
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Retrieved from los 40
- Rauw alejandro and rosalía (engaged)
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Early this year, Rauw Alejandro and Rosalía shared their engagement news with their song called “Beso.” Their relationship started as love at first sight, and many fans were rooting for this couple. From 2021 to 2023, the fans have seen parts of their romantic life, they’ve shared TikToks, pictures, stage presentations, and even an album together. Then, in July 2023… there was news that they called off their engagement and decided to part ways. As something typical from a celebrity breakup, there were infidelity rumors that quickly spread across different social media platforms. Suddenly, fans were disappointed once they learned the news and began to post things about how they did not believe in love anymore. Even though that reaction was too extreme for me, I really thought those two were meant to be together and maybe in the future they would get back together.
Retrieved from Libertad Digital
- Will smith and Jada Pinkett Smith (married)
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The famous couple, or should I say alleged couple, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been married since 1997 and have two children, Jaden Smith and Willow Smith. We have seen different stages of their relationship and some iconic moments; for example, Jada’s entanglement with her son’s friend August Alsina and how can we forget how Will slapped Chris Rock for making an inappropriate joke about Jada’s health condition at the annual Academy Awards of 2022. This moment met the headlines of different news programs and everyone was talking about it. Some opinions were divided, ones in favor of Will and others defending Chris Rock. This event is now a highlight of Will Smith’s career as he has now been barred from attending the Oscars for 10 years. Other people expressed that they liked Will defending his wife, but… was the wife even in the room with us? Jada Pinkett Smith revealed in an interview that they have been separated since 2016, although they are not legally divorced. The comments that Jada had made on different interviews have netizens in shock as they can’t believe how lowly she talks about Will Smith. The situation has fans telling Will to divorce her because, at this point, her attitude is ridiculous, and I have to agree. Honestly, when I first saw the news, I was in shock because he sacrificed his career and instead of respecting her ex husband, she just talks badly about him and praises her “past lovers,” ridiculing and humiliating Will Smith even more. Which is why I think that Will should divorce her and find happiness outside of this relationship because at this point it’s just disappointing and unnecessary.
Retrieved from The Straits Times
- Kim Jisoo (blackpink) and Ahn bo hyun (actor) (dating)
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Two months after making their relationship public, Jisoo and Bo Hyun have called it quits. Their relationship was first revealed by Dispatch, who uploaded pictures of them outside of Jisoo’s home. Their agencies confirmed their relationship, responding “They are getting to know each other with positive feelings,” and added, “We would be thankful if you look upon them with warmth.” I remember seeing that news and being in shock, because I thought that she would possibly date Jung Hae In, who was the male lead of her drama Snowdrop (2021). They were touted as the power couple of the year. Many fans showed their support for the relationship and a noticeable difference was that there weren’t any hate comments on their Instagram pages from fans. Despite not being seen together in public or having pictures of this couple, I was still surprised by the news of their breakup. Why? Because when it was reported that they were dating, the news said that they would meet every time she returned from overseas and he would adjust his work commitments to accommodate her busy schedule. However, when they announced their breakup, they reasoned that it was because they had “naturally grown apart due to their busy schedules.” I was left puzzled because it seemed like they would make it past that phase… but I was wrong.
Retrieved from Soompi
- hyeri (k-pop idol and actress) and ryu jun yeol (acotr) (dating)
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The two actors co-starred in the Korean Drama called Reply 1998 (TvN, 2016). In August 2017, they made their relationship public and, every now and then, you would see news about this couple. Fans were patiently waiting for their engagement news but they couldn’t escape the “seven-year itch.” It was reported on November 13, that this couple decided to break up and remain as good friends and colleagues. Both agencies confirmed the rumors and did not provide any further information. Many fans expressed their feelings about this news on different social media platforms. They couldn’t believe that after seven years together, they broke up. I was surprised about this couple, because, normally, actors in the Korean industry break up fast and don’t last much, but because this couple was going against that norm, I thought that they could even get married.
And that is all friends! Even though there were different celebrities that ended their relationships as well, these are the six couples that caught my attention this year, but the list was looong and 2023 hasn’t even finished yet… I do not want to jinx any other couples. Let’s just hope that 2024 will be free from the breakup epidemic and couples can last.