2008 Woodie Awards
Hollywood infidelity a plague on populace?
A serious look at the role of celebrity marriage (divorce) in our culture
Cassie Belek
Issue date: 11/17/06 Section: Scene
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Diamonds are forever - celebrity marriages are not. Often times when celebrities tie the knot, that sparkling rock on the ring finger is nothing more than a fleeting symbol of a doomed union under the scrutiny of paparazzi and adoring fans. The divorce rate in the United States has reached 50 percent, and while an exact statistic is not available, the divorce rate in Hollywood is certainly higher. When celebrities marry, the question is always "How long is it really going to last?"
The recent weeks and months have brought a slew of high-profile celebrity divorces, the most recent being that of Britney Spears and the newly christened "FedEx." The message that these celebrity divorces is sending is that marriage is temporary, happiness can be found with someone else and moments of hardship can be evaded instead of confronted.
This message is most evident among those celebrities with short or multiple marriages. Spears' short-lived first marriage to the non-"Seinfeld" Jason Alexander lasted a mere 55 hours. The childhood friends wed in Las Vegas as a joke only to get it annulled shortly thereafter. The pop princess, a role model to thousands of young girls, showed a blatant disrespect to the institution of marriage and displayed little regret for her actions.
In a slightly longer marriage, Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney married after a four-month courtship, but Zellweger annulled the marriage 128 days later, citing "fraud" on Chesney's part. The marriage between the Oscar winner and the country superstar is an example of celebrities marrying too quickly, only to go for the easy fix when they realize they do not know each other as well as they thought they did. This irresponsibility in choosing a spouse often leads to multiple marriages. Think Jennifer Lopez (three marriages), Nicolas Cage (three marriages), Billy Bob Thornton (five marriages) and most infamously, Elizabeth Taylor (eight marriages).
Of course, the death knell of many Hollywood marriages is a cheating spouse. Infidelity is sad, tragic and unacceptable. However, celebrity couples rarely stay together when one is caught cheating. Nick Lachey, Ali Landry, Denise Richards and Jennifer Aniston all left their respective spouses after reported infidelity. Most recently and shockingly, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe announced their separation after reports surfaced that Phillippe carried on an affair with Australian actress Abbie Cornish on the set of their upcoming movie "Stop-Loss."
The recent weeks and months have brought a slew of high-profile celebrity divorces, the most recent being that of Britney Spears and the newly christened "FedEx." The message that these celebrity divorces is sending is that marriage is temporary, happiness can be found with someone else and moments of hardship can be evaded instead of confronted.
This message is most evident among those celebrities with short or multiple marriages. Spears' short-lived first marriage to the non-"Seinfeld" Jason Alexander lasted a mere 55 hours. The childhood friends wed in Las Vegas as a joke only to get it annulled shortly thereafter. The pop princess, a role model to thousands of young girls, showed a blatant disrespect to the institution of marriage and displayed little regret for her actions.
In a slightly longer marriage, Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney married after a four-month courtship, but Zellweger annulled the marriage 128 days later, citing "fraud" on Chesney's part. The marriage between the Oscar winner and the country superstar is an example of celebrities marrying too quickly, only to go for the easy fix when they realize they do not know each other as well as they thought they did. This irresponsibility in choosing a spouse often leads to multiple marriages. Think Jennifer Lopez (three marriages), Nicolas Cage (three marriages), Billy Bob Thornton (five marriages) and most infamously, Elizabeth Taylor (eight marriages).
Of course, the death knell of many Hollywood marriages is a cheating spouse. Infidelity is sad, tragic and unacceptable. However, celebrity couples rarely stay together when one is caught cheating. Nick Lachey, Ali Landry, Denise Richards and Jennifer Aniston all left their respective spouses after reported infidelity. Most recently and shockingly, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe announced their separation after reports surfaced that Phillippe carried on an affair with Australian actress Abbie Cornish on the set of their upcoming movie "Stop-Loss."