- 6 months ago
Sometimes love stories don’t end the way we hope, and even celebrities feel the sting of divorce regrets. Join us as we explore heartfelt admissions from stars who opened up about their marital breakdowns and the lessons they wish they’d learned sooner. From Hollywood icons to music legends and tech moguls, see who’s shared the pain and reflection after their splits.
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00:00The 47-year-old calls his divorce from the actress, quote,
00:03the biggest regret of my life.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the celebrities
00:08who got candid about their marital breakdowns.
00:12Being married to a famous person, Reese Witherspoon.
00:14Ex. Ex, yeah.
00:17Number 10. Jennifer Aniston.
00:20During the aughts, you'd have to be living under a rock
00:23to miss the Brad and Jen media frenzy.
00:25With Brangelina taking over headlines,
00:28the world watched Aniston's marriage crumble in the tabloids.
00:31Even two decades later, fans still wonder what happened.
00:35I think it's a narrative that follows you
00:37because it's an interesting headline.
00:40It's more of a media-driven topic, you know.
00:44In a 2005 interview with Vanity Fair,
00:47Aniston offered a peek behind the curtain,
00:50admitting, there's a lot I would probably do differently.
00:53She elaborated that taking time off their careers
00:56to be together may have strengthened their relationship.
00:59You sit there going, well, how do I do that?
01:01You know, and you're frustrated,
01:02and then you get down on yourself
01:03because you're not there yet,
01:05and then you just realize one day it's just, it's happened.
01:08Brad Pitt reportedly carries some measure of regret as well.
01:12According to Us Weekly,
01:13the actor wishes he'd handled the end of their marriage
01:16in a more thoughtful manner.
01:18He has released a statement saying,
01:21it, quote,
01:21grieves me that this was interpreted this way.
01:24Jen is an incredibly giving, loving, and hilarious woman
01:26who remains my friend.
01:28Number nine, Robin Thicke.
01:30Just as Thicke's career skyrocketed
01:32with the smash hit Blurred Lines,
01:34his marriage to Paula Patton hit rock bottom.
01:37To his credit, the singer took most of the blame,
01:39making a series of grand overtures to win her back.
01:42Thicke began his public begging last Thursday
01:45at his first concert since the high school sweethearts
01:48announced their split last Monday.
01:50Then I'm trying to get my girl back.
01:52In addition to naming his next album after her
01:55and recording a heartfelt ballad,
01:57he even asked fans to ask Patton
01:59to give him another chance.
02:01Unfortunately, none of his grand gestures worked,
02:04and the pair filed for divorce in 2014.
02:07Although he didn't elaborate,
02:08Thicke said that he and Patton are separated
02:10because he wasn't always honest,
02:11adding, quote,
02:12I told my wife the truth,
02:14that's why she left me.
02:15In an interview with People magazine,
02:17Thicke admitted,
02:18it was a melting pot of trouble brewing,
02:21and I was so arrogant
02:22that I thought I could handle it all.
02:24I heard I saw you when your girlfriend sang,
02:27let's get you back tonight.
02:30Number eight, Bill Gates.
02:32For decades, Bill and Melinda Gates' marriage
02:35seemed built to last,
02:36which made their divorce all the more shocking.
02:38Their split was met with widespread public interest
02:42as private details of their union spilled out.
02:45It wasn't one moment or one specific thing that happened.
02:49There just came a point in time
02:51where there was enough there that I realized
02:52it just wasn't healthy,
02:54and I couldn't trust what we had.
02:56Just when the buzz had since simmered down,
02:58Bill made headlines again in January 2025
03:01in an interview with The Times of London.
03:03He reflected on the miserable divorce,
03:06calling it the mistake I regret the most.
03:09You had just been through a difficult time,
03:10and we talked at length about your separation
03:13and divorce from Melinda, your wife of 27 years,
03:16and you recently said that.
03:17That was the biggest regret of your life.
03:20His choice of words wasn't the most careful,
03:22with some misinterpreting it
03:24as regret over the marriage itself.
03:27Gates clarified on NBC's Today show,
03:29saying that even if I knew that it wouldn't last forever,
03:32I would still do it again.
03:34Divorce wasn't great.
03:35Having those three kids,
03:38the work we were able to do together,
03:41even if I knew that it wouldn't last forever,
03:45I would still do it again.
03:46Number seven, Courtney Cox.
03:48Much like their Scream characters,
03:50Courtney Cox and David Arquette's chemistry
03:52was undeniable.
03:54Tying the knot in 1999,
03:56the couple stayed together for over a decade
03:58before their 2010 separation.
04:00Officially divorcing three years later.
04:02Courtney Cox and David Arquette
04:05say they are separating after 11 years of marriage.
04:09In a joint statement,
04:10they said they made the decision a while back,
04:12but are still good friends.
04:13According to Cox,
04:14the breakup of their relationship
04:16wasn't due to a lack of effort.
04:18In an interview with More magazine,
04:20the actress explained,
04:21in divorce, you always have regret.
04:23We were married for a long time,
04:25so it's not like we didn't try.
04:27David is father to 13-year-old Coco Arquette,
04:30whose mother is Courtney Cox.
04:31And while Arquette and Cox's 11-year marriage
04:33ended in 2010,
04:35they remain good friends
04:36and work together to co-parent Coco.
04:38Although details behind their split remain private,
04:41Cox and Arquette have maintained
04:43a healthy friendship,
04:44with the actress calling Arquette
04:46her very best friend.
04:47We had a production company when we were married,
04:50and it's still,
04:51we love working together,
04:52and we're still really close friends.
04:54Number 6.
04:56Shaquille O'Neal
04:57By his own admission,
04:58the former basketball superstar
05:00had it all in his marriage with Shawnee Nelson.
05:03The pair, married from 2002 to 2011,
05:06faced numerous ups and downs
05:07before calling it quits.
05:09He always tells me he wants to have more kids,
05:11so I'm like, well,
05:12knock yourself out,
05:13because, you know,
05:14have a good time with that one.
05:15I think you've pushed over that hill now, sir.
05:19In his 2011 autobiography,
05:21Shaq Uncut,
05:23My Story,
05:23O'Neal takes full blame
05:25for their marital woes,
05:27admitting to his infidelity.
05:29Years later,
05:30speaking on the Pivot podcast,
05:31the athlete called himself greedy,
05:33claiming it was all me
05:35during their marriage.
05:36It was all me.
05:37I was just, look,
05:38we don't need to talk about what I was doing,
05:40but I wasn't,
05:41I wasn't protecting her
05:43and protecting those vows.
05:44Admitting he didn't fully value family life
05:47when he had it,
05:48O'Neal has expressed regret
05:49at letting it all slip away.
05:51While owning up to his mistakes
05:53on the big podcast,
05:54he called his time with Shawnee
05:56and his children
05:57the happiest days of my life.
05:59Do you think about what you gave up
06:01and do you have some regrets about that?
06:03I wouldn't say I have regrets,
06:05but, you know,
06:06in order to sometimes be great,
06:08you have to sacrifice a lot.
06:09My family was always there for me.
06:11Number five,
06:12Gavin Rossdale.
06:13The Bush frontman
06:14and Hollaback Girl singer
06:16kept their marriage intact
06:17for over a decade
06:19before announcing their separation in 2015.
06:22In her divorce filing,
06:23Stefani cited Rossdale's alleged affair
06:25with their children's nanny
06:26as a key factor.
06:28The 46-year-old singer
06:29candidly admits
06:30that she was in hell
06:31after her split from Gavin
06:32who allegedly cheated on her
06:34with their nanny.
06:35Things took a bitter turn
06:36before their divorce
06:37was finalized the following year.
06:39Speaking on the Amy and TJ podcast,
06:41Rossdale called their separation
06:43The Simple Shame in My Life.
06:45My parents were both married
06:46three times each.
06:47Wow.
06:48You know,
06:48it's a sort of very colourful background
06:50and so I never thought
06:52I'd ever get divorced.
06:54So if there's a simple shame
06:55in my life,
06:56it's that.
06:56He also described
06:57the effect it had
06:58on their children
06:59as debilitating,
07:00regretting the impact
07:01the split had on them.
07:02To avoid repeating past mistakes,
07:04the singer takes extra care
07:06not to speak negatively
07:07about his ex,
07:08hoping to protect their children
07:10from further disappointment.
07:11I've never heard you say
07:13one bad thing about Gwen.
07:15Right.
07:15Why would I?
07:17I wouldn't ever do that.
07:18Did you make that decision
07:19from day one?
07:21It comes real natural to me.
07:23Number four.
07:23Ryan Phillippe.
07:24Among the hottest
07:25young couples of their time,
07:27Ryan Phillippe
07:28and Reese Witherspoon's
07:29relationship dominated tabloids,
07:31convincing many
07:32that they were in it
07:33for the long haul.
07:34But it wasn't to be.
07:36Was that part of the problem?
07:38Two people in the same business?
07:40No.
07:40Well, I think more of the problem
07:42was age, you know,
07:44when we got together so young.
07:45In 2006,
07:47The Cruel Intentions co-stars
07:48announced their separation,
07:50initiating divorce proceedings
07:51that lasted
07:52the next two years.
07:54In an interview with W Magazine,
07:56Phillippe looked back
07:57at this period
07:58with mixed feelings,
07:59referring to it
08:00as the worst time
08:01in my life.
08:02You were married
08:03to Reese Witherspoon
08:04and you're remaining?
08:05We are,
08:06and things are great.
08:07You know,
08:07it's so important too
08:08as divorced parents,
08:09I think,
08:09to keep that connection.
08:11The actor recalled
08:12isolating himself
08:13in his house for days
08:14to avoid paparazzi,
08:15calling it
08:16a disturbing environment
08:17for his then
08:18eight-year-old daughter.
08:19While he has since
08:20moved past it,
08:21the media spotlight
08:22hovering over his
08:23and Witherspoon's
08:24separation
08:25left a lasting mark.
08:26Though she's now
08:35mainly known
08:35as Kris Jenner,
08:37there was a time
08:37when she was
08:38Kris Kardashian.
08:39Her marriage
08:40to Robert Kardashian,
08:41which lasted
08:42from 1978
08:43to 1991,
08:44was complicated
08:45by her affair
08:46with Todd Waterman.
08:47When I got divorced,
08:50Robert and I
08:50became best friends.
08:52We talked on the phone
08:53all day long,
08:54helped each other
08:55through things
08:55all the time
08:56and I did have regrets.
08:59In an episode
09:00of The Kardashians,
09:01Kris opened up
09:02about her past
09:03indiscretion.
09:04Ashamed of the mistakes
09:05made in her youth,
09:06the socialite remembered
09:07her former husband fondly,
09:09calling him
09:10a great husband
09:11and great dad.
09:12Well, what was my dad
09:13not doing
09:14that made you
09:16want to look elsewhere?
09:20I don't know
09:20because he was
09:21such a great husband
09:22and such a great dad.
09:23The pair mended
09:24their friendship
09:24before his death
09:25in 2003.
09:27Still,
09:27Kris has taken
09:28responsibility
09:28for her actions,
09:30considering the infidelity
09:31that ended her marriage
09:32as her life's biggest regret.
09:34I thought that the grass
09:36was greener
09:36somewhere else
09:37and I made a huge mistake.
09:40That's like
09:41my life's biggest regret.
09:43Number 2.
09:44Will Smith
09:44Before his name
09:45was forever entangled
09:46with Jada Pinkett,
09:48Will Smith
09:48was first married
09:49to Cherie Zampino.
09:51The marriage lasted
09:52three years,
09:53during which Zampino
09:54gave birth to Smith's
09:55first son,
09:56Trey.
09:57Trey is the only child
09:58of Smith and Zampino
09:59who divorced in 1995
10:01and later developed
10:02an amicable
10:03co-parenting relationship.
10:05Although Will moved on
10:06with Jada,
10:06the breakdown
10:07of his first marriage
10:08continues to haunt him.
10:09In an episode
10:10of Pinkett Smith's
10:11Red Table Talk series,
10:13the actor revealed
10:14that divorce
10:14was the ultimate
10:15failure for me.
10:16And it's like
10:17I knew
10:18that was the woman
10:19I was supposed
10:20to be with
10:21but I was never
10:22getting divorced.
10:23Right.
10:25I don't get divorced.
10:26Separating from the mother
10:27of his then
10:28two-year-old child
10:29hit him hard
10:30and Smith still
10:31considers it
10:32the worst thing
10:32in my adult life.
10:34To add insult to injury,
10:35Zampino filed for divorce
10:37on Valentine's Day.
10:38Cherie filed for divorce.
10:40She hit me hard.
10:41Cherie filed for divorce
10:42on Valentine's Day.
10:43Woo!
10:43I was like,
10:47ouch!
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11:04Number one,
11:05Ben Affleck.
11:06The truth was
11:07we took our time,
11:09we made the decision,
11:10we didn't want to show
11:11the kind of,
11:12we grew apart,
11:14we had a marriage
11:14that didn't work.
11:16This happens.
11:17From the oughts
11:17to the mid-2010s,
11:19Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
11:20were among Hollywood's
11:22iconic it-couples.
11:23For a decade,
11:24their marriage
11:25was seen as a benchmark
11:26for success
11:27until the pair
11:28announced their separation
11:29in 2015.
11:30Coming just a day
11:31after their 10-year anniversary,
11:32Ben Affleck and his wife,
11:34Jennifer Garner,
11:35calling it quits.
11:36Affleck's life
11:37took a steep downturn
11:38soon after,
11:39with his troubles
11:40frequently highlighted
11:41in the press.
11:42Years later,
11:43the actor opened up
11:44about his past struggles,
11:45which stemmed from
11:46his alcohol use disorder.
11:48Speaking to the New York Times,
11:49Affleck viewed the end
11:51of his marriage
11:51with Garner
11:52as the biggest regret
11:53of my life,
11:54adding that shame
11:55is really toxic.
11:57Then you do more of it
11:58to make that discomfort
11:59go away.
12:00Then the real pain starts.
12:02It becomes a vicious cycle
12:03you can't break.
12:04He echoed these statements
12:06in another interview
12:07with the Sydney Morning Herald,
12:09labelling the divorce
12:10as a very painful experience.
12:12Ultimately,
12:12we tried,
12:13we tried,
12:14we tried
12:14because we had kids
12:15and then we said,
12:16both of us felt like
12:17we don't want this
12:19to be the model
12:19that our kids see of marriage.
12:21Which failed Hollywood marriage
12:22lives rent-free in your mind?
12:24Let us know in the comments.
12:26Did we have moments of tension?
12:27Did we have disagreements
12:28over the custody?
12:29Was stuff difficult for us?
12:31Did we get angry?
12:31Yes.
12:39Did we have moments of tension?
12:40Did we have moments of tension?
12:41Did we have moments of tension?
12:42Did we have moments of tension?
12:43Did we have moments of tension?
12:44Did we have moments of tension?
12:45Did we have moments of tension?
12:46Did we have moments of tension?
12:47Did we have moments of tension?
12:48Did we have moments of tension?
12:49Did we have moments of tension?
12:50Did we have moments of tension?
12:51Did we have moments of tension?
12:52Did we have moments of tension?
12:53Did we have moments of tension?
12:54Did we have moments of tension?
12:55Did we have moments of tension?
12:56Did we have moments of tension?
12:57Did we have moments of tension?
12:58Did we have moments of tension?
12:59Did we have moments of tension?
13:00Did we have moments of tension?
13:01Did we have moments of tension?
13:02Did we have moments of tension?
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