Surprising celebrity marriages

By Jessica Wedemeyer 5:33am PDT, Apr 20, 2021

With the passing of time and the emergence of new, exiting celebrity couples, many stars' early romances and marriages have been erased from our memories. Their unions were either so short-lived or so ancient that we've completely forgotten about them now. But Wonderwall.com is here to remind us, so please join us as we take a look back at some of Hollywood's most surprising forgotten marriages, starting with this former couple, who — if things had worked out differently — would have celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary on April 19, 2021… Brooke Shields first partnered up with Andre Agassi in 1993. They tied the knot four years later in 1997 — but their love wasn't made to last. The model-actress and the tennis star split less than two years after their nuptials and eventually had their marriage annulled. The beauty has been married to writer-producer Chris Henchy since 2000 and the athlete wed fellow tennis champ Steffi Graf in 2001. Now keep reading for more…

Before he was an A-list star, Bradley Cooper was just that lame guy from "Wedding Crashers." In 2006, he secretly tied the knot with his girlfriend of a year, "Spin City" actress Jennifer Esposito. But it was a short-lived marriage: They split after just four months. Bradley eventually moved on with A-list actresses Renee Zellweger and Zoe Saldana before having a baby with model Irina Shayk, from whom he split in 2019. Jennifer went on to marry again, tying the knot with model Louis Dowler in 2014 before divorcing him in 2016. In 2020, she married fitness trainer Jesper Vesterstrøm.

"One Tree Hill" co-stars Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush wed in April 2005 when they were just 23 and 22, respectively — but their marriage was over five months later. "It was not a thing I actually really wanted to do," Sophia told "Radio Andy" of marrying Chad. "Because how do you let everybody down?" She continued, "When you have bosses telling you that you're the only person who gets a person to work on time and 200 people either get to see their kids at night or they don't because our days start on time?" Chad walked down the aisle a second time, with actress Sarah Roemer, in 2015.

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Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis met on the Yugoslavia set of their film "Transylvania 6-5000" and went on to star opposite each other in "The Fly" and "Earth Girls Are Easy." If you forgot their union, it might be because it lasted less than three years. They wed in Las Vegas in 1987 but split by 1990. Jeff went on to wed Emilie Livingston, a former Olympic rhythmic gymnast, in 2014. Oscar winner Geena married and divorced filmmaker Renny Harlin in the '90s before settling down with craniofacial surgeon Reza Jarrahy in 2001. They split in 2018.

Movie star Julia Roberts and singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett wed on June 27, 1993, shortly after meeting on the set of "The Player." But their marriage never played out in full: They divorced in March 1995, less than two years after tying the knot. Julia's now married to cinematographer Danny Moder, while Lyle never remarried.

We're taking a moment to wrap our heads around the fact that these two dated — not to mention tied the knot! Paula Abdul and Emilio Estevez wed in April 1992 but split just two years later. She later blamed the breakup on their differing priorities: She wanted to have children while the Bratpacker, who already had two kids from a previous relationship, did not want to become a father again, Paula told People magazine.

Did you remember Angelina Jolie's first marriage to Jonny Lee Miller? The duo met on the set of 1995's "Hackers" and tied the knot in 1996 when she was just 21. They divorced in 1999, and she went on to have headline-making marriages to Billy Bob Thornton and Brad Pitt, though she's now single.

When Jennifer Garner won the role of Scott Foley's former flame on "Felicity," she also won the role of his girlfriend in real life. The duo dated for two years before tying the knot in October 2000. They called it quits in April 2003 and she went on to marry and divorce Ben Affleck while Scott exchanged vows with Marika Dominczyk.

Be still, our emo hearts! In September 2009, "(500) Days of Summer" actress Zooey Deschanel and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard tied the knot. "I'd seen her movies and obviously I thought she was very beautiful," Ben told New York Magazine. "I was just awestruck that she was even talking to me." Unfortunately, their marital bliss didn't last forever — Zooey and Ben cited "irreconcilable differences" when they divorced in 2012. Zooey remarried in 2015 — she and producer Jacob Pechenik welcomed two kids — but they split in 2019. SHe's since been in a serious relationship with "Property Brothers" star Jonathan Scott.

Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria wed back in 1999 after a five-year romance, but they separated after just a year of marriage and were divorced by December 2000. Helen never remarried but Hank wed Katie Wright in 2007.

In 2005, "Big Little Lies" actress Laura Dern wed Grammy-winning artist Ben Harper, with whom she shares two children, at their Los Angeles home. Though Ben filed for divorce in 2010, the couple temporarily reconciled — then Laura filed in 2012. "We all know that pain of loving someone so much and they've hurt you so much," Laura said on the "The Big Ticket" podcast of her first time reading the script for "Marriage Story," the movie for which she won an Oscar. "Whether it was in real life or you've had a dream where you kill them or beat the [garbage] out of them. The terror of loving so deep that you feel that hatred from heartbreak." Ben married wife No. 3, Jaclyn Matfus, in 2015.

Remember when these two were so in love? In 2000, "Charlie's Angels" actress Drew Barrymore and Canadian comedian Tom Green tied the knot! However, after just a few months of marriage, Tom filed for divorce. It was finalized in October 2002. Drew went on to marry (and divorce) for a third time.

"Handmaid's Tale" star Elisabeth Moss and "Portlandia" actor Fred Armisen, who's 16 years her senior, said "I do" in 2009 after meeting a year prior on "Saturday Night Live." Their marriage ended two years later in 2011. "Looking back, I felt like I was really young, and at the time, I didn't think I was that young," Elisabeth told New York Magazine of her decision to marry. "It was extremely traumatic and awful and horrible." Fred has been in a relationship with "Russian Doll" actress Natasha Lyonne since 2014.

Everyone knows Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora were married from 1994 to 2006. And Tommy Lee's off-and-on marriage to Pamela Anderson is tabloid gold. So we sometimes forget that Heather and Tommy were an item. The duo met at an REO Speedwagon concert in 1985 and tied the knot the next year. They divorced in 1993. Most recently, Tommy Lee has tied the knot with former Vine star Brittany Furlan.

In the early '00s, one of the more surprising celebrity unions was between Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson. The two infamously tied the knot on a yacht in July 2006, but by 2007, things were over. Pamela wed and divorced Rick Salomon twice after her split from Kid — once in 2007 and again in 2014 — and most recently wed producer Jon Peters and was married for just 12 days before splitting in 2020. Kid Rock has yet to remarry.

Remember when Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette walked down the aisle? Neither do we. In 1995, the pair reportedly got engaged when Nic proposed the same day they met! After five years of marriage, however, they called it quits. Their divorce was finalized in 2001.

Patricia Arquette wasn't Nicolas Cage's only short-term bride! Not long after their divorce was finalized, Nic moved on with Lisa Marie Presley (who has a surprising marriage of her own: She was Mrs. Michael Jackson from 1994 to 1996). Three months after they exchanged vows in 2002, the actor filed for divorce from Elvis's daughter. "I did not comment on the marriage, I am not going to comment on the divorce," Nic said in a statement at the time.

George Clooney wasn't always Hollywood's hottest bachelor before he found love with Amal Clooney. Back in 1989, he was a married man! The rising star and actress Talia Balsam tied the knot in a quickie Vegas ceremony just months after George ended his two-year romance with Kelly Preston. George and Talia divorced after three years. "I probably — definitely — wasn't someone who should have been married at that point," he later told Vanity Fair. George went on to woo a slew of model types before he wed Amal in 2014. Talia, meanwhile, has been married to her "Mad Men" co-star John Slattery since 1998.

Tom Cruise's marriage résumé includes A-listers Katie Holmes and Nicole Kidman, so it's easy to forget he once wed actress Mimi Rogers, who was 31 to Tom's 24 when they said "I do." The "Top Gun" star and the "Paper Dolls" actress wed on May 9, 1987, after a year and a half of dating. Emilio Estevez served as best man during the super-secret ceremony. In January 1990, Tom and Mimi — who is credited with introducing the superstar to the Church of Scientology — ended their three-year marriage. Tom is currently single, while Mimi has been married to Chris Ciaffa, with whom she now shares two kids, since 2003.

Gary Oldman and Uma Thurman have more in common than roles in Batman films — the duo were actually married from 1990 to 1992. Uma was just 20 years old when she wed the 32-year-old Englishman after they met on the set of "State of Grace." Why don't we remember their romance? Well, Uma was just the second of four Mrs. Oldmans, and she made far more headlines during her five-year marriage to Ethan Hawke.

On New Year's Day in 2008, Eddie Murphy married producer Tracey Edmonds in an intimate ceremony in Bora Bora. However, things rapidly fell apart after they said "I do" — they called it quits just two weeks later. On top of that it emerged that the union wasn't even legal. The "Coming 2 America" star has since been in a relationship with model Paige Butcher, whom he fell for in 2012.

The first of Halle Berry's three husbands was Yankees baseball player David Justice. The power couple wed in 1993, but their marriage was over by 1997… and it wasn't a harmonious split. Halle filed a restraining order against David when they broke up. These days, the retired athlete is married to Rebecca Villalobos, whom he wed in 2001. Halle went on to marry and divorce music star Eric Benét and actor Olivier Martinez. She confirmed a romance with musician Van Hunt in September 2020.

"Killing Eve" star Sandra Oh married filmmaker Alexander Payne in January 2003 after three years of dating. Alexander directed his actress wife in 2004's "Sideways," but they called it quits the following year after two years of marriage. As for how long it took the pair to come to an agreement regarding finances? More than two years, according to People magazine.

Really?! Corey Feldman and Vanessa Marcil met in the summer on 1989 and married in a quickie Vegas ceremony just months later. But they maintained separate residences during the first two years of their marriage, part of which the former child star spent in rehab for drug addiction. They divorced in 1993. Vanessa went on to marry actor Carmine Giovinazzo in 2010, though they split two years later. Corey most recently married Courtney Anne Mitchell in 2016, after a seven year marriage to Susie Sprague in the '00s.

Say what?! Before she married Seal, Heidi Klum was actually married to celebrity hairstylist Ric Pipino. They tied the knot in 1997 and parted ways in 2002. Heidi married again in 2019, taking Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz as her groom.

Demi Moore was born Demi Gene Guynes. The "Moore" in her name actually came from her first husband: rocker Freddy Moore. He was 12 years older than her (and recently divorced) when she became his teen bride in 1980. They divorced in 1985, and she went on to become a household name who romanced other household names (like Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher).

Before Eva Longoria honed her acting chops on "The Young and the Restless" and romanced NBA star Tony Parker, she had a small role on an episode of "General Hospital" — and in the life of soap star Tyler Christopher. Eva and Tyler tied the knot at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas in 2002 after a two-and-a-half-year courtship. They split in 2004. "I'll just say it wasn't amicable," Tyler later told People magazine. Eva went on to marry Mexican businessman Jose Antonio Baston in 2016, and welcomed a son with him in 2018. Tyler married auto racing reporter Brienne Pedigo in 2008, and has since had two children with her.

An A-list movie star and a country singer? This union was puzzling to many, but the marriage of Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger became even more mysterious when it was over! The famous duo wed in 2005 after just a few months of dating and split four months later with Renee citing "fraud" as the reason for their breakup. Neither have remarried.

Kim Kardashian West's 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries is undoubtedly one of the most well-documented relationship fails in Hollywood. But it's not the only failed marriage under Kim's belt. Before she was a household name, the reality TV star married music producer Damon Thomas. Kim was just 19 during their 2000 nuptials. She and Damon called it quits after four years together. She wed husband No. 3, rapper-designer Kanye West — the father of her four kids — in 2014. Kim, however, filed for divorce in 2021.

Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford met at a barbecue in 1988 and tied the knot three years later despite a 16-year age difference. Sadly, their marriage proved as sturdy as the aluminum-foil wedding bands they exchanged during a spontaneous Vegas wedding ceremony: They parted ways in 1995. Cindy is now happily married to Rande Gerber, and Richard wed actress Carey Lowell in 2002, though they've since divorced. In 2018, he married Spanish businesswoman Alejandra Silva, who's 34 year his junior.

Jennifer Lopez has had so many high-profile romances over the years (Diddy, Ben Affleck, Marc Anthony, A-Rod, etc.) that we often forget she was once married to a waiter named Ojani Noa. The duo were husband and wife from 1997 to 1998.

Before Mario Lopez was a doting dad and loving husband to Courtney Mazza, he was a very, very naughty boy! The "Saved by the Bell" alum wed model-actress Ali Landry in April 2004 after a six-year courtship during which he reportedly cheated on her consistently. Mario and Ali broke up less than two weeks after their wedding and their marriage was annulled four weeks later. The cause of their split? Ali found out her hubby fooled around with another woman during his bachelor party. She's now happily married to director Alejandro Monteverde.

In 2001, "Dirty Dancing" actress Jennifer Grey and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." actor Clark Gregg tied the knot on Martha's Vineyard. But we'd totally forgotten about this pairing — at least until 2020, when they announced plans to divorce after 19 years and one child together.

It's hard for us to remember Will Smith before Jada Pinkett Smith, but, yes, the A-lister was actually married to another woman once upon a time. He wed actress Sheree Zampino in 1992, but it obviously wasn't meant to be. They divorced three years later after welcoming son Trey.

Oh, the '90s! The decade brought us this unlikely celebrity couple — Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman. Like many of the other forgotten pairings, this union came to be in Las Vegas in 1998. By 1999, things were over. In fact, Dennis reportedly tried to get an annulment nine days after they wed but ended up going along with the marriage for a few months before calling it quits. Carmen went on to have another failed marriage with guitarist Dave Navarro while Dennis was married to Michelle Moyer from 2003 until 2012.