15 Celebs Who Got Married And Divorced Before 30
If it seems like celebrity romances come and go faster than regular relationships, it's because they totally do. It's certainly no secret that some of Hollywood's biggest names have been known to swiftly enter whirlwind relationships only to rush into marriage before they even really get to know each other, and more importantly, themselves. It can be difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality when you're living a charmed celebrity lifestyle, and it's easy to get blinded by the glitz and glamor of the spotlight. Of course, when you're a tinsel-town superstar, rushing into fast-paced relationships is the norm. Young stars are especially likely to fall hard and fast when it comes to matters of the heart, resulting in a number of stars getting married and ultimately divorced long before they even hit their thirties. These singers, actors, and entertainers know a thing or two about walking down the aisle and running right to divorce court soon after. Here are 15 celebs who were married and divorced before turning 30.
15 Britney Spears
Of course, Britney Spears is unequivocally one of the biggest pop stars of all time, but somehow her personal life just doesn't seem to match her professional success. The first sign of Britney's eagerness to settle down was in 2004 when she impulsively married her childhood friend Jason Alexander. The star and her new husband tied the knot one blurry night in Las Vegas and the rest was history. Quickly realizing the errors of her ways, Brit filed for an annulment a mere 55 hours later, resulting in her first failed attempt at marriage at only 22 years old. Though her first experience with marriage was tough, it wasn't quite enough to deter her from wanting to be a wife. Britney found love (or at least infatuation) once more that same year with backup dancer Kevin Federline. In true celebrity fashion, their romance was incredibly fast-paced. Over the next three years, Britney and K-Fed got married and welcomed two children into the world, but even that just wasn't enough to make their marriage last. By 2007, Britney and Kevin were totally over, making the super famous songstress only 25 at the time of her very public divorce.
14 Kim Kardashian
The odds are super high that you've heard all about Kim Kardashian's highly publicized marriages to NBA player Kris Humphries and rapper Kanye West. But few people know that she was both married and divorced long before she found fame. That's right, Kim went against her family's wishes and married music producer Damon Thomas in 2000 when she was just 19 and he was 29. The couple shocked everyone when they eloped in Las Vegas, only to split up three years later. It was Thomas who filed for divorce from Kim in 2003, leading her to accuse Thomas of being incredibly controlling and physically abusive during the course of their relationship. Kim alleged that her then-husband forced her to quit her job and cut off all contact with her ex-boyfriends, friends, and even family, in addition to wanting to know where she was at all times. Thomas' possessive ways were just the tip of the iceberg for the future reality star, further alleging that he physically assaulted her multiple times. Thankfully, their toxic romance and bitter divorce finally came to an end in 2004, and Thomas was ordered to pay his ex-wife $56,000.
13 Solange Knowles
Let's face it, everyone knows Solange Knowles for being the sister of one of the biggest names in music of all time. But aside from just being Beyonce's little sis, Solange has definitely marched to the beat of her own drum. Solange surprisingly tied the knot in 2004 when she was only 17 and her husband, Daniel Smith, was still a teen himself at just 19. That same year, Solange gave birth to the couple's son. By the time 2007 rolled around, the star confirmed to the press that she and her beau had made the decision to end their marriage. Although Solange has publicly expressed how difficult it was to get both married and divorced by the time most people her age are still in college, she has found strength in the struggle. Solange recently spoke about her past in an interview with Essence magazine, saying, “Just going through a marriage and a divorce which I essentially did by 21-will give you an insane amount of perspective on life." She has said that she matured at a much faster pace than her peers due to the adult situations she was faced with in her early twenties.
12 Alexa Vega
Alexa Vega established herself as an actress while playing Carmen Cortez in the successful series of Spy Kids films, but most of us are likely to best remember her from her recent stint on Dancing With The Stars alongside her current husband, Carlos Pena. While the couple is totally in love and just welcomed their first bundle of joy to their growing family, many don't know that Vega was already married once before. In her early twenties, Alexa fell in love with Sean Covel, a film producer 13 years her senior. Despite their considerable age difference, the couple tied the knot in October of 2010 after being engaged for a year. The bride had just celebrated her 22nd birthday a few months prior to her walk down the aisle. Not surprisingly, things didn't work out for the couple and Vega filed for divorce less than two years later citing irreconcilable differences. The couple was officially divorced by 2012, making Alexa just shy of 24 at the time she went from “Mrs” back to “Miss.” Perhaps it was their giant age difference that drove a wedge between Alexa and her first husband, but there appears to be no love lost between the former couple. When Vega became engaged to Carlos Pena in 2013, Covel congratulated his ex-wife and her new beau on Twitter.
11 Jessica Simpson
Much like her older sister, Ashlee Simpson got both married and divorced at an early age. Ashlee began her romance with Fall Out Boy frontman Pete Wentz in 2006 and they had gotten hitched two years later. Two weeks following their wedding, the newlyweds announced they were expecting a child together. Everything seemed great for Simpson and Wentz, but like most fast-paced Hollywood romances, their love burned out almost as quickly as things started to heat up. It was Ashlee who filed for divorce in early 2011 citing irreconcilable differences as the main factor that caused their marriage to dissipate. Ashlee was just 26 at the time her divorced was finalized, the same age Jessica was at the time of her divorce. Many sources have stated that Pete wanted to work on their marriage instead of calling it quits, but it was Ashlee who allegedly decided that they had simply “married too young” and moved too fast for their love to go the distance.
9 Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe were serious staples of the late 90s, but few might remember just how young they both were when they settled down and started a family. Actress Witherspoon met fellow actor Phillippe in 1997 at her 21st birthday. By 1999, the couple had already tied the knot and welcomed the first of their two children into the world, making Reese almost 23 at the time she became 'Mrs. Phillippe'. Hollywood's golden couple seemed like nothing could ever tear them apart, but come October 2006, the couple announced that they intended to end their marriage. Both Reese and Ryan have acknowledged that age played a major factor in their decision to part ways, with Ryan adding that their celebrity status put additional pressure on their already stressful situation, saying, "I think more of the problem was age. When we got together we were so young. I think it can create issues with two people in this industry because there's so much noise that goes along with it."
8 Hilary Duff
While most other former Disney channel stars decided to rebel in their teens and early twenties, Hilary Duff was busy settling down and starting a family. Of course, Hilary has famously dated some well-known celebs such as Aaron Carter and Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte, but it was professional hockey player Mike Comrie who seriously stole her heart. The couple announced their engagement in February of 2010 and tied the knot that same year, just one month shy of Duff's 23rd birthday. The couple had a son together in 2012, and everyone thought for sure that if there was a celebrity who could maintain a happy and healthy marriage, it would be Hilary Duff. That's why most of us were super shocked when the couple announced their decision to end their marriage in 2014 after only two years as Mr. and Mrs. Hilary was just 26 years old at the time of their split, although the former flames didn't push forward with the divorce proceedings until over a year later. Their union officially came to an end by 2016, making Hilary a divorcee at the age of 28.
7 Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is one of Hollywood's most sought after leading ladies, but even she couldn't seem to juggle her budding career along with her high-profile celebrity romance as a young 20-something. The actress fell head-over-heels for rising star and big time heartthrob, Ryan Reynolds - and lucky for her, the feelings were mutual. The power pair got hitched in 2008 when Scarlett was just 23 and Ryan was 31. Johansson and Reynolds' relationship brought them a lot of attention in the media, which perhaps was a factor in their marriage failing to go the distance. After a brief two years as husband and wife, the pair announced their separation in 2010. The following year Scarlett was a single woman once again, making Johansson 25 years old at the time she officially became a divorcee. In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, Scarlett alluded to what may have been the reason for her first marriage's untimely demise, stating, “There has to be a real understanding of how you share your time, especially when two people's careers are going at the same rate. If one person is more successful than the other, that also proves challenging. There may be a competitive thing. The logistics of being with another actor are challenging”.
6 Sophia Bush
One Tree Hill was one of the most popular teen dramas on television, and it seemed like everybody wanted a piece of the show's breakout stars, Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray. While Bush and Murray were portraying lovers Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott on the small screen, things between the pair heated up off-screen as well. During the peak of the show's success, the two stars began dating and announced their engagement in 2004. The young lovebirds got married April of the following year, but once September rolled the newlyweds were already headed straight for splitsville. After a short five month marriage, Bush formally filed for an annulment citing fraud as the reason behind their breakup. The judge denied her request for an annulment and granted the co-stars a proper divorce instead. At just 23 years old, Sophia Bush was able to refer to her on-screen love interest as her real life ex-husband. To make things more awkward, Sophia and Chad still had to work together on set for another six years after their divorce. If that's not super cringe-worthy, we're not sure what is! Long after One Tree Hill's cancelation, Bush appeared on Watch What Happens: Live and shed some light on why she and Murray couldn't make their marriage work, simply stating, “We were two stupid kids who had no business being in a relationship in the first place.”
5 Avril Lavigne
Canadian singer/songwriter Avril Lavigne skyrocketed to super fame when she was just a teen with the release of one super catchy hit song after the next. Aside from an impressive amount of professional success, Lavigne also won the heart of Sum 41 frontman, Deryck Whibley. The two musicians had been friends since Avril was 17 and they became romantically involved two years later. In the summer of 2005, Whibley popped the question to his bride-to-be, and the two got married one year later when Lavigne was 21. It certainly seemed like Avril and Deryck could beat the odds and make their love go the distance -- Deryck even had his name legally changed to Deryck Lavigne Whibley to show his undying devotion to his new bride. Unfortunately, celebrity couples often break up at rapid rates, and even this duo was no exception. Lavigne filed for divorce in 2009 and the rock star couple parted ways for good. Avril Lavigne was officially divorced before her 26th birthday.
4 Uma Thurman
She's had an awesome career as an actress, but some of us might remember Uma Thurman for her marriage to fellow actor Ethan Hawke, but way before those two stars collided, Thurman was married to another well-known star. Thurman met actor, filmmaker, and musician Gary Oldman while filming the movie State of Grace in 1990. Oldman was 32 at the time, whereas Thurman was only 20, but their significant age gap didn't stop the co-stars from falling in love fast. Uma and Gary married that same year, only to end up divorced come 1992. Uma Thurman was only 22 at the time and was officially a divorcee for the first time. It's super obvious to blame their rushed nuptials and Thurman's age as the reason why their marriage went south, but we also have to account for the simple fact that trying to sustain a long, meaningful marriage in Hollywood is no easy task.
3 Kate Hudson
Over the years, Kate Hudson has been linked to a number of rock musicians, so it's pretty safe to assume that she has a type when it comes to her love interests. Of course, her affinity for rockers all started when she crossed paths with Chris Robinson, the lead singer of the band The Black Crowes. The happy couple married in late 2000 in Aspen, Colorado, when Hudson was barely 22 years old. The pair went on to welcome a son together four years later and the future was looking bright for Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. It seemed like Kate and Chris were really meant to be, but in August of 2006 Hudson shockingly announced their separation to the public. It was Chris who formally filed for divorce three months later, with “irreconcilable differences” being the vague reason behind their split. Their divorce was finalized in late 2007, making Kate Hudson just 28 at the time. Following her big split, Hudson spoke publicly about why divorce was the only option at the time, saying, “Chris and I divorced for the right reasons - we just didn't work. But we remain extremely close.”
2 Leann Rimes
Country music singer Leann Rimes discovered success at an early age and in 2001 the songbird found true love with backup dancer Dean Shermet… or so we all thought. The couple wed in 2002 when Leann was just 20, and for many of the next couple of years, Rimes and Shermet lived happily ever after. It wasn't until 2009 that things all came crashing down for the pair when tabloids exposed all of the juicy details of her extramarital affair. Rimes had signed on to star in a Lifetime movie alongside actor Eddie Cibrian, who was married to future Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville at the time. Once photo and video footage of the twosome getting too close for comfort were released, both Leann and Eddie's marriages came to a screeching halt. That year, Rimes announced that she and Shermet would be getting divorced, and in 2010 their marriage was officially absolved, making Leann 28 at the time of her newly single status. In a not so shocking twist, Leann went on to marry for the second time… to none other than her cheating counterpart, Eddie Cibrian.
1 Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie's love life has always been a hot topic in the press, and of course, recently, she's found herself front and center amidst another scandalous divorce battle from long-time partner, Brad Pitt. Long before Brangelina became a thing, a young Jolie had her sights set on another actor named Johnny Lee Miller. The twosome met in 1995 on the set of the movie Hackers where their real life love story blossomed. Jolie and Miller hastily tied the knot in 1996 when the actress was just 21 years old. As we all know, their marriage definitely didn't go the distance, and they separated the following year. As quick as they were to get married, neither Jolie nor Miller were equally as eager to actually file for divorce, but Jolie was eventually the one to finally make the movie in 1999, and the notion was granted shortly after. Angelina was only 24 at the time of her first divorce. Following the split, the mega star immediately went on to marry once again. This time, Jolie married fellow actor Billy Bob Thornton in 2000 during a trip to Las Vegas. The couple adopted a son in 2002 only to suddenly part ways just three months later. Their divorce was finalized in 2003, making Angelina Jolie 28 with two failed marriages to her name.