Breakups can be messy — but for some celebrities, they've played out in the most public way possible.
Over the years, several stars have learned their relationships were over from headlines, interviews or social media posts.
Minnie Driverfamously discovered her year-long romance withMatt Damonhad ended when he referred to her as his ex during a 1998 appearance onThe Oprah Winfrey Show. In October 2024,Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPagliasaid she was "blindsided" whenZach Bryanannounced their split on social media.
Most recently,TheSecret Lives of Mormon WivesstarJessi Draperrevealed she learned her husband had filed for divorce throughTMZ.
Here are 10 celebrities who learned their relationships were over through the media.
Minnie Driver
Driver and Damon began dating after starring inGood Will Huntingtogether, but the love was not long-lasting.
According to Driver, she found out they were officially broken up when Damon declared himself single while onTheOprah Winfrey Showin 1998. And while she admitted that watching Damon win theOscarfor Best Original Screenplay a few weeks after their breakup was "devastating," Driver said she and theBourne Identityactor had anice interactionin the summer of 2020.
"I did see Matt Damon on the beach and I had not had a conversation with him, seriously, since we made the film," Driver said while on theKeep It!podcast in September 2021. "That was last summer and it was actually very nice to see him, and his kids, and his wife and it all felt quite middle-aged actually, which was reassuring."
Brianna Chickenfry
Bryan and LaPagalia went their separate ways shortly after celebrating their one-year anniversary.
On Oct. 22, 2024, Bryan announced that he and the internet personality were no longer together after rumors of their separation started swirling.
"Addressing something: Brianna and me have broken up with [each other] and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart. She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I'll always thank her," wrote Bryan on his Instagram Stories.
Hours later, LaPaglia took to YouTube to reveal that shefound out about the post with the rest of the world.
"I just woke up to Zach posting on his Instagram that we broke up and I had no idea that post was going up. He didn't text me, he didn't call me. I just woke up to a bunch of texts, like, 'Are you okay?' " she explained in the emotional video, posted to herPlan Bri UnCutaccount.
LaPaglia also said she was "completely blindsided" by Bryan's decision to make the news public. "Do you see the swelling on my face? I've been crying for like five days straight," she admitted.
Rita Ora
Back in 2014,Rita Orareportedly found out that her relationship with Calvin Harris was over when the Scottish DJ Tweeted about their breakup.
"To address speculation — myself and Rita ended our relationship some time ago. She is a beautiful, talented woman & I wish her all the best," he'd written at the time.
The Sunreported that she hadn't expected him to go public with the news, and later she toldWonderland,"At the time... I just wanted to crawl in my bed and die. But I got out of it the other side, I'm surviving,"
She later toldAndy CohenonWatch What Happens Livethat she and Harris had made peace, saying, "The thing is, I don't keep grudges with anybody. Everybody uses social media how they want. I choose not to so that's just my personal way to express myself, but everyone does their own thing."
Sophie Turner
Sophie TurnerandJoe Jonaswere couple goals for the four years they were married.
However, following their separation in 2023, Turner claimed she found out the "Cake by the Ocean" singer was filing for divorce online.
In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan and obtained by PEOPLE, theGame of Thronesactress revealed she learned of Jonas'divorce filing"through the media."
Turner also revealed that the"breakdown" of the couple's four-year marriagehappened "very suddenly following "an argument" on Jonas' 34th birthday on Aug. 15. He then filed for divorce nearly three weeks later on Sept. 5 in Miami.
Arep for Jonasdenied the claim, saying, "Sophie was aware that Joe was going to file for divorce."
The pair have sincereached a settlement.
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Laura Dern
Laura DernandBilly Bob Thorntonseemed to have a happy relationship — until she found out he had marriedAngelina Joliewithout having called things off with her first.
"I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I've never heard from him again," Dern toldTalk Magazinein 2000,ABC reported.
"It's like a sudden death. For no one has there been any closure or clarity," she said.
For his part, Thornton stood by his decision, tellingThe Guardian,"Others may say that 'You left our girl and married someone else.' But it made me happy and somebody else happy. I'm sorry it caused pain."
Kris Humphries
WhileKim Kardashian's 72-day marriage was a shock to many, it seems that its ending was just as much of a surprise toKris Humphriesas it was to all of us.
"I love my wife and am devastated to learn she filed for divorce," he said in a statement toE! News, shortly after Kardashian filed in October 2011. "I'm committed to this marriage and everything this covenant represents. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."
The pair would officially divorce in 2013.
Max Ehrich
Demi LovatoandMax Ehrichwere together forabout four monthsbefore he popped the question. Two months after that, an insider told PEOPLE exclusively that Lovato and Ehrich werecalling it quits.
Following the news, Ehrich took to Instagram and revealed that he found out about the breakup with the rest of the world.
"Imagine finding out about thestatus of your relationship through a tabloid. While your [sic] in the middle of filming a biopic movie about a Pastor in a Christian Church whose intention of the film is to help people," Ehrich wrote in his Instagram Stories.
A source later told PEOPLE, "Demi made Max awarethat the relationship was over and it was going to come out in the press."
Jennie Garth
Jennie Garthand her husbandDave Abramshave been married for over a decade now, and as with most relationships, their union has had its ups and downs.
Having married in 2015, the two separated for 10 months several years later — then Abramsfiled for divorce in 2018. The filing was news to Garth, who found out through the newswires.
Garth and Adams ultimately reconciled, and she even used the ordeal as inspiration for a storyline onBH90210.
"I found out that he filed for divorce from TMZ," Garth told PEOPLE in August 2019. "That was a big deal for me. So we used it in the show, because why not use the things that hurt us most and then take the power out of them and make them funny."
Drake Bell
Drake Bell's estranged wife,Janet Von Schmeling, filed for divorce on April 21, 2023, a week after theDrake & Joshactor was reported missing and endangered in Florida and later found safe.
The news didn't seem to faze Bell, who revealed on X, "I found out my wife filed for divorce from TMZ ... check out my new song," he wrote.
Jessi Draper
Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesstar Draper marriedJordan Ngatikaurain 2020, but their relationship was not without its ups and downs.
Draper later admitted tohaving an affairand alleged she experienced "emotional abuse" during their marriage. (In a November 2025 statement to PEOPLE, Ngatikaura said, "I take full accountability for the pain I caused Jessi during our marriage.")
The couple ultimately separated and Ngatikaurafiled for divorceon March 19. That same month, during an appearance onCall Her Daddy, Draper revealed she didn't hear the news from her estranged husband — but from the press.
"[TMZ] texted me, and I was here in L.A. I get a text, 'Hey, just saw Jordan filed for divorce. How are you doing?' " she toldAlex Cooper. "I did end it with him, so I knew it was coming, but we had made an agreement to do it together, andhe blindsided me and filedbecause he wanted the headline first."
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