Baby Blues: 40+ Celeb Couples Who Split Up Before Or After Having A Baby
By Liezel L
Ex-couples who split amicably are lucky, but we all know that breakups are unpleasant, celebrity breakups notoriously even more so. But when you throw a baby in the mix, oh boy, that is a whole lot of messy. Not only do they have to cope with being single again, but they also have to start talking about how to raise the child. It also becomes a lot more complicated if both parties have moved on with different partners already. In some cases, some actually find the baby as a way to give the relationship another try. Others just agree on co-parenting while a few don’t even tell their ex-partners until the baby is already born. It’s a tough situation to navigate, but there are plenty of celebs out there who have found a way to make it work.
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green
The media might’ve twisted Megan’s image over the years as a glamorous man-eater, but she has actually dated only a handful of men as far as we know. Her longest relationship was with Beverly Hills 90210 star Brian Austin Green who she met and started dating in 2004. They got married in 2010, and it seemed that they were on their way to happily ever after, but boy is it a bumpy ride for them.
In 2015, the couple announced that they were splitting. But a little surprise, pregnancy forced them to put a pin on the divorce and re-evaluate their situation. They already had two kids by then, and since they didn’t want them and their coming baby to grow up in a broken family, they decided to try to have another go at things. Sadly, early in 2020, the couple announced they were splitting again, and it seems that this time, it’s for good.
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick
Drama loves the Kardashians, and wherever they go, it follows much like in Kourtney Kardashian’s tumultuous relationship with Scott Disick. The pair have been on and off more times then we can count; however, after Kourtney found out she was pregnant, they tried to make it work yet again.
The couple famously stuck it our for a couple of years, and they even followed their first child with two more kids. Unfortunately, they came to the point of no return. In 2015, the couple decided that the love between them was truly gone and called it quits. And although they’re spending more time together and their kids, it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll be getting back together any time soon. But we’ll never know, right?
Benicio del Torro and Kimberly Stewart
This was one shocking pairing, but their unexpected pregnancy story is actually kind of sweet. It wasn’t back when they were a couple, but when they discovered Kimberly was pregnant, they both decided they wanted to be in the baby’s life. And as it seems, each of them was very supportive of the other’s decision.
Benicio was reportedly even by Kimberly’s side in the delivery room when their daughter Delilah was born in 2011. And ever since, the actor has done everything he can to help Kimberly raise her. And even if they’re not romantically involved, Benicio and Kimberly seem to be doing great as co-parents.
Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen
When we talk about rocky relationships, there’s probably few out there as rocky as Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen. Over the 20 years, they’ve had each other in their lives, they’ve had so many countless ups and downs that they could basically top even the Kardashian family dramas. They had their first child in 2003, then two years later, while she was six months pregnant, Denise filed for divorce. This is only the first of many legal battles in the couple’s lives. They tried to work it out, but in 2006, they went through with the separation.
A couple of years later, everything seemed to be going great with their co-parenting situation. Then in 2015, Charlie started insulting Denise on Twitter. Afterward, he announced he had HIV and Denise revealed that she’d be there for him through all that. The next year, Denise sues Charlie for abandoning his kids’ trust. The following year, they’re good again. The next, someone is being sued again. And this year, they seem to be doing great. We wonder what we’ should expect from them next.
Minnie Driver and Timothy J. Lea
Nobody knows how but Speechless star Minnie Driver and producer Timothy J. Lea have managed to keep their whole relationship under wraps for so long. They even managed to hide the fact that they had a child together for years!
The couple had broken up by the time the baby was born, and Driver only revealed who the father was four years later. Apparently, their relationship was simply too complicated and private, so she opted to conceal the child’s father’s identity until she felt that he could fend for himself about it. She also revealed that Lea wasn’t even very present in her son’s upbringing.
Mackenzie Douthit McKee and Josh McKee
The Mckee’s turbulent relationship was well documented on Teen Mom 3. There were a couple of temporary splits. And at one point, Mackenzie even admitted in 2018 to Radar Online that they faked the romance between them for the third season of the show.
Before all that, in 2016, when the couple was going through another breakup, Mackenzie found out she was pregnant with their third child. They got back together and raised their children together, but now, it seems that the couple had just enough with each other. Later in 2020, Mackenzie filed for divorce, but as of now, we don’t know if they’re going to go through with it this time.
Nick Young and Keonna Green
Iggy Azalea was caught up in some drama during her relationship with NBA star Nick Young. The pair were engaged for a year in 2016. But it was inevitably called off when the news came out that Young had gotten his old highschool sweetheart pregnant while he was engaged to Azalea.
Green was already mother to Young’s first child. In 2015, she told US Weekly that she and Young rekindled their romance three months after the basketball star proposed to Azalea. After all the scandal, the couple finally put a ring to it in the Christmas of 2019. At that time, they already had three adorable kids.
Shar Jackson and Kevin Federline
Kevin Federline is known for a lot of things, and one of the most famous ones is his relationship with pop star Britney Spears. The pair married in 2004. Unfortunately, their relationship didn’t come without drama. According to reports, Federline broke off his engagement with ex-fiance Shar Jackson who was pregnant at the time of the split for Spears.
Spears and Federline’s marriage didn’t last for very long, though. The couple split in 2007. Federline did get the chance to apologize to Jackson for all the pain he had caused her when they reunited in front of the cameras on the show Celebrity Fit Club. Jackson accepted his apology, and it seems that they’ve been doing a pretty good job co-parenting their kids.
Mel B and Eddie Murphy
Their romance was a passionate one, but it was a whirlwind as well. It all lasted a year or less, but at that time, there were already talks of marriage. Sadly, it all just ended one day, and it all ended when Mel B was very pregnant.
More than their break-up, what further caused a stir was that Eddie Murphy flat-out denied that the child was his and requested a paternity test to prove it. When the child was born, though, it was confirmed that Murphy was indeed the father. At the time of the child’s birth, Eddie was already engaged to producer Tracey Edmonds, but he and Mel B have remained friends.
Mary Louise Parker and Billy Crudup
Weeds star Mary Louise Parker and Watchmen star Billy Crudup have been together for some years. They weren’t married, but they were together since 1996. In 2003, Parker got pregnant with their son, but in the midst of it all, Crudup decided to step out of the relationship.
Crudup’s reason for leaving his pregnant partner was as scandalous as Hollywood goes. Apparently, he had been having an affair with Homeland star Claire Danes, who he worked with in Stage Beauty. Four years later, though, the pair also split up.
Ginny Cha and Tiki Barber
Imagine you’re about to have your fourth child with your partner, and you find out they’ve been having an affair. It sounds like TV drama material, but that is what Ginny Cha went through in her fourth pregnancy with retired NBA star Tiki Barber. Ginny was eight months pregnant and on strict bed rest when she found out her husband was cheating with Traci Lynn Johnson.
As if to rub salt on the wound, Barber also proposed to his mistress. The wedding was held off for a bit, though, because of a snag in the divorce proceedings. Ginny asked Tiki for a certain amount of money to help her raise their four kids, and Tiki said he couldn’t afford it. They seemed to have worked it all out though, since the divorce went through. In 2013, Barber welcomed his fifth child with his new wife.
Diplo and Kathryn Lockhart
Iggy Azalea wasn’t the only pop star caught up in some baby mama drama. Katy Perry dated Diplo for a few short months. And unfortunately, they were together when Kathryn Lockhart, Diplo’s ex, gave birth to his second child.
Kathryn and Diplo met when she was working as a bartender a few years back. They didn’t plan on having a child, but once the baby arrived, they tried cohabitation. It worked for a few years, but they decided to call it quits, but not before Kathryn got pregnant.
Bristol Palin and Dakota Meyer
Back in 2015, the couple seemed to have a clear shot at marriage. Everything was set, and their fans were ready to celebrate. But just a few days before the big celebration, everything was called off with the couple intending to never be near each other again. A month later, though, Palin was surprised to find out she was pregnant with Meyer’s child.
The pregnancy set the couple in a wave of custody battles. On the other hand, though, it also reignited the spark between them. A year after Palin gave birth, they got back together and even finally really got married this time. Sadly, they called it quits again in 2018, and it doesn’t look like third time’s the charm for them.
Hugh Grant and Tinglan Hong and Anna Eberstein
Yes, Hugh Grant had a very complicated love life. Grant had a short affair with Tinglan Hong, and in 2011, they welcomed a baby girl named Tabitha. And despite not being together, they welcomed another child, a son named Felix, in December of the following year.
That all seems well enough but get this. In September of 2012, yes three months before Hong gave birth to Felix, Grant welcomed his actual first son with Swedish TV personality Anna Elisabet Eberstein. This means that the two women’s pregnancies overlapped. As it seems, though, Grant’s heart truly belonged to Eberstein. He had two more children with her, and in 2018, they finally tied the knot.
Heidi Klum and Flavio Briatore
The pair started dating in 2003; however, within a year of dating, the two decided to part ways. Soon after, Heidi discovered she was pregnant. She then started seeing Seal. And when she gave birth, he was a perfect dad to Heidi’s daughter Leni. He even adopted her with Flavio’s stamp of approval.
As it seems, Heidi, Seal, and Flavio have formed an amazing relationship for the sake of Leni. And the child knew her biological father and often kept in touch with him. Sadly, in 2012, Heidi and Seal split after having three kids together.
Kelly Rutherford and Daniel Giersch
Kelly Rutherford’s early years of parenthood were rough ones. She and German businessman Daniel Giersch already had one son and expected another one when Rutherford filed for divorce. What followed was almost a decade long, messy battle for custody.
In 2009, the pair were given joint custody of their kids. Then in 2012, Giersch’s visa was revoked. In the same year, a California judge ruled that it was better for the kids to stay in France or Monaco with their father and attend school there with Rutherford, just going back and forth for visits. In 2015, it was finalized that Giersch will have full custody of their kids with Rutherford only having extended visitation rights and shared input on the kids’ wellbeing.
Elizabeth Hurley and Steve Bing
The famous supermodel and the playboy billionaire enjoyed quite the high-profile relationship in their time together. Reports stated that their friends described them to be as happy as can be in each other’s arms, but when the news of a baby on the way came, everything just fell apart.
Instead of making their relationship stronger, the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy led to Steve breaking the connection. He even claimed that the child wasn’t his. A paternity test showed that the child was his, though, and when he then offered financial assistance, a furious Elizabeth rejected it. Steve has continued to put aside cash for his son in a trust fund, though and also made sure he will inherit his share of the Bing fortune even if he was born out of wedlock.
Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan
When the couple got together, they were one to watch. A few years later, however, the spark fizzled out, and they parted ways. But Moynahan wasn’t left alone. A few months after the split, she discovered she was pregnant, but by that time, Brady was already with model Gisele Bundchen.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Moynahan admitted she was heartbroken by the split. She expected she’d be traditionally building a family. In her memoir, Bundchen also revealed that the news of her partner and now husband having a child with another woman turned her world upside down. But it seems that the scars are healing, and now Brady and Moynahan are beautifully co-parenting their child.
Kelis and Nas
Their love story can be called sweet with cute words and effective pick-up lines. But three years after their marriage, things started to go downhill with rumors of Nas’ infidelity sparking up. At the time, Kelis was pregnant with their son, but according to the rapper, their relationship was already over before they found out Kelis was pregnant.
According to Nas, they tried to work things out for the baby. But Kelis disagrees with him. According to her, he cheated, and she divorced him, and she didn’t want him back. In 2018, she opened up to Hollywood Unlocked, calling their marriage toxic. Up until now, no one really knows what the two’s current relationship is like.
Christina Milian and The Dream
Christina Milian and The Dream’s marriage seemed like it was going pretty well. So fans were understandably shocked when less than a year later, the couple announced that they’re going their separate ways. More surprisingly, the couple had decided to split months before the news broke out and while Christina was pregnant with their daughter.
According to the couple’s representatives, the marriage simply wasn’t working. And the couple wanted to keep the news private in order to protect their daughter Violet. The breakup was messy, though and accusations of cheating were thrown around. Thankfully though, they reached an amicable agreement in 2010.
Keshia Knight Pulliam and Ed Hartwell
These two were only together for a grand total of 10 months and only married for six of them before Hartwell filed for divorce. And it was reportedly Pulliam’s pregnancy that triggered the breakup. Hartwell didn’t even trust that the baby was really his until a paternity test was done.
Hartwell told Page Six that Pulliam wanted a baby fast. As for him, he wanted them to focus on each other first, given their fast courtship. They became less intimate, and Hartwell felt that some things weren’t just adding up. As the DNA test has proven, the baby was really Hartwell’s. The ex-couple had some legal issues again in 2020 when Pulliam accused Hartwell of missing child support payments.
Kari Ann Peniche and Justin Williams
Their split is nothing short of harrowing. Just four months after their marriage in 2011, the couple filed for divorce. Peniche happened to be pregnant at the time, which forced them to give it a second try. By the next year, though, things got a little ugly.
Williams suspected that their son was being exposed to illegal substances that his mother was using, given that the baby was fond of sucking on his mother’s hair and clothes. So Williams gave their 10-month old son a hair follicle drug test. And shockingly, it did end up positive for methamphetamine. As it seems, though, the couple got through it and even had another child together. But early in 2020, Peniche filed for divorce.
Jordan Craig and Tristan Thompson
Before Tristan Thompson added to the Kardashian clan with his then-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian, he was dating Jordan Craig. It would’ve been a lot less messy split between them had Tristan not gotten Craig pregnant before he left her.
According to People, Craig was already five months pregnant by the time Tristan was with Khloe. And although Tristan insists he was single by the time he started dated the Kardashian, Craig believed that he was cheating on her with somebody else. According to Radar Online, Craig was so stressed about Thompson’s actions that she was ordered to bed rest.
Lashontae Heckard and Brandon Jennings
In May of 2015, Brandon Jennings excitedly announced on Instagram that he was going to have a child with his then-girlfriend Lashontae Heckard. A month later, though, he was back on the platform boasting about his single status. Since then, the pair seemed to have gotten over each other pretty quickly.
In 2019, Jennings had some choice words to say to Heckard for trying to join Basketball Wives. For one, he called her too old for it, and he criticized the stint as not even being a real job. He went on to rant on Snapchat that she wasn’t even an actual wife. Basically, he just really has little to no love for his baby mama.
Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson
These two had one of the shortest marriages on this list. The WNBA stars were only married for one short month before they decided to call it quits. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a surprise. They were both arrested before the marriage for assault over a domestic dispute. The sad part is that at the time of the split, Johnson was pregnant with twins who were conceived via IVF.
In a confusing chain of events, though, Griner declared she had no idea about the pregnancy. Later on, she took back the statement and said she knew Johnson was pregnant and that she was simply shocked that her partner would reveal the news at just nine weeks. The great thing is that they’ve finally completed the divorce with Griner having to pay Johnson child support.
Briana Renee and Matt Grundhoffer
Often times, there’s just no forgiveness for cheating. Little Women: LA star Briana Renee gave her husband Matt Grundhoffer the boot after she caught him cheating, according to Radar Online. She was pregnant at the time. The couple tried to give it a second try, though when Renee gave birth to their son.
The reunion didn’t last very long because, in 2017, the actress finally split from her husband for good. In addition to that, Renee and her son were also granted a lengthy five-year domestic violence restraining order against Grundhoffer.
Kylee Cochran and Seth Peterson
In their separation after twelve long years, this couple had plenty of irreconcilable differences to settle indeed. Cochran, who was seven months pregnant at the time with their third child, accused Peterson of cheating with a 22-year old horror writer he met on Twitter.
Apparently, Peterson also missed plenty of their mediation appointments, so Cochran had no choice but to take the divorce public. He only agreed to the terms after the world knew. Cochran also requested full legal and physical custody of their kids, citing that Peterson has had a history of drug use and vehicle accidents. Oof talk about angry.
Malika Haqq and O.T. Genasis
Khloe Kardashian’s BFF Malika Haqq and rapper O.T. Genasis have been dating on and off for the past few years. And when Haqq announced that she was pregnant, the couple had already broken up. In the first few months, the reality star remained mum about the father of her child, but during her baby shower, she finally revealed that the father was indeed her ex O.T. Genasis.
Although they weren’t together anymore, Haqq shared that O.T. has actually been very supportive and excited about their baby. He has accompanied her to every doctor’s appointment and has shown great care and support throughout the journey. Now the pair remain great friends and are looking forward to co-parenting their son.
Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett
In their near a decade of marriage, these two surely went through some scandalous ups and downs from sex tape releases to cheating scandals. The Girls Next Door alum married the NFL player in 2009, and things seemed to be going great until Wilkinson was caught up in a sex tape scandal the following year. A couple of years later, they were caught up in another scandal while Wilkinson was pregnant with their second child.
According to US Magazine, Baskett cheated on Wilkinson with a transgender model while she was eight months pregnant. Baskett denied the allegations, but the damage was done, and the couple temporarily split. Wilkinson ultimately decided to get back with her husband, though, and try to build the trust back up again, but it seems that they never really did. In 2018, they announced they were getting a divorce, and they finally settled it the following year.
Mary Jo Eustace and Dean McDermott
Eustace and McDermott were married for a good 13 years from 1993 to 2006 before they split. McDermott apparently fell in love with his Mind Over Murder co-star Tori Spelling in 2005 and chose her over his wife. Sadly, Eustace and McDermott were in the process of adopting a baby girl when McDermott had his affair with Spelling.
Eustace completed the adoption on her own as a single parent. According to Radar Online, McDermott also relinquished his legal rights to the baby because Eustace was afraid their separation would affect the adoption. Since the split, the pair were on rocky terms but in 2019, Spelling, McDermott, and Eustace seem to have made amends. Spelling and Eustace have even gotten along so well and have formed a wonderful friendship.
Sherri Shepherd and Lamar Sally
Shepherd and Sally’s separation is a nightmare for sure, especially since they had a baby on the way with a surrogate. Their surrogate was six months pregnant with the baby who was conceived using a donor egg meaning Shepherd had no biological ties to the baby when Sally filed for divorce in 2014.
Since that point, they’ve been making headlines for their courtroom battles. Shepherd refused to have her name put on the child’s birth certificate. The child is also in Sally’s full custody. In 2017, Sally tried to get a court to increase the amount of child support Shepherd was paying, but he was denied the request.
Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana
To outsiders, their marriage must’ve seemed like a fairytale, but as their divorce proved, there was a lot of tension underneath all the glamour. After marrying in 2013, the couple desperately wanted to have a child, but it didn’t happen until three years later in 2016. By that point, though, the marriage was already falling apart.
According to The Post, shortly after giving birth to their son Eissa, Jackson left Al Mana and kept it all hush-hush until May. At first, Jackson wanted to co-parent her son with Al Mana. Suddenly, things changed and became more heated as she wanted full custody. After all the custody drama, Jackson got what she wanted.
Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian
With these two, it’s hard to even know where to begin with all the drama they’ve been wading through in the past years. To put it simply, the two had a bit of a whirlwind romance. Ten weeks after they started dating, he put a ring on her finger. A month later, they surprised the world with the announcement of a pregnancy.
Everything seemed to be going well, and the couple seemed happy, but a month after Chyna gave birth, the couple was caught up in a hacker scandal. The hacker reportedly threatened to expose Chyna’s private messages with other men who she was allegedly cheating with. According to People, Chyna confirmed the messages were real and even claimed that the hacker was her husband. After that, they were on and off for plenty of times and got into plenty of legal battles for their child. In 2019, it seemed that the dust has settled, and they’re contentedly co-parenting their child.
Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler
Just when you think these two have finally settled down for good, they throw you a curveball yet again. The pair first met in 2010, and it was a quick romance from there. Eight months later, they were engaged, but then in 2011, they called it off. But by then, Kristin found out she was pregnant.
Their breakup was short and a few months of them getting back together, their first child was born. They tied the knot in 2013 and had two more children consecutively in the two years after. Their romance wasn’t meant to last, however, as in 2020, after their Bahamas quarantine, the couple officially split.
Cynthia Scurtis and Alex Rodriguez
Before J Lo and Alex Rodriguez became the it couple, Rodriguez was married to Cynthia Scurtis for six years. And although he had settled down, his reputation as a playboy followed him throughout his marriage. He was always getting linked to several high-profile names in the entertainment industry and it all came to a head in 2008.
By then, Rodriguez’s reputation was taking a hit from all corners. He was accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs. And while Scurtis was pregnant with their second child, news that Rodriguez had an affair with Madonna began making the rounds. Soon after, they divorced with Scurtis citing infidelity as the cause. Since then, they have been able to coexist and co-parent their kids without drama.
Ciara and Future
After an extravagant proposal with a 15-carat diamond ring, everyone was waiting for their sweet sweet “I do’s.” Unfortunately, the pair didn’t even make it to the aisle. The pair got engaged late in 2013 and early the next year, they happily announced that they were expecting. After Ciara gave birth though, everything took a downward turn.
In the summer of 2014, rumors that Future cheated started circulating. According to EOnline, Ciara immediately broke up with him but they attempted to repair their relationship in the next few months. Soon enough, they decided enough was enough and in 2015, Ciara revealed she was dating Russell Wilson.
Audrina Patridge and Corey Bohan
One minute, the beautiful couple was walking down the aisle and having a dream wedding, the next, everything is crumbling all around them. Patridge and Bohan had an on and off relationship starting in 2008 and Bohan finally popped the question in 2015. The next year, a few months before the wedding, Patridge gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Less than a year of marriage later though, Patridge was filing for divorce.
In September 2017, Patridge filed for a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Bohan. Two days later, she filed for divorce. Although they’ve finalized the divorce in 2018, a few legal matters between them have sprung up after nevertheless. Patridge filed another restraining order against her husband, and more recently, Bohan has been seeking child support since losing his job due to the pandemic.
Kim Porter and Diddy
Much like plenty of celeb couples on this list, Porter and Diddy suffered from an on and off relationship. After splitting for the first time, they even had a custody battle over their first son. When they reconciled and had their twin daughters, everyone thought they were going to last. But their last split was more dramatic than anyone could have ever imagined.
While Diddy was away one weekend, Porter took the twins and packed up everything, including the kitchen table, and left. Apparently, Diddy fathered another child with another woman while Porter was still pregnant with the twins, and that soured the relationship. Despite their split, they have remained close and wonderfully co-parented their kids until Porter died in 2018.
Tiny and T.I.
Tiny and T.I’s relationship has been well documented in several reality shows which they starred in together. They put everything out there for the world to see and in the course of their long relationship, they’ve had three children together. It was just a few months after the birth of their child though, that things went sideways for a while for them.
Just a few months after Tiny gave birth to their daughter, the couple surprised everyone when they announced they were divorcing. Apparently, T.I. had been unfaithful. Thankfully though, the couple reconciled a year later, and up until now, it seems that they’re going strong.
Jill Scott and Lil John Roberts
When Golden singer Jill Scott announced her engagement and her pregnancy with drummer Lil John Roberts, fans were very excited. Scott revealed that they were just as excited and that Roberts has been by her side throughout the entire pregnancy. Suddenly, a few months after Scott gave birth to their son, the engagement was called off.
Scott admitted that she’s not sure if the breakup had anything to do with having the baby. But one thing she’s sure off is that they both love their little boy so much and that they are very much willing to put in the work to co-parenting and being friends.
Fantasia and Antwaun Cook
In the midst of her career, American Idol winner Fantasia had a highly publicized relationship with Antwaun Cook, who was a married man at the time. She became pregnant during the couple’s short-lived relationship, but shortly after she gave birth, Cook left her to reconcile with his wife.
Following his reconciliation with his wife though, reports popped up that Fantasia was bitter over it. But according to Radar Online, if it weren’t for their son, Cook wanted nothing to do with Fantasia anymore and was happy with where he was with his family. Despite all of that, one thing the pair could agree on is their love for their lovely son.
Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie
When Hilary Duff married former professional hockey player Mike Comrie, it seemed that our favorite teen idol was finally getting the fairytale love story she wanted. After they started dating in 2007, they went through a fast-paced romance and they finally tied the knot in 2010.
The lovebirds happily welcomed their first child, son Luca Cruz, in March 2012. But less than a year later, something went wrong and the couple flipped the book on their fairytale romance. A tabloid scandal rocked their marriage and the pair also admitted after the split that the marriage required hard work from each of them so they simply decided to call it quits.