2020 has been a challenging year in many respects. The stress the year has brought is evident by the number of celebrity divorces that have occurred. Here are the top 20 divorces of the year.
- 1. Tracy Morgan and Megan Wollover
-
After five years of marriage, comedian
Tracy Morgan and wife Megan Wollover have filed for divorce. The couple have a prenuptial agreement. However, that does not seem to be preventing conflict. Morgan is seeking joint legal custody of their child while Wollover is asking for sole legal and physical
custody. Morgan wants Wollover to be required to change her name back to her pre-marital name and no longer be able to use Morgan as a surname.
- 2. Dr. Dre and Nicole Young
-
After 24 years of marriage, rapper and owner of Beats and Death Row Records, Dr. Dre and wife Nicole Young filed for divorce in California based on irreconcilable differences in June. Young alleges that she was coerced into signing a prenup. Dre’s wealth is estimated at $800 million. The divorce has become extremely contentious, with Dre alleging that Young embezzled money from his company, Record One.
Young has responded by alleging Dre was physically and emotionally abusive and that he is hiding assets and kicked her out of their shared home. Other issues in the divorce include ownership of trademarks as well as spousal support, with Young requesting $2 million per month.
- 3. Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock
-
Former American Idol and host of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly Clarkson filed for divorce in June after almost seven years of marriage from Brandon Blackstock. The couple has two young children, River and Remington. Clarkson cited irreconcilable differences and requested joint custody of their children. The couple signed a prenuptial agreement, and Clarkson is asking that its terms be enforced.
- 4. Sean Hannity and Jill Rhodes
-
Fox News host Sean Hannity and wife Jill Rhodes reportedly divorced in 2019 after a lengthy separation, but news of the divorce did not become public until this year. The couple had been married for 26 years. The divorce is characterized as amicable. They share two minor children.
- 5. Jordana Brewster and Andrew Form
-
After 13 years of marriage,
Fast and Furious star
Jordana Brewster and producer husband Andrew Form filed for divorce in July. The couple shares two minor children.
- 6. Thomas Middleditch and Mollie Gates
-
Silicon Valley actor Thomas Middleditch and his costume designer wife of four years, Mollie Gates, filed for divorce based on irreconcilable differences in May. The couple has no children. Gates is seeking spousal support. After they married, the couple agreed to have an open marriage. The couple had been writing a TV series about sex parties.
- 7. Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich
-
After a three-year marriage, the former Dancing with the Stars star Julianne Hough and hockey player husband Brooks Laich have separated. The couple has not yet filed for divorce.
- 8. Chris Powell and Heidi Powell
-
Extreme Weight Loss trainers Chris and Heidi Powell filed to end their 10-year marriage in May. The couple share two minor children. The couple came close to divorce several years ago. Heidi wrote about how having sex every day for 30 days saved their marriage at the time and challenged other couples to take the 30 Day Sex Challenge.
- 9. Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green
-
90210 star
Brian Austin Green and
Transformers actress Megan Fox filed for divorce in May after being married for 10 years. The couple previously filed for divorce in 2015, but withdrew the case after Fox became pregnant with their third child. At the time of that filing,
Green reportedly was suffering from stroke-like symptoms. Fox has been seen with rapper Machine Gun Kelly since the filing.
- 10. Steve Howey and Sarah Shahi
-
Sarah Shahi, actress on the L Word and Chicago Fire, was married to Steve Howey star of Shameless for 11 years. They filed for divorce in May. The couple filed under irreconcilable differences. The couple has three children.
- 11. Andre Royo and Jane Choi
-
Andre Royo, star of The Wire, was served with divorce papers by his makeup artist wife Jane Choi in June. The couple has been married for 22 years. Choi is not requesting spousal support, and the couple’s only child is an adult.
- 12. Kyle Newman and Jaime King
-
Director Kyle Newman and model/actress Jaime King filed for divorce in May. The 12-year marriage is not ending quietly. Newman claims that King emptied their joint bank accounts and filed for an unjustified restraining order against him. Newman was left with no money to hire an attorney and had to borrow from friends. The couple attempted mediation prior to the court filing. Newman is seeking child and spousal support, claiming he is a stay at home parent. Newman has alleged the King is an unfit parent.
- 13. Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy
-
Full House star and half of the famous Olsen twins,
Mary-Kate Olsen filed for divorce in April against her husband, Olivier Sarkozy, after a five-year marriage. A New York court initially rejected Olsen’s filing because it was filed during the COVID-19 shutdown. She then filed an emergency petition seeking Sarkozy’s removal from their home.
The divorce was reportedly precipitated because Sarkozy moved his ex-wife and children into their home during quarantine. The couple has a prenuptial agreement which Olsen is seeking to enforce. She is also asking that Sarkozy pay her medical and dental expenses.
- 14. Pamela Anderson and Jon Peters
-
Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson secretly married producer Jon Peters in January. Twelve days later the pair split. Anderson’s spokesperson said that the pair never signed any papers (such as a marriage license) and so were not legally married. It’s unclear if the couple was actually married.
- 15. James Cannon and Joanne Froggatt
-
Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt and husband James Cannon separated in February after seven years of marriage. The couple has not yet filed for divorce. Froggatt announced the split and said they would continue to run a production company together despite the change in their relationship.
- 16. Jennifer Gray and Clark Gregg
-
Best known for her role in Dirty Dancing, actress Jennifer Grey announced in July that she and Clark Gregg, known for his role in The Avengers, had separated after 19 years of marriage. Gregg filed for divorce in August. They share two grown children. No other details are known.
- 17. Stacy Dash and Jeffrey Marty
-
Clueless star
Stacy Dash filed for divorce in June after a two-year marriage to Jeffrey Marty. Two months before the filing, Dash was arrested in a
domestic violence incident involving her husband. Marty paid the fee to get her out of jail after the arrest.
- 18. Casey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly
-
Singer Casey Musgraves and husband Ruston Kelly announced they were divorcing in July. The couple has a prenuptial agreement which they agreed to follow. They reached a divorce settlement in September. As part of the agreement, they will put their home up for sale, and Musgraves will get 84.4 percent of the sale price.
- 19. Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers
-
Armie Hammer, known for his role in Call Me By Your Name, and journalist Elizabeth Chambers filed for divorce in July after a ten-year marriage. Chambers is seeking spousal support, joint legal custody, and primary physical custody of the couple’s children. The parties do not agree on the date of separation, which may impact their property division. Hammer is the great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer and comes from a wealthy family. The couple reportedly has no prenuptial agreement.
- 20. Ray J and Princess Love
-
Rapper and actor Ray J (famous for the sex tape he made with Kim Kardashian) filed for divorce against wife Princess Love in September. Princess Love previously filed for divorce and then requested that the filing be dismissed. The couple shares two children.