Bennifer next? Celeb couples who announced splits around Memorial Day Weekend
Sunshine doesn’t always bring happiness for celebrity couples.
Memorial Day Weekend, the official kickoff to summer, can be the time when Hollywood lovebirds announce their splits — some shocking, and some not so shocking.
The news conveniently comes out over the holiday weekend while most people are busy traveling and spending time with family and friends.
This year, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are the couple rumored to be headed towards splitsville just in time for MDW.
The rumors began surfacing when Lopez, 54, attended the 2024 Met Gala solo earlier this month.
Then, it was reported that Affleck, 51, is staying at a separate house from Lopez.
While the power couple have since stepped out together to appear like a united front, the rumors are still flying that their marriage is in deep trouble.
Here are all the celebrity couples who confirmed their love story was over around Memorial Day in the past.
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor announced they were separating after 17 years of marriage on May 26, 2017 — three days before Memorial Day.
“With tremendous love and respect for each other, and the 18 years we spent together as a couple, we have made the decision to separate. Our priority will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends,” they said at the time.
However, the actors reconciled during the COVID-19 pandemic and are still together today.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
Amber Heard filed for divorce from Johnny Depp about a week before Memorial Day in 2016. They settled their divorce in 2017.
As was widely reported in the media, Heard accused Depp of abuse in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed — which led the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor to sue his ex-wife for defamation, and then Heard filed a counter-lawsuit. The defamation trial ended in Depp’s favor in June 2022.
Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris
In 2016, “E! News” confirmed that Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris broke up shortly before Memorial Day. The singers dated for about 15 months before they decided to go their separate ways.
Blair Underwood and Désirée DaCosta
“24” actor Blair Underwood and wife Désirée DaCosta announced their split the day before Memorial Day in May 2021.
“It has truly been a beautiful journey,” the pair wrote in their joint statement on Instagram. “Our proudest achievements are our three incredible children. Three souls to which God entrusted us. We continue to be awed & humbled by the blessings of parenting. We have always put their best interests first & will continue to do so.”
DaCosta officially filed for divorce one month later.
Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich
News of Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich’s split broke four days after Memorial Day 2020. They released a statement to People confirming they were going their separate ways after almost three years of marriage.
“We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place. We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward,” their statement read.
Hough and Laich officially divorced in June 2022.
Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph
Former “The Bachelor” couple Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph announced their breakup a few days after Memorial Day in 2020.
Randolph’s statement said that split was “one of the hardest things” she has ever had to share, while Underwood said in his statement that the exes were better off as “friends.”
Underwood later came out as gay in 2021.
Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart
“Riverdale” stars Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart dated on-and-off for three years, before People broke the news of their split on Memorial Day 2020.
In 2023, Sprouse revealed on “Call Her Daddy” that the actors had actually separated in January 2020 before breaking up for good in March 2020.
SofÃa Vergara and Nick Loeb
SofÃa Vergara confirmed her split from fiancé Nick Loeb during Memorial Day Weekend in 2014. They got engaged in July 2012.
“We have been having too many problems with having to figure out how to spend time together and because of my work and now his, it’s been getting worse and worse, not fun anymore,” Vergara wrote in her message to her fans about the breakup.
“We are still very close but we believe this is the best thing for us right now,” she added.
Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell
Evan Rachel Wood’s rep confirmed she separated from Jamie Bell two days after Memorial Day in 2014.
“Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell have decided to separate,” the statement began. “They both love and respect one another and will of course remain committed to co-parenting their son. This is a mutual decision and the two remain close friends.”
Wood and Bell were married for nearly two years before their split.
