Why Do Celebrities Divorce?

It’s been a bad week in Hollywood. Several high profile couples have announced their marriages are over. While we’ve come to expect celebrity couples to divorce, their break-ups should rebuke us far more than we realize.

Celebrities divorce for four major reasons:

1. Bad preparation. Many marriages are doomed from the “I do.” Failing to make wise choices before a marriage greatly hinders marital satisfaction. Celebrities are far less likely to make wise choices while dating. They ignore major differences in age, background, and religion. They are more likely to live together before marriage and not seek pre-marital counseling before the engagement. The more powerful a person, the less likely they are to have someone in their life who can truly tell them “no.” All of these circumstances make marriage more difficult. (See: Date Well to Marry Well)

2. Adultery. Unfaithfulness does not guarantee a divorce, but it does make it likely. While adultery is at epidemic rates around the country, it is even more common in Hollywood. Not only does the culture expect adultery, fame provides more opportunity to be unfaithful. Every married couple must take serious actions to protect their marriages, but a celebrity couple must be even more diligent. Adultery happens in a common marriage because of apathy; it can happen in a celebrity marriage because of aggressive people desiring to have a rendezvous with fame.

3. Economic choice. Money provides opportunities. While an average couple might be more likely to stick it out because divorce is expensive, a celebrity couple often has the financial ability to break-up without serious consequences. The divorce might hurt, but both parties are able to survive whereas the average couple may not have the same freedom.

4. Failure to Prioritize. Many celebrity couples never have a true marriage. They might be legally bound to one another, but they fail to prioritize marriage over individual careers or desires. If he’s in Hollywood and she is in Nashville that’s okay for a night. It’s acceptable for a week. But when it becomes the norm, the marriage cannot thrive. The demands on many celebrities to be away from home (and therefore away from each other) greatly decreases the likelihood of a successful marriage. Unless a couple is diligent in spending time together, making one another a priority, and molding their career around their marriage, staying together will be very difficult. A healthy marriage demands a quantity of quality time. Without it, a marriage will die. (See: One Thing You Must Show Your Spouse)

These four qualities make marriage in Hollywood more difficult. Yet notice that each characteristic provides a danger for any marriage. If you are unmarried, you should take the first point to heart and choose wisely when you date. But if you are already married, you can’t re-do the first point. You can, however, take seriously the last three ideas.

You can guard your own heart and the heart of your marriage. (See: You Will Have an Affair If…)
You can use economic choice in order to better your marriage (i.e. see a counselor, attend a marriage retreat, etc) rather than using it to get out of your commitments. (See: 15 Tips for a Better Marriage)
You can be diligent in scheduling time with your spouse which is both plentiful and meaningful. (See: No Wonder You Don’t Love Each Other)

Yet whenever a famous couple divorces, their break-up should be a stern rebuke to a common misbelief among non-celebrities. We often think fame and money are the keys to success and happiness. We foolishly believe that if we just had more money, life would be easy. We wrongly believe if we were more successful we would be happier. However, week after week we see people with more money and fame experience the heartache of divorce.

Money and fame might appear to be fun, but they are not the keys to a satisfying life. Without a doubt, learning sound financial principles would help any marriage, but just having more money would not change your marital problems. The power which comes with fame might be enjoyable, but being more powerful would not make marriage easier.

While celebrities might sit in more expensive houses, eat at more elaborate restaurants, and travel to more exotic places, the basic connection between a man and a woman is no different whether someone is famous or not. What is required for a successful marriage is the same whether someone is rich or poor.

Every good marriage requires: