As celebrities, it can be difficult to protect your privacy when you’re going through turbulent times as a couple. Before the final separations or divorces made headlines, stars like Ariana Grande, Elliot Page, and Meryl Streep all weathered storms and emotional battles out of the spotlight, hiding their fallouts for months (and even years!) before dropping breakup bombshells to the public and paparazzi.
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith
In 2023, Jada revealed on the Today show that she and Will had actually been secretly separated for seven years, living their own lives. She also discussed her relationship with Will on Jay Shetty’s podcast, saying that they went through multiple breakups during their time and that the “ultimate break” came in 2016, though the world had no idea.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
Just weeks after their 45th anniversary, it was revealed that Meryl Streep and her husband had actually split up six weeks before. The couple hadn’t been seen together since 2018, but she was still wearing her wedding band until the announcement. Streep’s rep said, “Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than six years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart.”
Haley Lu Richardson and Brett Dier
This couple broke up two years before Haley put the news on her Instagram Story. In 2022, she posted a picture of the two with the caption, “Hey guys. This is me and Brett. We actually separated two years ago. But life goes on and we are both existing and doing pretty well, turns out. We shared a deeply special chunk of our lives together. I’m so glad to have had the last couple years to heal and grow without the internet knowing but we kinda just wanted to share it and move on now.”
Florence Pugh and Zach Braff
Florence revealed in a 2022 interview that she and the “Scrubs” actor broke up but wanted to avoid public speculation, keeping things quiet. She acknowledged that their relationship was something everybody had an opinion on and thought it would be better not to share something many were rooting for. Still, they remained good friends and continued to work together.
Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis
PEOPLE Magazine released an exclusive in 2020 that Olivia and Jason had gone their separate ways, but a source said they had split months before the news was officially announced. The source called the breakup “amicable” and said the duo easily fell into a healthy co-parenting routine. Despite these claims, the actors had a child custody case that was very public, though they claim to be in “a good place” now, according to an insider.
Lauren Graham and Peter Krause
When these two met on the set of “Parenthood” in 2015, sparks flew, and they remained in a relationship after the show ended. They stayed together for over 10 years. But in 2022, Lauren’s rep told PEOPLE the couple had “quietly ended their relationship” the year before. They were known as one of Hollywood’s most low-key couples.
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez
This pop star has had her share of high-profile relationships, but she surprised everyone when she started dating a real estate broker, and the couple ended up marrying. However, after she was seen at Wimbledon without her wedding ring, news broke that the former couple had been “quietly and lovingly working on their friendship” since the split.
Elliot Page and Emma Portner
This famous power couple was married for three years before finally announcing their divorce in January 2021. However, in reality, they were estranged for months before they shared their decision with the world. In a joint statement, they said they had the “utmost respect for each other” but “made the difficult decision to divorce” after splitting last summer.
Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres
After 15 years of marriage, Laurence Fishburne filed for divorce from Gina Torres after 14 years of loving marriage. The reason they cited was “irreconcilable differences,” and Gina put out a statement in 2017, saying “With heavy hearts, Laurence and I quietly separated and began the dissolution of our marriage in the early fall of last year,” making it clear that there were “no bad guys” in the split.
Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton
Hollywood’s spookiest couple was #relationshipgoals for the 13 years they spent together as both a couple and professional collaborators. However, they finally broke up in 2014 with the announcement that they had “separated amicably” earlier that year. Her app said they maintained a friendship and co-parenting relationship, and they even worked together again on the “Alice in Wonderland” sequel in 2016.
