The Most Brutal Celeb Breakups Of 2022

In August 2022, musician Michelle Branch filed for divorce from her husband of three years, The Black Keys drummer, Patrick Carney. Per People, the "All You Wanted" songstress was arrested for domestic assault after slapping her then-hubby at their Nashville, Tennessee home. She was released on a $1,000 bond. The arrest happened on the same day that Branch posted a shocking since-deleted tweet accusing Carney of infidelity. She wrote (via NME), "Just found out my husband cheated on me ... while I was home with our 6-month-old daughter."

Branch shared the news of their separation to People, stating, "To say that I am totally devastated doesn't even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family. The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness." The former couple share two children — a son named Rhys, born in August 2018, and a daughter, Willie, who was welcomed to the world in February 2022. Branch also has another daughter named Owen Isabelle from her first marriage to Teddy Landau. 

The two met at a Grammys party in 2015, with The Black Keys drummer helping to produce her album "Hopeless Romantic." After her divorce from Landau, Branch moved in with Carney, and the couple announced their engagement in July 2017. Two years later, they got married at the Marigny Opera House in New Orleans. 

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

In June 2022, the Spanish podcast "Mamarazzis" (via El Peridico) shockingly claimed that Shakira caught her longtime boyfriend and father of their two children, Gerard Pique, having an affair. As of this writing, neither the singer nor the professional soccer star had addressed the allegations. However, they did share a joint statement with Reuters that they were splitting after 11 years. It read, "We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the wellbeing of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy."

The former couple has always been relatively quiet regarding their relationship, with Shakira sharing only a few images here and there on Instagram of the two during happier times. Although they never tied the knot, they welcomed two sons — Milan, born in January 2013, and Sasha, born two years later. In 2020, the two did a joint interview with "60 Minutes" wherein they elaborated on why marriage was never on the cards for them. "To tell you the truth, marriage scares the s*** out of me," Shakira said. "I don't want him to see me as 'the wife.' I'd rather him see me as ... his lover, his girlfriend. It's like a little forbidden fruit, you know? I want to keep him on his toes." 

When the couple made things official around 2019, the media couldn't stop talking about Florence Pugh's relationship with Zach Braff. The pair were criticized for their 21-year age difference, leading the "Midsommar" star to defend their relationship in an Instagram post in April 2020. "I am 24 years old. I do not need you to tell me who I should and should not love, and I would never in my life ever tell anyone who they can and cannot love," she shared. 

In the September 2022 issue of Harper's Bazaar, Pugh sadly revealed that her romance with the "Scrubs" star had crumbled beneath the intense scrutiny, and had ended earlier in the year. "We've been trying to do this separation without the world knowing because it's been a relationship that everybody has an opinion on," she said. "We just felt something like this would really do us the benefit of not having millions of people tell us how happy they are that we're not together. I automatically get a lumpy throat when I talk about it."

The exes will have to cross paths again after filming "A Good Person," which will be released in 2023. Braff directed the movie, and it stars Pugh in the lead role. "The movie that we made together genuinely was probably one of my favorite experiences," she told Harper's Bazaar. Hopefully, those positive post-breakup vibes continue for the pair. 

After going Instagram official in January 2021, "Black Panther" actor Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey, the daughter of Steve Harvey, couldn't stop flaunting their relationship on social media. From going on tropical vacations to shouting each other out on their birthdays and celebrating their first anniversary as a couple, fans loved their newfound romance. 

In September 2021, Lori gushed about her relationship with the actor to the ladies on "The Real." "We just really balance each other," she shared. "I really do believe in the statement when they say, 'When you know, you know.' And I think that really applies to our situation, and we have a really good time together." While interviewing her father for Paper magazine in February 2022, Jordan was asked if he loved Lori. The actor admitted, "Oh, man. I do. For sure." 

So, it came as a complete shock when the duo called it quits in June 2022, just three months after they made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, per People. As to why they broke up, a source suggested to ET, "They were at different stages in their lives. ... The two of them are trying to move on, but they're both heartbroken and upset." Jordan and Harvey have since taken down all photos of one another on their Instagram accounts.

In March 2022, the end of former "General Hospital" star Steve Burton's marriage played out like an episode of the beloved soap opera in which he once starred. The actor revealed that he and his wife of 23 years, Sheree Burton, were separating after learning that she was pregnant with another man's child. The former couple have three children together. The actor issued a statement on his Instagram that read (via People), "I wanted to clear something up. Sheree and I are separated. She recently announced that she's expecting her 4th child. The child is not mine. We are still co-parenting our three beautiful kids. We would appreciate privacy at this time. Much luv, Steve."

Before he announced the news that his wife was carrying another man's baby, a "General Hospital" fan blog shared a photo of Sheree holding her baby bump after she posted it on her Instagram Stories feed. She captioned it, "Life sure is full of surprises!" According to Us Weekly, Steve filed for divorce in July, citing "irreconcilable differences," and marked the date of separation as March 1st.

As of this writing, Sheree has not acknowledged her ex-husband's announcement or who the father of her fourth child may be. 

In December 2021, "The Real Housewives of Miami" was revived on Peacock, with the show welcoming back members of its original cast, including Lisa and Lenny Hochstein. However, in May 2022, the plastic surgeon announced to Page Six that he and his wife had ended their marriage. "Lisa and I are getting divorced. A few weeks ago, I denied this because I am trying my best to protect my family during this process," he shared.

Despite making the difficult decision to end his marriage, Page Six reported that Lenny had already moved on with model Katharina Mazepa. However, he denied that his new relationship was the cause of their split and shared that he and Lisa had been talking about getting a divorce in recent years. Lisa suggested otherwise, telling the outlet, "I'm blindsided by his behavior and reckless handling of the situation."

The pair had experienced problems within their marriage in the past, including Lisa's struggle to have children, which fans watched in earlier seasons. The former couple has since welcomed two children via surrogate. However, she revealed in the Season 4 revival that their struggles had led to a brief separation during that time with Lenny having an "emotional affair" with another woman. In Part 2 of the Season 4 reunion, Lisa opened up about having worked through their marital issues, telling Andy Cohen, "Thank God we came back together and thank God we have been working on our relationship. Lenny is tough." 

In April 2022, Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus announced they were divorcing after almost 30 years of marriage. Miley Cyrus' mom and dad are no strangers to filing divorce documents, with the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer filing back in October 2010 but later dropping it. Three years later, Tish had also filed for divorce, but they decided to work on their marriage. Speaking about reconciling, they told ET, "We both woke up and realized we love each other and decided we want to stay together. We both went to couples therapy, something we haven't done in 22 years of being together, and it's brought us closer together and really opened up our communication in amazing ways."

Could this be the end of their marriage after having filed twice before? According to TMZ, the divorce paperwork states Tish had not lived with Billy Ray for over two years and is asking to distribute all assets equally — so, it might just be the real deal. The former couple even issued a joint statement that read, "It is after 30 years, five amazing children, and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways — not with sadness, but with love in our hearts."

After nearly 14 years together, NFL quarterback Tom Brady and model Gisele Bündchen announced their separation on their respective Instagram accounts in October 2022, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player stating that they had already finalized their divorce. "We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way," Brady shared on his Instagram Story (via Page Six). Brady and Bündchen share two children. The quarterback also has a son with model Bridget Moynahan.

Rumors of a split arose around September 2022 when Us Weekly reported they were living separately. In addition, the Brazilian model had expressed her frustrations with Brady coming out of NFL retirement. She shared with Elle, "Obviously, I have my concerns — this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present." ESPN reported that Brady was retiring from football in January 2022. However, in March, Brady decided to reverse the retirement decision and join his Super Bowl LV-winning team. 

According to sources cited by Page Six, Brady and Bündchen had an "ironclad prenup," with an insider sharing, "They both have their own separate business entities, so the separation of their wealth wasn't that complicated in the end." The exes will also share joint custody of their children. According to ET, Bündchen had bought a $1.2 million Florida home before they officially called it quits. 

Dating rumors first sparked between French DJ David Guetta and the much younger actor Jessica Ledon in 2015, just a year after he separated from his wife of over 20 years, Cathy Guetta. At the time, Page Six reported that Ledon and the musician, who is 25 years her senior, were friends who became something more when Ledon was seen traveling with David for his shows. Things appeared to get more serious for the couple when Ledon was spotted with a ring on her finger in 2018. TMZ reported that although David did give the actor the massive diamond ring, it just symbolized their promise to one another.

According to The Sun, the couple quietly split sometime in 2022 after seven years together, with a source alleging that distance played a part in their breakup. Guetta worked in Ibiza, while Ledon's home base was in the U.S. "David had grown apart from Jess and their lifestyles just weren't compatible anymore," the insider said, adding, "They haven't completely cut contact so some of us are hoping they will patch things up." 

One of the last times the couple was photographed together was at the Grammy Awards in April 2022. Ledon may have hinted at a breakup that August when she shared a video of herself on Instagram with the caption, "Entering a new era and it's unapologetic and full of conviction."

"Vampire Diaries" star Paul Wesley and his wife of nearly three years, Ines de Ramon, split in April 2022 — but fans didn't learn about their separation until September. According to People, the actor's rep corroborated the news: "The decision to separate is mutual and occurred five months ago. They request their privacy at this time."

People later reported that Wesley and de Ramon made their relationship Instagram official in July 2018. The "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" star posted a picture of the two attending a wedding along with actor Jessica Szohr and "Vampire Diaries" co-star Nina Dobrev. They quietly tied the knot and were spotted with wedding bands in New York City in February 2019. While de Ramon's Instagram is private, Wesley has shared one other outing with his former wife on his social media: The pair joined Dobrev and Olympic snowboarder Shaun White in Wyoming in February 2021.

Per Us Weekly, the former couple adopted a rescue dog named Gregory during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but there is no word on who is keeping the precious pup, as of this writing.

Musical artists Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans were a match made in country music heaven when they tied the knot in December 2017. Evans gushed that his 2018 album "Things That We Drink To" was inspired by his wife, with Ballerini accompanying the Australian native on his song "Dance with Me." Morgan told Rolling Stone, "It was my first song I've ever wrote for her, and my favorite song I've ever written."

Sadly, after five years together, the country music duo announced that they had separated in August 2022. Ballerini shared the news with her fans on an Instagram Story (via Us Weekly): "This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce. This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately had come to an end." Evans later shared on his social media (via CMT), "I am very sad to confirm that after almost 5 years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways. I wish it were otherwise but sadly it's not."

Speaking to E! News at the 2022 CMA Awards three months after the divorce news, Morgan shared that writing his new song "Over For You" helped him cope with the split. He said, "It's been a rough few months of my life, and writing this song really helped sort through all that for me."

In July 2022, R&B singer Ne-Yo's wife, Crystal Renay, called out the "So Sick" artist on Instagram for allegedly cheating on her with multiple women throughout their marriage. She revealed in the since-deleted post (via People), "Eight years. 8 years of lies and deception. 8 years of unknowingly sharing my life and my husband with numerous women who sell their bodies to him unprotected ... every last one of them!" Renay had also asked fans to stop sending her videos of her husband that proved his infidelity. 

For his part, Ne-Yo didn't stay silent after Renay blasted him on social media. He tweeted, "For the sake of our children, my family and I will work through our challenges behind closed doors. Personal matters are not meant to be addressed and dissected in public forums. I simply ask that you please respect me and my family's privacy at this time." 

According to People, Renay filed for divorce in August 2022, with documents stating that their marriage was "irretrievably broken with no hope for reconciliation," and that Ne-Yo and an unnamed woman had allegedly welcomed a baby together. In addition to an alimony request, the docs also noted that Renay was asking for child support, plus primary physical custody and joint legal custody of their three children. TMZ shared a video of Renay stating that it wasn't likely that the pair would reconcile. "There are no chances. God is good. ... We are moving on to better lives," she said.