13 Celebrity Couples Who Called It Quits After Decades of Marriage
09/15/2024 11:15 AM
From Meryl Streep and Don Gummer to Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus, these famous couples' decades-long marriages came to an end.
Romance can be fleeting in Hollywood but there are some famous couples who have stood the test of time for many years -- and sometimes even decades! But after all that time together, there are relationships that just don't work out and it's in everyone's best interest to call it quits, no matter how long they had been married. While filing for divorce after decades of marriage can be painful, many of these couples say that they're just grateful for all the happy years they had together.
Find out which couples decided to end things after years together…
1. Meryl Streep & Don Gummer
Married: 39 years
Meryl Streep first met Don Gummer in 1978 when her brother introduced them. They got married just six months later. The couple welcomed four children and were together for over three decades. It wasn't until 2023 that they announced that they had parted ways -- and had actually been separated for six years by that time.
"Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than 6 years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart," Meryl reptold People.
2. Dan Aykroyd & Donna Dixon
Married: 40 years
Back in the early 1980s, Dan Aykroyd met his wife Donna Dixon on the set of Doctor Detroit. The couple tied the knot in 1983 and were together for almost 40 years before deciding to go their separate ways. While they did decide to end their relationship, Dan and Donna shared that they planned to stay legally married.
"After 39 years as a couple we are now on separate life paths. We remain legally married, co-parents, co-workers and business partners," they shared with Peoplein a joint statement. "This is our choice in loving friendship."
3. Morgan Freeman & Myrna Colley-Lee
Married: 23 years
Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee got married back in 1984 and went on to welcome four children. The couple remained together for 23 years until 2007 when they ended their relationship. Their divorce was only made public a year later when Morgan was in a car accident alongside a female passenger, who many thought was his mistress. Morgan's rep confirmed that he and Myrna were in the middle of a divorce, which was finalized in 2010.
"[They] are involved in a divorce action. And for legal and practical purposes, they have been separated since December of 2007," he said in a statement.
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver
Married: 25 years
Arnold Schwarzenegger was married to Maria Shriver for 25 years before the bombshell revelation that he had an affair with the family's housekeeper that resulted in a secret child. The couple went their separate ways in 2011 but their divorce was drawn out for over a decade. According to TMZ, things weren't finalized until 2021 -- but the couple remain great friends and co-parents.
"Even though we had this drama, we did Easter together, Mother's Day together, the Christmases together, all birthdays -- everything together," Arnold told The Hollywood Reporter. "If there's Oscars for how to handle divorce, Maria and I should get it for having the least amount of impact on the kids. The sweetness and kindness you see in them, that's from my wife. The discipline and work ethic is from me."
5. Al & Tipper Gore
Married: 40 years
Al Gore and his wife Tipper were married back in 1970 and their marriage spanned across four decades. The couple, who shares four children, announced in 2010 that they were going their separate ways after forty years together. They reportedlytold friends and family that they had "grown apart" over the course of their relationship.
6. Judge Greg Mathis & Linda Mathis
Married: 39 years
Television personality Judge Greg Mathis and his wife Linda got married in 1985 and went on to welcome four children. While they had shared happy photos from a family vacation in early 2024, by that July, Linda had filed for divorce. In the documents, she cited irreconcilable differences but according to TMZ, Greg says he wants to win her back. While he admitted to not making his wife his top priority amid his career, he hopes they can make it work.
7. Robert Redford & Lola Van Wagenen
Married: 27 years
Robert Redford tied the knot with his wife, Lola Van Wagenen, back in 1958 when they were just in their early 20s. The couple went on to welcome four children and were married for over two decades before parting ways in 1985. Looking back, Robert says his success in Hollywood put a strain on their marriage over the years.
"It was mutual and it was right to move on," Robert shared with The Telegraph in 2001. "We still have great love, great affection, great friendship. It is wonderful, and I think we probably deserve credit for it because the kids are great, they came through it okay."
8. Bill & Melinda Gates
Married: 27 years
Bill Gates and his wife Melinda met back in 1987 and tied the knot during a ceremony in Hawaii in 1994. Over the course of their relationship, the former couple welcomed three children and created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable foundation. But after 27 years of marriage, Bill and Melinda announced that they would be divorcing.
"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. We have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives," the couple wrotein a joint statement posted on Twitter.
9. Reba McEntire & Narvel Blackstock
Married: 26 years
Reba McEntire got married to Narvel Blackstock in 1989 but their relationship was consumed by their careers. Looking back, Reba says everything was about business all the time, beginning with Narvel's spot in her band to him later becoming her manager. In 2015, things started going south in their marriage, and they eventually split later that year. Reba says she didn't initiate the divorce, but it did help her take control of her life and career.
"The divorce was not my idea. I didn't want it in any shape, form or fashion," McEntire said in an interview with CMT's Cody Alan. "So, it was really hard to make the adjustment when someone's not happy. I just want everybody to be happy in their lives, because our lives are too short to be miserable."
10. Hugh Jackman & Deborra-Lee Furness
Married: 27 years
Hugh Jackman met Deborra-Lee Furness back in the 90s on the set of the Australian TV series Corelli and they tied the knot in 1995. They went on to adopt two children and remained married for over two decades. Shortly after their 27th anniversary in 2023, the couple announced that they were divorcing.
"We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth," the couple said in a statement. "Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives."
11. Billy Ray Cyrus & Tish Cyrus
Married: 28 years
Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife Tish tied the knot in 1993. They went on to welcome three children and raise Tish's two children from a previous relationship. Through the years, the couple had their ups and downs and filed for divorce more than once. In 2010, Billy Ray filed the paperwork but several months later, he ended up dropping the request. The couple remained married for several years, but Trish filed for divorce in 2013. She rescinded the request just a month later.
The couple's marriage finally came to an end in April 2022, when they filed for divorce for a third time. Tish later explained that during the pandemic, she truly had time to reflect on the relationship and what she wanted out of life -- and realized she should have left much sooner.
"During that period, I took a really good, hard look at life, my life, and like, 'What was I gonna do?' Because it had not been in a good place for a long time. And I think I did stay so long out of fear of being alone," she said on theCall Her Daddy podcast. "I really didn't want Noah [Cyrus] to still be young [when we divorced]. But looking back on it, it would have been much better for her had I left."
12. Jeff & MacKenzie Bezos
Married: 25 years
Jeff Bezos married his wife MacKenzie way before Amazon was a household name. The couple met in 1993 when they were working at the same investment firm. They tied the knot just six months after their first date. The couple went on to welcome four children and were married for over two decades. In 2019, they announced their decision to split, writing that they planned to continue their "shared lives as friends."
"We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other. If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again," the couple wrote in a statement.
They continued, "We've had such a great life together as a married couple, and we also see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures. Though the labels might be different, we remain a family, and we remain cherished friends."
13. Anthony Anderson & Alvina Stewart
Married: 22 years
Anthony Anderson and Alvina Stewart had already been together for a decade when they got married in 1999. The couple remained together an additional 20 years, welcoming two children -- but they faced some ups and downs along the way. Alvina filed for divorce in 2015, although by 2017 she had filed to dismiss the petition. Then in 2022, she filed for a second time, citing "irreconcilable differences."
