Hollywood’s shortest marriages – from Britney Spears to Kim Kardashian

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas – at the height of her pop stardom in 2004, Britney Spears decided to marry her childhood friend Jason Alexander on a whim (not to be confused with the Seinfeld star). The couple ended up annulling the marriage just 55 hours later, with rumours that Britney’s family intervened and claimed the ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ hitmaker “lacked understanding of her actions”.

While Jason has contested this, claiming that his ex-wife’s family pressured them into the annulment, Britney opened up about the pair’s whirlwind romance in her hit autobiography The Woman in Me. “I was honestly just very drunk,” the star wrote. “And probably, in a more general sense at that time in my life, very bored”. 

Who else remembers tuning in to Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event in 2011? The reality TV queen tied the knot with basketball player Kris Humphries after knowing each other for six months, and fans got a front-row seat to their glamorous California ceremony, complete with all the sparkle you’d expect from a Kardashian wedding.

The couple ended up calling it quits just 72 days later, citing irreconcilable differences. Kris initially sought an annulment, claiming the marriage was a publicity stunt, but the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star denied this. After a drawn-out legal battle, the pair’s marriage was officially dissolved in divorce.

Before Bennifer was even a thing, Jennifer Lopez was swept off her feet by her back-up dancer Cris Judd, who she met on the set of her “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” video in 2000. The pair’s whirlwind romance quickly escalated to marriage, with the couple tying the knot in September 2001 at a low-key villa ceremony in Calabasas.

After just nine months of marriage, the pressure of J. Lo’s skyrocketing fame had reportedly strained the relationship, leading to their split. “[Our wedding] was a circus. I think several people got arrested trying to climb up a mountain… trying to sneak in,” Cris candidly told Us Weekly. “”Your privacy is breached. You’re no longer a normal person”.

After a notoriously short 39-day marriage with former flame Jeremy Thomas, Drew Barrymore once again made headlines after her whirlwind marriage to comedian and actor Tom Green, reportedly after only a few months of dating. The couple met on the set of Charlie’s Angels and looked loved-up at their red carpet appearances, but Tom ended up filing for divorce just nine months later.

The exes ended up reuniting on Drew’s talk show in 2020, and shared an emotional exchange. “I love your parents and I really love you, and I celebrate you,” Drew told her former flame. “You’ve had a whole life and I’ve had a whole life and it’s just really nice to come together and check in and talk about it. It thrills me to no end”.

Marriage was in the cards for Hollywood superstar Pamela Anderson and professional poker player Rick Salomon, who had a turbulent relationship that resulted in speedy divorces over the years. The couple, had known each other previously, reconnected at a poker game in 2007 and tied the knot the same year. The Baywatch star ended up filing for divorce just two months later, citing fraud and ultimately securing an annulment.

But the drama didn’t end there. After remarrying in 2014, Pamela again filed for divorce a year later, even requesting a temporary restraining order. Despite public speculation, the couple kept their breakup terms under wraps and later issued a joint statement, claiming they’d come to an amicable agreement and wished each other well.

While he’s known to many as a silver screen icon, Nicolas Cage is also an Elvis Presley superfan – which made his relationship with the late singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, seem like fate. However, the reality was a bit more rock ‘n’ roll – despite a reportedly passionate yet often volatile relationship, the couple ended up tying the knot in Hawaii in 2002, 25 years after Elvis’ death.

Just three months later, the Ghost Rider star filed for divorce, bringing the whirlwind marriage to a close. After Lisa Marie’s death in 2023, Nicolas mourned the “devastating loss” in a heartfelt public statement, sharing, “She lit up every room, and I am heartbroken. I find some solace believing she is reunited with her son Benjamin”.

It’s every TV fan’s dream that their favourite on-screen couple might spark romance in real life – and for One Tree Hill fans, that fantasy came true. Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush, whose characters had a tense will-they-won’t-they dynamic on the hit drama, ended up getting married in 2005 – but their union ended up being just as dramatic as the show, with the couple calling it quits five months later.

“I was a baby. I didn’t know up, down, left, right,” Chad told The Cut. “You move out there, and you go, ‘Well, what am I supposed to do now? Get married? That’s exciting!’” The actors have since put the past behind them and moved on, and were reportedly cordial on the set of One Tree Hill.

After seeing Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus in The Last Song, you’d think they were destined to be together. The couple began dating shortly after filming in 2009, and their off-again, on-again relationship became headline news. After getting engaged in 2012, calling it off, then getting re-engaged in 2016, the duo finally confirmed their marriage two years later, with the We Can’t Stop singer sharing an Instagram post with the caption “10 years later…”

Just eight months after saying “I do”, the pair ended up separating, with Liam sharing on his own social media, “Just a quick note to say that Miley and I have recently separated, and I wish her nothing but health and happiness going forward”.