Britney Spears & Other Celebs Who Were Dumped Via Text

Breakups are hard enough when amicable, but bad breakups are even worse. And, while we don't imagine that the biggest celebs are getting dumped in the worst of ways, as it turns out, some of them actually are. None other than Britney Spears is opening our eyes to the fact that being a star won't keep you safe from a bad breakup.

Britney Spears' memoir, "The Woman in Me," is making waves for its many revelations about the star's life. One of the biggest bits of news that folks are hanging onto is the anecdote about fellow star and ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake and how he actually dumped her via text message back in 2002. While this may come as a shock to most of us, Spears is far from the only entertainment icon who's experienced this unfortunate treatment from a partner. And, while no one could have expected that Spears was dumped via text message, you'll be surprised by the other celebs who have endured this style of bad breakup, as well.

It's all thanks to Britney Spears and her willingness to open up about her life in her new book, "The Woman in Me," that we're even discussing the world of star-studded text message breakups. After being a bonafide it-couple from 1999 through 2002, Justin Timberlake called it quits with Spears over text message. According to her book, Spears "was comatose in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood," per Us Weekly. 

She added that the media's understanding and portrayal of the split made an already difficult situation even worse. Timberlake's song, "Cry Me a River," implied that the breakup came after Spears cheated on him, a narrative that, in her words, prompted the world and the media to view her as a "harlot who'd broken the heart of America's golden boy" (via Page Six). As hurt as Spears was by the method of Timberlake's rejection, she went on to dish out a text message breakup of her own. She told her husband of two years that they'd be getting a divorce in a text message in 2006.

Getting dumped by your boyfriend of three years via text message is bad enough, but we must admit your husband telling you you're getting a divorce this way is even worse. This was the unfortunate outcome of pop star Katy Perry's marriage to comedian Russell Brand. The stars met while filming a love scene when Perry made a cameo in Brand's 2008 film, "Get Him to the Greek." The pair dated for four months before getting engaged and were married less than a year later. They said "I do" in October 2010, and in December 2011, Perry got the text message that ended their relationship.

"Let's just say I haven't heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011," Perry told Vogue in 2013. Rumors swirled about the split, but ultimately, Brand opened up about it in his documentary, "BRAND: A Second Coming," in 2015. He said he had realized, "I'm living, like, this life of the very thing I detest: vapid, vacuous celebrity." He has, otherwise, spoken fondly of his ex-wife since their split. In 2014, Perry told Rolling Stone that the breakup "was emotionally traumatic for me," adding, "It was the death of a dream. I was in fairy tale land, and the reality of it wasn't so." 

Seemingly picture-perfect celeb couple, Crishell Stause and Justin Hartley ended their marriage after just two years. Stause is an actor, a real estate agent, and star of Netflix's hit reality series, "Selling Sunset." Hartley is an actor known for his roles on "The Young and the Restless," "This is Us," and many more. Hartley and Stause both came from the world of soap operas, though they've gone in different career directions since. In 2013, they were introduced by Stause's "Days of Our Lives" costar. As far as Hartley was concerned, there was no question that Stause was the one for him. He told People, "I knew right away [and] was like, 'Oh boy, here we go.'" The couple married four years later on the anniversary of the day they met. However, it didn't take long for "irreconcilable differences" to get in the way. 

Hartley filed for divorce in 2019, and Stause opened up about the unpleasant way he did it on "Selling Sunset." "He text[ed] me that we were filed," she shared with fellow "Selling Sunset" star Mary Fitzgerald. She added that, "Forty-five minutes later, the world knew." While Hartley cited "irreconcilable differences," Stause later shared that Hartley's current wife, Sofia Pernas, was likely a factor. "My ex-husband Justin is remarried to someone I know from back in the day, pretty well, and a lot of things made sense after finding that out," she said, adding, "It felt like a little bit of closure."

Today, country star Carrie Underwood is in a loving relationship with hubby Mike Fisher. Years ago, though, she was getting cozy with fellow early aughts heartthrob Chace Crawford. The "Gossip Girl" star and "American Idol" winner dated for a few months from 2007 to 2008 before one of them was quick to end the relationship. It hasn't been entirely confirmed as far as who dumped whom in this cross-medium celeb romance.

A few months after the split, Underwood told Extra how it went down and seemed fairly unfazed. "We broke up over text, so... it's like 'peace out,'" she said, adding, "I don't know why it's all out now. When you break up with somebody and then like two months later it comes out, it's like you're rehashing old stuff." While this romance had the makings of a Hollywood it-couple, it seems that neither Underwood nor Crawford was too broken up about the breakup.

Ariana Grande is known for "Thank U Next"ing her famous beaus. That doesn't mean, however, that she's never been the victim of the dreaded text message breakup herself. She was, in fact, broken up with via text once. While getting dumped by someone unwilling to do it in person is tough enough, Grande's experience was even worse, thanks to particularly bad timing.

In 2013, Grande opened up to Complex about her worst breakup ever. The breakup in question was "over a text message the opening night of my tour right before I was about to go on stage." And, while Grande has never confirmed who delivered the text, many folks believe that it's her ex-boyfriend of two years, Jai Brooks. The domino effect of text message breakups once again occurred in this situation. In 2018, Pete Davidson broke up with his own ex of two years, Cazzie David, over a text message before moving on with Ariana Grande the next day.