Six Big Celebrity Divorces During the Pandemic

It’s fair to say the last 7 months have been hard on everyone.

But for many people whose marriages were on the brink before the pandemic, COVID-19 was the breaking point for their marriages.

And celebrities were no exception.

Julianne Hough & Brooks Laich

For instance, actress and Dancing with the Stars judge Julianne Hough and husband Brooks Laich started their quarantine together in March. But by April, Laich was in Idaho while Hough was in L.A. The two decided to end their 2-year marriage in May.

If you and your spouse are wanting to divorce but living in two separate states, Michigan law allows you to file for divorce as long as one of you was a resident of Michigan for at least the last 6 months.

Lake Bell & Scott Campbell

Actress Lake Bell and artist Scott Campbell decided it was time to call it quits on their 7-year marriage in October. They have two children and plan to share parenting duties.

For most divorces in Michigan, that decision would be welcomed by the courts. Divorcing couples are encouraged to come to agreements on custody before coming to the court. Otherwise, a judge will be forced to make the decision.

Rob & Tiffany Riggle

Hangover actor Rob Riggle’s wife Tiffany filed for divorce in October, stating the couple had been separated since May. She states that she wants 2 houses a number of bank accounts, and interests in distilleries to be considered community property.

If the couple had divorced in Michigan, that would be difficult, as Michigan is not a community property state. Instead, property division falls under the equitable distribution law, which tries to divide the marital assets in a fair manner as considered by the court.

Cardi B & Offset

Singer Cardi B and rapper Offset ended their almost-3-year marriage in September. The two have a 2-year-old daughter, and Cardi has requested both primary legal and physical custody.

The main custody categories in Michigan are joint and sole custody. Even if sole custody is granted, which gives the custodial parent legal and physical custody, parenting time is usually granted to the non-custodial parent. No word yet on whether Offset will have parenting time.

Darius Rucker & Beth Leonard

In 1994, Darius Rucker, as lead singer of Hootie and Blowfish, sang “Hold My Hand.” However, as of July 11th, he and wife Beth Leonard have decided to let go of each other after 20 years of marriage. They have two teenage children, and the couple plan to co-parent.

Teenagers in Michigan are not allowed to choose which parent they want to live with until they’re 18. Although preference is considered in custody hearings, if the preference is the only factor to be considered, it is not the deciding factor.

Mary-Kate Olsen & Olivier Sarkozy

And finally, the pandemic may not have caused the divorce, but it held things up for Full House actress Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy. Olsen had originally filed for divorce April 17, but the divorce was postponed by the courts due to the COVID-19 issues wreaking havoc in New York City. On May 14, Olsen then filed for an emergency divorce petition, which was rejected due to a 2-month moratorium because of the pandemic. She was able to proceed with ending her 5-year marriage once the moratorium was lifted.

It appears that Olsen filed the emergency divorce petition because Sarkozy’s attorneys had notified her that she had to remove her belongings by May 18, and she did not feel she would be able to move in time due to New York City’s shelter-in-place rules. However, the judge did not feel that her petition was essential, or that it qualified as an emergency.

However, for those divorces filed in Michigan where an emergency may exist, there is potential temporary assistance available. These are orders that can be issued by a judge that provide for temporary support and/or possession of minor children, as well as a referral to a Friend of the Court.