What Causes Celebrity Divorces?

Russell Brand and Katy Perry among many early 2012 divorces

The rash of celebrity divorces in 2011—Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz, to name a few—has continued into the new year. With only a few months of 2012 on the books, already two high-profile couples have called it quits.

News broke around the start of the year that British comedian Russell Brand and American pop singer Katy Perry were ending their marriage of just over one year. While gossip had circulated for months alluding to their impending split, most of the world was still surprised when Mr. Brand filed a petition for dissolution of marriage on December 30th, citing irreconcilable differences.

Perhaps even more shocking was the January 23rd announcement that supermodel and TV host Heidi Klum and her husband, soul/R&B singer Seal would divorce after nearly seven years together. Not much is known of a specific reason for their split, as Ms. Klum also cited irreconcilable differences in her filing. However, there is already speculation about their monetary worth and whether a prenuptial agreement exists.

Fame and marriage

So why do so many famous, successful couples lack success when it comes to marriage? Sometimes part of it is living in the public eye or failing to adopt a more cooperative lifestyle that suits two busy careers. Many celebrity couples face criticism for jumping into marriages too quickly, before they are truly ready to make such a commitment. And of course, a spouse committing adultery is often a deal-breaker.

In reality, most of these are reasons that any separating couple may cite for ending a marriage, regardless of celebrity. Any New York divorce lawyer has undoubtedly seen his or her share of splits caused by serious disagreements, adultery or incompatibility. Furthermore, the issues non-celebrity couples face in divorce are not so different from those of their famous counterparts. All divorcing couples must arrange division of property, equitable distribution of collective assets, child custody schedules, child and spousal support, and settling of debts.

Celebrity or not, some couples arrive at settlement through collaboration or early phases of litigation, while others who are unable to cooperate go to trial and require a judge to make certain decisions. The key to achieving satisfying results is enlisting the help of a qualified Manhattan divorce attorney who knows how to handle whatever situations arise.