14 Hollywood Couples You Didn't Know Were Fake AF

Is she really going out with him!? If some celebrity pairings seem too ridiculous to be true, well, that's probably because they are. Celebs often fake being in relationships for a number of reasons. Whether it's to make themselves look better, get more money and fame, or to get revenge on an actual ex, there have been a ton of celebrity couples who were seriously superficial. Dating in the real world is hard enough. Who would want to go through the trouble of fabricating a romance when being in an actual relationship is just as difficult? It shouldn't be much of a surprise at this point, but some fame-hungry stars will stop at nothing for the sake of a carefully calculated publicity stunt. All of the red flags were right there, but these stars had us all fooled from beginning to end. Prepare to have your mind blown . Here are 15 Hollywood couples you didn't know were fake AF.

14 Lauren Conrad & Brody Jenner

The endless drama, the catfights, the boyfriend stealing. Let's face it: if you're a 20 or 30-something, there's a pretty strong chance that you have watched an episode of The Hills at one point or another. Fans of the popular Laguna Beach spin-off were given a reality check when former stars dropped some major truth about just how real things really were. There's no denying that lovebirds Lauren Conrad (or "LC") and Brody Jenner were fan faves. And while they had all of the makings of a perfect couple on paper, the twosome recently admitted that their relationship was totally fake. Ten years after The Hills debuted, hearts shattered all over the world when Lauren revealed that in real life she and Brody “had zero chemistry” and that their on-screen romance “always felt forced.” Jenner himself later said that the two were simply friends off-screen, stating, “Lauren's a dear friend of mine, and it was pretty funny trying to live that reality of you know, you read the magazines and they're like, 'Brody and Lauren!' and we were just friends. Literally, we would film a scene of us kissing and being in this lovey-dovey scene, and then right after it'd be like, 'Cut!' and we'd be like, 'OK, good to see you,' and go our separate ways." If Lauren and Brody weren't the real deal, we're beginning to question whether or not true love even exists!

13 Kourtney Kardashian & Justin Bieber

The Kardashians are total pros when it comes to manipulating the press in order to garner attention and build their brand. It's no surprise that Kourtney Kardashian tried really hard to flaunt her faux relationship with Justin Bieber. Kourtney and Justin were spotted together by the paparazzi a few times and she also posted pictures of them on social media. When asked during a radio interview about his relationship status with Kardashian, Justin openly admitted, “I'm being used, man. What can I say?” When pressed even further about whether or not there was a love connection on the horizon, Justin didn't pander to Kourtney's game, simply stating, “Nah, we'll leave it at that.” Let's be real, Biebs is fifteen years younger than Kourtney and she's a mother of three who is probably looking for a man who's a lot more mature than her infamous ex, Scott Disick. With those facts alone, the romance between Kourtney and Justin seems super hard to believe but the rumor mill was all over their potential fling. It was always obvious that Kourtney was using Justin as a way to boost her image (while probably getting back at Scott for dating much younger women). Their "relationship" was nothing but a desperate attempt to get noticed… and it looks like it worked. Well played, Kourtney, well played.

12 Hugh Hefner & Holly Madison

Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner is certainly no stranger to having a bevy of beautiful blondes by his side at all times, but his polyamorous relationship with Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson, and Bridget Marquardt garnered tons of attention when they all starred on the hit reality show The Girls Next Door. Although Hefner was openly dating all three of the women simultaneously, it was no secret that Madison was Hefner's “main girl." While it made sense to question the authenticity of their relationship given their staggering fifty-four year age difference, viewers could see that Madison appeared to have a genuine soft spot for Hefner. In time, the other two girls moved out of the mansion and carried on with their lives while Holly planned to be Hefner's one and only. Things didn't quite work out for the couple, and in 2015 the former Playmate released a scathing tell-all book. While she seemed to be bubbly and happy while the cameras were rolling, Madison alleged that she was miserable while living under Hefner's strict rules. In her book, Holly boldly confessed, “I knew Hef wasn't in love with me. He was in love with the idea of being in love,” pretty much confirming what everybody had already suspected: their relationship was fake AF from the start.

11 Jessica Lowndes & Jon Lovitz

Sure, there are a lot of unlikely celebrity couples in tinsel town, but few seemed more oddly matched than 90210 actresses Jessica Lowndes and Saturday Night Live alum Jon Lovitz. Jaws definitely dropped when Jessica and Jon went public with their alleged romance. Last year, the couple confused the masses when they posted photos of themselves cuddled up on one another paired with loving captions to social media. Jessica Snapchatted a picture of an older man's hand grabbing her thigh along with the cunning caption “There's a new man in my life… ”, while Jon took to Instagram to share a snapshot of he and Jessica in a car along with the words “Easter with my bunny!”. Things between the odd couple got even weirder when the actress shared a picture of a dazzling diamond ring on her left hand leaving fans to speculate if they were already thinking about marriage. Eventually, the “happy couple” came clean about their fictitious romance when Lowndes asked her followers “I know it's the last week of March, but is it too early to say April Fools?” It turns out that their fast-tracked romance was all just a PR stunt to promote Jessica's new music video that was being released that week. While we're relieved that their entire love affair was just a prank, lying to that extent just to get publicity is a super tacky approach if you ask us!

10 Kim Kardashian & Nick Lachey

Of course we know that the Kardashians will go to great lengths to keep the spotlight shining on them. Back in 2006, Nick Lachey had no idea that he was just a pawn in Kim's game for fame. Following his highly-publicized split from Jessica Simpson, Lachey was back on the market and Kim used his celebrity status to her full advantage. Kardashian scored a date with the singer and she made sure that every pap in town knew about it. While their romance didn't even make it past the first date, Nick recently suggested that Kim was trying to use him to become relevant in the press… and he was right. During an interview Lachey told reporters, “Let's just say this: We went to a movie. No one followed us there. Somehow, mysteriously, when we left, there were 30 photographers waiting outside.” The star continued to say, “There are certain ways to play this game, and some people play it well.” We're glad that Nick followed his gut intuition and didn't let Kim use him even further. Looking back on it, he really isn't her type.

9 Kaley Cuoco & Henry Cavill

Of course these two would become a hot Hollywood couple, right? Well… maybe not. Cuoco and Cavill as a believable relationship raised some red flags right from the start. When they had just emerged as an item, they were photographed being extra lovey-dovey and cuddly during casual grocery shopping outings, which lead many fans to believe that their candid shots together were totally staged. Many accused their fast-paced romance of being nothing but a publicity stunt because the two had only met less than a month before appearing to be a couple. Before they even had a chance to prove their naysayers wrong, their sham of a relationship fizzled out even faster than it began. We're not sure whose idea it was to stage being romantically involved for the sake of publicity, but in an interview after their split, Kaley shared some insight on how it felt to be catapulted into the spotlight overnight. She told reporters, “It was Superman. I had no one following me until I met Superman. I've been in this business for 20 years, and my whole life, I could go anywhere, do anything. There had not been one paparazzi photo of me until like seven months ago. The recognition has been crazy.” It's pretty safe to assume that their short-lived rendezvous was all for show.

8 Tara Reid & Dean May

What does a celeb do when they're thirsty AF for money and fame? They fabricate a relationship and go on reality TV, of course! In the early 2000s, Tara Reid was a pretty big star. She was known for American Pie. It's pretty obvious that she hasn't landed a huge leading role in a while. That's when Tara decided to do something unexpected and sign up to appear on Marriage Bootcamp, a reality show for star-powered couples who are having trouble in paradise. Tara and her beau Dean May became the headline couple for the series, but their partnership wasn't quite what it seemed. It was obvious that something was amiss between Tara and Dean, and at one point their entire scheme came crashing down. During a heated argument with Tara, Dean can be overheard off-camera telling the star, "I mean we're just friends. We're not having a relationship." The two totally forgot that they were still wearing their mics and continued to reveal how they were totally scamming the show and the viewers for the sake of stardom. Tara told Dean, "I did it for you because you said, 'I just wanna make a little bit of money and I wouldn't mind the fame.” Their bombshell revelation was enough to get them kicked out of the Marriage Bootcamp house for good because they were never romantically involved. What can we say, this Hollywood couple was completely fake AF.

7 Nicole Richie & Steve-O

There once was a time when Nicole Richie would go above and beyond to become famous… even if it meant staging fake relationships with other well-known stars. The Simple Life star was spotted hanging out with fellow reality star Steve-O a couple of times in early 2006. Years later during an interview with Howard Stern, Steve admitted that their romance was all one big lie. Steve-O told Howard that Nicole had approached him with the idea to manufacture a relationship for PR because she had just ended an engagement and she wanted publicity for something other than being super thin. He continued, “It was a big publicity stunt. She would come pick me up. I don't drive. I think she called the paparazzi too.” Of course, this was Steve's first experience with how Hollywood works and he was immediately in on Nicole's plan. He further confessed to Stern that he loved being followed by paparazzi, giving interviews, and being in the tabloids. Needless to say, everything about Nicole and Steve-O's relationship was super fake AF.

6 Katy Perry & Riff Raff

Remember that time Katy Perry showed up at the 2014 VMA's alongside a crazy rapper named Riff Raff? Oh yeah… did we mention they were wearing matching denim outfits? Nobody would had ever expected that the pop star would make such a very public debut of a seemingly new relationship out of nowhere, especially with someone like Riff Raff. The duo was overly affectionate and touchy-feely on the red carpet and never missed a chance for a photo-op. It became abundantly clear that everything from their over the top wardrobe to their excessive PDA was all just one big publicity stunt. Both stars were looking for attention and they definitely got what they wanted. Media outlets started buzzing about Katy and Riff Raff's alleged romance, but their love never really set sail. Aside from their infamous VMA appearance, the pair never made another public appearance together which pretty much confirmed one thing: they were never really a couple.

5 Mariah Carey & Bryan Tanaka

Of course, Mariah Carey was engaged to billionaire James Packer in 2015 and the backstory of their inevitable split was all captured on camera for the star's reality show Mariah's World. The series documented the diva's daily life while on tour while paying special attention to the behind the scenes drama. While Carey was still in a relationship with Packer, viewers of the show witnessed a seemingly strong connection between the music icon and her much younger backup dancer, Bryan Tanaka. Their reality TV relationship crossed the line from flirty to downright inappropriate and their “love story” became the main storyline on the show soon enough. Naturally, Mariah and James Packer called it quits and Bryan wasted no time moving right in on Mariah. Almost instantly, Carey and Tanaka were regularly photographed by paparazzi frolicking on the beach, kissing and hugging in public, and just being extra AF when it came to public displays of affection. Both stars took to social media to flaunt their relationship even further while trying to convince the world that they were the real deal. Their pap photos were clearly staged and their relationship was nothing but a publicity stunt orchestrated by Mariah's team. Like any fake AF relationship, the two parted ways after only a couple months but they definitely cashed in at all of the publicity their faux union had pulled in.

4 Ryan Seacrest & Julianne Hough

In 2010, Julianne Hough was just a wholesome young dancer who scored a recurring gig on Dancing With The Stars while Ryan Seacrest was a popular TV personality, radio host, and producer. Of course, Seacrest was already a household name and Hough was just getting her footing in Hollywood when the two first linked up. Their faux relationship was a genius idea and it would have been mutually beneficial, as Hough was now linked to a mega-watt celebrity while Seacrest put an end to longstanding rumors about his personal preference. Though their relationship wasn't very believable it did carry on for three years. It's no coincidence that while they were together Julianne's star rose significantly, appearing in movies and branching even further in other aspects of her career. She became an overnight sensation, and she had Ryan Seacrest to thank for it. After they parted ways, Julianne spoke out about their relationship saying that she wasn't even initially attracted to him, saying, “He totally wasn't my type. I thought he was gay.” She went on further to say that “nothing was right” about their coupling, making it pretty clear that they were both in it for selfish reasons and not for romantic ones.

3 Selena Gomez & Orlando Bloom

Everything about Selena Gomez's relationship with Justin Bieber was one big hot mess, so when news spread about the possibility of her getting romantically involved with Orlando Bloom we all thought she had finally found herself a real man. But let's not forget one major fact here - Justin was formerly involved with Orlando's supermodel ex-wife, Miranda Kerr. Bieber and Bloom reportedly got into an altercation in 2014 over their intense love triangle, but is was the Pirates of the Caribbean star would end up having the last laugh after all. Of course, the most logical way to get back at your ex is to hook up with their former flame… and that's exactly what Orlando and Selena did. After the whole Bieber debacle, Selena and Orlando were seen together a whole bunch of times. The twosome was often spotted cuddling up during public outings and they would also share snapshots of each other to social media. Their spiteful relationship didn't last very long though, likely because it was half publicity stunt and half revenge. It's super obvious that Selena and Orlando were never the real deal after all.

2 Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries

It's not really a shock that Kim Kardashian has a long history of faking relationships, but perhaps her biggest and most talked about fake romance was with professional basketball player Kris Humphries. Let's be honest, there isn't a person in the world who hasn't heard all about Kim and Kris' rollercoaster romance, extravagant made-for-TV wedding, and their fast as lightening divorce after a mere 72 days of marriage. Kris made his grievances with his soon to be ex-wife very public by accusing her of only marrying him for fame and financial gain. The NBA star requested that the judge grant them an annulment rather than a traditional divorce on the grounds of Kim committing fraud. It's super obvious Kris' allegations make sense - the pair filmed the entirety of their relationship for Keeping Up with the Kardashians in addition to scoring tons of promotional deals and media coverage. Over the course of their sham of a marriage, Kim and Kris reportedly earned an impressive $17.5 million in endorsements. Kim and Kris battled it out for over two years in court only to get a divorce in the end because Humphries was unable to provide actual proof of fraud. Even though the judge wasn't on his side, we all know the truth about their fake AF relationship.

1 Blac Chyna & Rob Kardashian

Seriously, did anyone ever believe that Blac Chyna and Rob K. were a real couple?! Their offbeat coupling was questionable right from the start, with Rob hiding from the spotlight for a number of years and Chyna having a reputation for being thirsty for money and fame. Chyna linked up with Rob shortly after his sister Kylie got serious about dating Chyna's ex, Tyga. The feud between Blac Chyna and the Kardashians wasn't a secret and everyone sensed that Chyna was up to no good when she romanced Rob. Their whirlwind relationship got real serious real fast when Chyna announced that after only a few months together they were engaged and she was expecting Rob's child. Chyna pulled a string of ridiculous fake-seeking moves like trying to trademark the last name “Kardashian” and pushing hard for their own reality show. On top of that, Chyna's Instagram was hacked and revealed a series of DM's between her and other guys. This hot and cold couple is broken up more than they were ever together and at this point everyone knows that Chyna's intentions were never genuine when it came to becoming the future Mrs. Kardashian. Rob's famous sisters have openly stated that they don't think that Chyna would be with him at all if it wasn't for the attention and fame that their relationship attracts and we would definitely have to agree!