The Most Tragic Celebrity Divorces Of 2024

This year was absolutely overrun with divorces and no corner of society was left untouched. From the glitz and glam of Hollywood, to the wholesome corners of Hallmark, the British royal family, and even the music world, a ton of couples officially called it quits in 2024. Of course, it's not just a celebrity thing. Divorce and family law firm Wilkinson and Finkbeiner confirmed that 86 divorces occurred every single hour in the U.S. And here's the kicker: Even though the divorce rate is lower than it's been in years, America still ranks as one of the top countries in the world for failed marriages.

Divorce is tough, no doubt about it, but some stats are kind of amusing — like the fact that January is colloquially known as "Divorce Month" because, apparently, couples love to start the year off by filing papers to end their unions. New year, new me, right? Unfortunately, divorce isn't exactly a respecter of public opinion, and many of the celebrity couples we've called "goals" weren't spared in the divorce wave. It's not surprising, really, considering that fame brings its own set of marital challenges most people aren't equipped to handle. As the saying goes: Love is blind, but marriage opens the eyes.

True to the stats, Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean and his wife, Rochelle McLean, announced the end of their marriage on January 1, 2024. One of the most tragic aspects about the McLeans' divorce is that they'd been married for 12 years and had dealt with a ton of challenging issues as a team throughout their time together. Alhough AJ and Rochelle had been separated for a while by the point that they officially filed, fans still expected a heartwarming reunion.

Instead, the couple released a joint Instagram statement on January 1: "As you all know, we have been separated for over a year now. While we have hoped for reconciliation, we have decided to officially end our marriage. It is with deep love and respect that we have made this decision." They added that their new focus was on "friendship and co-parenting" in the future. The boyband star, whose full name is Alexander James, and Rochelle share two young daughters named Elliot and Lyric.

In February 2024, singer Ellie Goulding and her art dealer husband, Caspar Jopling, revealed that their marriage was ending after four years. Unfortunately, it wasn't a scandal-free announcement. Before the couple released their joint statements, Goulding was spotted in Costa Rica, apparently acting all loved up with a surfing instructor. Thanks to the ensuing frenzy, the "Burn" hitmaker was forced to address the swirling rumors. "In light of recent stories, I feel I have been left with no choice but to let you all know that Caspar and I privately separated some time ago," she wrote in an Instagram Story (via the Daily Mail).

Jopling also took to Instagram in an attempt to quell the mounting speculation, noting that he hoped that by doing so, it would finally stop people discussing it. The art dealer also reiterated, "Ellie and I made the decision to separate some time ago." As of this publication, the couple has yet to finalize their divorce, but judging by Goulding's new romance, it likely won't be long. The exes share one son, Arthur Ever Winter, who was born in April 2021.

Back in 2022, "Selling Sunset" welcomed its newest agent, Chelsea Lazkani, a refreshingly frank breath of fresh air and much-needed diversity on the hit Netflix series. At the time, Chelsea was five years into her marriage with businessman Jeff Lazkani, and the couple shared two children. However, like "Selling Sunset" alum Christine Quinn (see below), their relationship didn't survive the show. On March 27, 2024, Chelsea filed for divorce, blaming "irreconcilable differences." Days later, Jeff lodged his own paperwork in what quickly devolved into a messy legal battle.

In his filing, Jeff alleged that the "Selling Sunset" star was physically abusive towards him, aggressive, and indirectly claimed she had stolen from him too. He also accused the reality star of filing for divorce without even informing him first. Following his countersuit, Chelsea took to social media to post several cryptic messages. One of her stories read: "Share a funny or embarrassing story with me. I'm in the mood to laugh at anybody else but myself because I've been trying to do that for the last two days. At this point, I'm just going to break down and cry," (via People).

Just one month after Jeff and Chelsea Lazkani's split announcement, yet another "Selling Sunset" couple called it quits. Former star Christine Quinn and her tech-bro husband, Christian Dumontet, whose luxurious wedding featured on the hit show, ended their four-year marriage when he filed for divorce in April 2024. Like many celebrity divorces, this one was marred by scandal and run-ins with the law. In March, Dumontet was arrested for domestic violence after allegedly throwing a glass bottle at Quinn. The bottle missed her but reportedly hit and injured their son, also named Christian.

By the end of March, things had escalated even further, with both parties filing restraining orders against each other. So, it came as no surprise when Dumontet officially filed for divorce in April. The "Selling Sunset" alum and her soon-to-be ex-husband are both now seeking sole custody of their son. Sources claim that Quinn has no intention of going easy on Dumontet, accusing him of violating the restraining order by messaging her from hidden numbers. In August, Quinn posted what seemed to be a not-so-subtle dig at her ex on Instagram: "Remember ladies, while you're healing, he's balding."

In May 2024, Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose's divorce kicked off in the messiest way possible. Just eight months after tying the knot, Cyrus petitioned the courts to annul their union, asserting that he had been defrauded into marrying the singer-songwriter. If his petition were granted, the country icon's financial obligations towards her would have been drastically reduced, as an annulment would effectively erase the marriage — and its history. Weeks later, Cyrus escalated the situation by filing for a restraining order to prohibit any contact and block Firerose from using his credit cards. According to him, she had spent nearly $100,000 since he filed for divorce. 

But Firerose, whose real name is Johanna Rosie Hodges, didn't stay silent. She fired back with her own accusations of abuse, claiming that Cyrus used drugs and had caused her manager and booking agent to fire her. Cyrus wasn't about to let that slide, countering by alleging that Firerose had tricked him into marriage by lying about never being married before. He also accused her of being abusive and claimed she begged him to reconsider the split — proof, in his view, that her own claims of mistreatment weren't true. Eventually, the couple settled their divorce in June, with Firerose choosing not to receive any money from Cyrus, thus wrapping things up quickly.

The exact timeline of Charles Spencer and Karen Gordon's divorce is murky, as insider sources claimed that they informed their staff long before going public. What we do know is that the couple's long-time marriage officially came to an end in 2024. The 3rd Duke of Marlborough, who is also the late Princess Diana's brother, wed Gordon back in 2011, marking his third marriage. From the beginning, there were plenty of red flags in Charles Spencer and Karen Gordon's relationship, so it wasn't exactly a shock when they split.

In a June statement to the Daily Mail, Charles acknowledged, "It is immensely sad. I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future." That same month, he clarified to People that there was absolutely no bad blood: "Karen has been supportive. I think it was very challenging for her to have a husband going through what was essentially four and a half years of the most profound therapy with very difficult undertones to it. And she supported the idea of me doing it."

Summer brought one of the most dramatic — yet sadly expected — divorces of 2024 with the announcement that Christina Hall and her third husband, Josh Hall, were calling it quits. The celebrity couple tied the knot in October 2021, and while they didn't have any kids together, Josh was heavily involved in helping to raise Christina's children. By July 2024, however, TMZ reported that they had both filed for divorce due to, you guessed it, "irreconcilable differences." Josh notably requested all rights to their upcoming shows, which the couple had produced together, alongside spousal support. With no prenup in place, the former couple was left to battle it out in court. 

Subsequently, Christina doubled down on her claims about Josh being "money hungry" in several shady social media posts. The HGTV star also confided to her ex-husband Tarek El Moussa that the children were firmly on her side. "The kids literally asked me to leave. They told me he's not nice to me. Why would I stick around?" she shared on "The Flip Off," per People. Christina also admitted that her relationship with Josh had been far from rosy in its final months. Josh, for his part, has been less vocal, opting to throw subtle shade at his estranged wife through cryptic posts. In one such Instagram Story, he claimed that her accusations were "riddled with lies and assumptions," (via People).