Hollywood is known for its whirlwind romances and even more so for the infamous divorces. From Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s long-wound real-estate legal battle to Maria Shriver And Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decade-long divorce settlement. Here’s a list of Hollywood’s most prolonged divorces.
Maria Shriver And Arnold Schwarzenegger
Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger tied the knot in 1986. The ex-couple shared 4 children from their marriage. They’re co-parents to Patrick Schwarzenegger, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Christopher Schwarzenegger, and Christina Schwarzenegger.
It took a decade for the two to finalise their divorce after initially filing for it. In a 2011 interview, Schwarzenegger admitted how Maria filed for divorce after he confessed to infidelity. The actor had an extramarital affair with the housekeeper which led to him fathering a child.
The complications in the divorce negotiations arrived when it came down to dividing the ex-couple’s $400 million assets. The two finalised their divorce 10 years after their split. TMZ reported that the stars had likely agreed to split their estate equally in the end.
Jason Hoppy and Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy decided to go their separate ways in January 2013. The news of the split came after Frankel filed for divorce after a very public announcement about their decision to split. Both the stars had applied for the primary custody of their daughter Bryn Hoppy.
The ex-spouses reached a settlement in July 2016. Things got even more complicated when Frankel filed a report against her ex-husband for stalking and harassing her. Jason was arrested in January 2017 for the same.
Bethenny alleged that Jason had shown up at their daughter’s school to threaten her. Following the incident, the former decided to file for sole custody of their daughter in 2018. Things turned ugly when Jason’s attorney leveraged Frankel’s ex’s death to argue against sole custody.
Jason’s lawyer claimed that Bethenny was not a sound parent for exposing her daughter to her ex Dennis Shields. Shields passed away in 2018, due to an opioid overdose.
In March 2019, Frankel testified against her ex-husband and shared how he had been emotionally abusive towards her. Bethenny revealed that Jason had sent her several abusive messages after their separation.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie went through an extremely public divorce that was made even more complicated by the legal battle the exes were stuck in. The two finalized their divorce in January 2025 after Jolie filed for it 8 years ago.
In September 2016, Angelina filed for divorce after her now ex-husband allegedly physically and verbally abused her. The incident took place on a private jet where the couple’s children were present. The Fight Club actor also allegedly got into an altercation with their kids.
The drama was topped up with the intense legal battle Jolie and Pitt got into over Château Miraval. Château Miraval was a winery in France that the two owned jointly. Brad claimed that Angelina kept him in the dark when she decided to sell off her share of the estate.
Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum
Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum decided to go their own ways in April 2018. The stars decided to split after 9 years of being married to each other. Documents acquired by The Blast revealed that the exes had agreed on joint custody of their daughter Everly.
Complications arrived when Dewan claimed that Tatum used a part of their “marital funds” to produce the movie Magic Mike. In return, the actress demanded a part of the profit the franchise made.
“@GossipCop: .@channingtatum and @jennaldewan -Couple at #HollywoodAwards! PICS: http://t.co/6afghbsds9 pic.twitter.com/KOKRZCFnml” very proud!
— Jenna Dewan (@jennadewan) November 15, 2014
The actress’ legal team alleged Channing Tatum of creating “a complex web of LLCs, holding companies, and partnerships” to “dilute and conceal the value” of the profit that came from the movie franchise. Dewan claimed that she deserved a much bigger profit than what she had received.
The exes finally signed off on their divorce papers in September 2024. It took the two 6 years to finalise their divorce.
John Schneider and Elly Castle
John Schneider and Elly Castle decided to split in 2014 after the latter filed for divorce. The stars tied the knot in 1993 and decided to go their separate ways 21 years after their marriage due to irreconcilable differences.
Elly Castle demanded spousal support during the divorce negotiations. In June 2018, TMZ reported that Schneider would be forced to spend 3 days in jail if he failed to pay his ex-wife the spousal support that was agreed upon. Schneider was legally obliged to pay Castle $150,000.
The singer ended up serving 240 hours in community service as a punishment for making his ex-wife the legal owner of their home. In August 2019, their divorce was finalised after a half-decade-long battle.
Schneider lost his $600,000 house in the divorce settlement. He also had to pay Castle $25,000 monthly in spousal support. The star also had to pay $280,000 to cover his ex-wife’s legal fees.
Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee
Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee decided to get married in 2013 after being in a 13-year relationship. Williams decided to file for divorce 5 years after their marriage in April 2017. In August of that year, Aryn filed for full custody of their children Sadie and Maceo. Aryn Drake-Lee’s legal team attacked Williams for being an estranged husband.
After being together for 10 years, Jesse Williams and wife, Aryn Drake-Lee have split: https://t.co/hqJkIELeqn pic.twitter.com/eQZsHzUEk1
— ESSENCE (@Essence) April 24, 2017
The actor was accused of having a busy work schedule that always resulted in him failing to fulfil his role as a parent. Aryn also claimed that she wanted her children to be away from the actor because his sexual partners frequented his home.
In June 2018, Drake-Lee asked for spousal and child support summing up to $100,000 every month. The two finally signed the divorce papers in October 2020. The exes also agreed on joint custody of their children at the time.
