Divorce is never easy and can be an extremely painful process, especially when something so personal unfolds through the public eye. People are often judgmental and can make assumptions about a celebrity’s life. This can include that the celebrity couple went through an affair or had differences when raising their child. These assumptions can damage their day-to-day lives as well as their children’s lives.
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?” Negative views of Hollywood marriages take the position that the divorce rates are indeed unusually high among celebrities, and that this is caused by faults within Hollywood as a culture or by personal faults of the celebrities themselves.
Media often distorts high profile celebrity divorces in order to receive a higher audience. They sell millions of magazines and advertisements promoting a distorted view on something that should be a private matter.
Many people were saddened to hear about the divorce of actors, Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt. These longtime partners have been together ever since the popular movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” Many speculations have came out of what might have lead to this shocking divorce. Ever since this story came out people have speculated that Angelina is asking for the house and full custody of the kids. Whether the rumors are true or not Pitt’s six children should not have to learn about this through a media outlet.
Even if the media is not to blame, it seems as if divorce is just apart of Hollywood’s culture, or perhaps the personal faults of the celebrities themselves. Some think weddings are just used as publicity stunts.
Bee Wilson of The Daily Telegraph wrote Hollywood marriages are often based on unrealistic dreams and called celebrities “permanent children.” However, she also indicated that on the counterpoint of his view, classic Hollywood couples such as Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart and Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were definitely the exception.
Like everybody else, actors and entertainers also have differing opinions when it comes to the Hollywood divorce rate. Anne Baxter has stated Hollywood is “the most difficult place in America for marriage” due to the “terrible extremes of success and failure” the spouses face with their careers. Others feel it is because of the magnifying glass aspect the Hollywood marriages deal with. Mitzi Gaynor said in a 1964 interview, “everything we do is magnified.” He also concluded that “you have to be a little off-center to get into this business in the first place.” This is one reason why celebrities such as Harrison Ford try so hard to keep their private lives private. But in spite of this, he is on his third marriage.
Marriages are already hard when you are not in front of the public eye. Adding a 3rd factor such as media only amplifies it. In order to get the divorce rate down in Hollywood people need to stop making assumptions about celebrities private lives and need to start having sympathy for on-screen couples going through a hard time.
