7 Times Hollywood Actresses Hit Major Milestones Only For Their Exes To Instantly Hijack The Spotlight

Shailene Woodley rose to prominence thanks to the teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013). She went on to achieve wider fame with films such as The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and the Divergent franchise (2014–2016).

In 2017, Woodley earned her first Emmy nomination for her performance in Big Little Lies. In the years that followed, her relationship with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers became a frequent subject of media attention.

In February 2021, Woodley confirmed her engagement to Rodgers. The couple had separated by the following year.

In 2026, Woodley appeared as Annie Clay in the sci-fi drama Paradise, earning her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. 

“So deserved. She tore that episode up,” one fan said on X.

Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

Days later, Rodgers made controversial claims about his relationship with Woodley during an appearance on the Not Just Football podcast on September 10, shifting media attention to their past relationship.

Speaking to former teammate Cam Heyward, Rodgers alleged that Woodley had told him she wanted to sleep with another man just days after their engagement.

“She may have felt like she was forced to make a decision. She could have said no.

“She tells me before we get married, like, ‘I got to go f**k this guy,’” he said. 

Rodgers faced criticism for discussing the private details of their relationship publicly, with some fans questioning the timing of his remarks.

“How convenient he drops this days after Shailene won an Emmy,” one netizen wrote.

Woodley did not publicly respond to Rodgers' claims, though she laughed off a question about her ex at a fundraiser. She later drew attention for her Emmy red-carpet outfit, which received mixed reactions online.

Hilary Swank gained recognition for her portrayal of Julie Pierce in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid. 

While filming the 1997 drama Quiet Days in Hollywood, Swank met actor Chad Lowe, and they began dating soon after.

When Swank won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 2000, she notably didn't mention her husband in her acceptance speech.

Swank won her second Best Actress Oscar in 2005, this time thanking Lowe for his support.

“I am going to start by thanking my husband because I'd like to think I learn from past mistakes,” she said. 

Although their divorce was finalized in November 2007, the couple's separation had become public in early 2006, just months after Swank's second Oscar win.

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Some media reports speculated that differences in their career trajectories strained the marriage. While Swank's profile had risen following her Oscar wins, Lowe had taken on fewer high-profile roles.

In a July 2006 interview with Vanity Fair, Swank pushed back against the speculation, saying Lowe had supported her career and was happy for her success.

“I think that any frustration for him stemmed from the lack of opportunities in his own career," she added.

Swank also spoke about Lowe's struggles with substance use, which she said had contributed to the breakdown of their marriage.

The actress said she had not initially known about Lowe's struggles, which, according to her account, had been ongoing for nearly three years. 

"When I found out, it was such a shock because I never thought he'd keep something from me. And yet, on another level, it was a confirmation of something I was feeling that was keeping us from being completely solid," she added. 

Swank married entrepreneur Philip Schneider in 2018, and the couple welcomed twins in 2023. Lowe married Kim Painter in 2010.

The couple had three daughters, but their middle child, Fiona, sadly passed away in October 2026.

On March 24, 2002, Halle Berry made history as the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. She received the Oscar for her performance as Leticia Musgrove in the 2001 romantic drama Monster's Ball.

After competing in beauty pageants during the 1980s, Berry moved to New York City in 1989 to pursue acting. She made her film debut in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever (1991) and gained wider international recognition with X-Men (2000).

After divorcing baseball player David Justice in 1997, Berry married singer-songwriter Eric Benét in 2001. During her Oscar acceptance speech, she thanked her husband, describing him as “the joy” of her life.

Just 10 days after Berry's Oscar win, reports of Benét's alleged infidelity emerged. 

During a 2004 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Berry revealed that she had suffered a ‘breakdown’ after discovering Benét's alleged infidelity with multiple women.

Steve Granitz Archive 1/WireImage

“It was heartbreaking, because I had a perfect marriage. I mean, this is one of the kindest men I think I’ve ever known, on many levels,” she said.

Berry said she initially hoped to save the marriage, but the couple announced their separation in October 2003. Reports at the time alleged that Benét's infidelity had begun much earlier in their relationship.

“Eric and I have had marital problems for some time now and have tried to work things out together. However, at this point, I feel we need time apart to reevaluate our union,” Berry said in a statement. 

In 2002, Benét entered a rehabilitation program after reports that he was seeking treatment for se*ual ad*ict*on. He later acknowledged being unfaithful to Berry but disputed the label of “s*x ad*ict.”

Nonetheless, the cheating scandal completely overshadowed Berry’s Oscar win. Their divorce was finalized in 2005. 

Most recently, Berry appeared in the 2026 thriller Crime 101, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo. Her personal life has also come under renewed media scrutiny after her ex-husband Olivier Martinez made allegations concerning their child. 

Winning the Best Actress Academy Award is arguably the pinnacle of any actress’ career. After starting her acting career as a teenager, Reese Witherspoon reached the major milestone in March 2006. 

She won the prestigious award for her performance as June Carter, the wife of singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, in the 2005 biographical drama Walk the Line, at the 78th Academy Awards. 

In her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to her partner, Ryan Phillippe, describing him as a "wonderful husband." 

Witherspoon met Phillippe in 1997, shortly before the pair appeared together in the 1999 thriller Cruel Intentions. They officially tied the knot in June 1999. 

Soon after Witherspoon's Oscar win, reports emerged that her marriage to Phillippe was in trouble. While Witherspoon had become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, reports suggested that Phillippe’s career was experiencing a quieter period. 

This fueled speculation that Phillippe was struggling with his wife's success, especially after reports of an angry exchange with a security guard at an Oscars after-party.

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"My wife is my pass," he allegedly said before barging past a security guard.

On October 30, 2006, Phillippe and Witherspoon announced their separation. Witherspoon filed for divorce on November 8, citing irreconcilable differences.

Reports also linked the separation to an alleged affair between Phillippe and Australian actress Abbie Cornish. A source told Access Hollywood that Witherspoon came across pictures of Philippe and Cornish together and confronted her husband.

“He admitted having an affair. He said all of the rumors were true and said let’s just end this now,” they said. 

However, Philippe later denied these claims.

“I’m not a perfect person, but I’m not guilty of a lot of the things I have been accused of. My priority is and always has been the health and safety of my family,” he said in a statement. 

Their divorce was finalized in June 2008, with the couple agreeing to share custody of their two children.

In 2010, Sandra Bullock was enjoying a career high following the box-office success of The Proposal and the critical acclaim for her performance in The Blind Side.

The biographical sports drama starred Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Michael Oher, a high school football player, into her family. The performance earned Bullock her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

At the 82nd Academy Awards, held on March 7, 2010, as Bullock accepted the Best Actress trophy, her then-husband, motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse James, was present in the audience, shedding tears of pride. 

In an interview with Oprah, Bullock admitted she was surprised by her victory given her career trajectory and wondered if she was worthy of the award. In the same interview, the actress also praised James for helping her through the lengthy Oscars campaign and thanked him for his support. 

"I'm going to go have lunch with the husband at his little burger joint called Cisco Burger," she said at the time. 

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage for Vanity Fair Magazine

However, Bullock’s Oscar win was completely overshadowed a few days later when a media scandal engulfed her personal life. Several women claimed to have had affairs with James during his marriage to Bullock, forcing the actress to pull out of several public appearances.

On March 18, 2010, James publicly responded to the infidelity allegations and apologized to Bullock. 

“There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me,” he said.

Meanwhile, James disputed some of the allegations, and his publicist said he hoped to save his marriage to Bullock.

However, she filed for divorce in April 2010, and the court finalized their separation in June on grounds of "conflict of personalities."

“I remember when she got her Oscar, she thanked him for his support, then found out about the cheating either that night or the next day,” a Reddit user said.

A second added, “I remember him smiling in the audience on award night.”

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis were among Hollywood's most high-profile couples for nearly a decade. They began dating in November 2011 and became engaged in January 2013.

Although they never officially tied the knot, Wilde and Sudeikis welcomed their first child together in 2014. Their separation in 2020 eventually became the subject of intense public scrutiny.

By then, Wilde had made a successful directorial debut with the critically acclaimed comedy Booksmart. Expectations were high for her second feature as a director, Don't Worry Darling.

In May 2022, Wilde appeared at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to present Don't Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and Chris Pine.  

While on stage speaking about her new project, the actress was served with court documents regarding child custody. “This is for me?” Wilde reportedly asked after someone handed her an envelope. 

Sources close to Sudeikis said he had no prior knowledge of where or how the documents would be delivered. The incident nevertheless drew attention away from Wilde's presentation of her second directorial feature.

“Think of her what you want, but this is not OK. Ruining her moment like this and creating negative press for her,” one fan said on Reddit.

Another added, “Jason Sudeikis has always had this “nice guy” persona he conveys, and idk where I noticed this, but it’s a mask.”

Daniel Benavides

In an interview with Variety in August 2022, Wilde reflected on the incident, calling it a nasty move that distracted from the work of so many people and the studio she represented. 

"In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack. It was really upsetting. It shouldn't have been able to happen,” she said. 

Wilde revisited the incident on the Call Her Daddy podcast in June 2026. She said she initially hoped the footage had gone unnoticed because attendees were not allowed to use their phones inside the event. 

She was later mortified to discover how widely the incident had circulated, including among people in Hollywood. Although she can now laugh about it, Wilde described the experience as “incredibly traumatizing” at the time.

Keke Palmer rose to prominence as the title character in Nickelodeon's sitcom True Jackson, VP (2008–2011). After expanding into voice acting and other projects, she earned renewed mainstream attention with the 2022 hit Nope. 

In December 2022, Palmer won the Best Supporting Actress award from the New York Film Critics Circle for her work in the same film. She was dating fitness instructor Darius Jackson at the time, and the couple welcomed their first child in February 2023.

In July, Jackson called out Palmer after she attended an Usher concert in a sheer black bodysuit. He criticized the actress’ outfit choice following the birth of their son. 

“It's the outfit tho... you a mom," he said in a tweet.  

Jackson's comments drew criticism online. Palmer did not directly address his remarks and subsequently shared more photos of herself in the outfit.

Derek White/WireImage

On Reddit, several fans urged Palmer to break up with Jackson immediately after the incident, accusing him of being insecure. 

“I hope she dumped him and wouldn’t be surprised because she seems to know her worth,” one person wrote. 

Another added, “Hope he's an ex after that stunt.”

The couple split in October 2023. Palmer later accused Jackson of physical and emotional ab*se during their time together. She also sought full custody of their eight-month-old son and obtained a temporary restraining order against Jackson.

“It got so out of control. The only way I knew how to bring order was through the court,” she said. 

Palmer and Jackson later settled on a joint custody agreement after court mediation.