Celebrity Breakups That Defined the 2010S

The 2010s were a decade marked by a devotion to skinny jeans, comic book franchises, and Instagram influencers redefining every industry imaginable. It was also time of heartbreak — we said good bye to Barneys, Game of Thrones, and more celebrity couples than there are slices of avocado toast consumed in Los Angeles. Just think about the Jennifers for example: Jen and Ben! Jen and Justin! Jen and Marc! All three couples parted ways before we could even think about 2020.

So, before we enter a new decade full of couples and celebrity romances yet to even be dreamed up, follow along below as we recount the celebrity breakups that defined the last one.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony (2004 - 2011)

In early 2004, Jennifer Lopez and then-partner Ben Affleck (better known at the time as "Bennifer") infamously split. Shortly after, the world got what felt like a match made in heaven when Lopez started dating singer Marc Anthony and married him within the year. The couple had their first children (twins) in 2008, but broke up a few years later in 2011. They officially divorced in 2014.

Several years after, Lopez revealed that she knew her marriage to Anthony was a mistake “very quickly,” telling W Magazine, “I hung in there for seven years.” Oh, and then she said that musicians are “too concerned with themselves to be great in bed” …

Lopez and Anthony remain dedicated co-parents to their “coconuts.” Anthony is currently dating 28-year-old model Jessica Lynne Harris, while Lopez is engaged to former New York Yankees infielder Alex Rodriguez.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (2002 – 2014)

In the first two decades of the millennium, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin were the ultimate match. She was his yellow-haired muse, he the quiet and seemingly soulful foil to her yoni egg-hawking Goopiness. Opposites attract, we said. “Fix You,” we sang. But alas, the pair famously began their "conscious uncoupling" in 2014.

In keeping with Martin and Paltrow’s vow to avoid the “drama of divorce” and “recognize that our partners in our intimate relationships are our teachers, helping us evolve our internal, spiritual support structure,” the former couple remained in each other’s lives in, a, uh, new capacity … “He’s really like my brother,” Paltrow said of her ex in 2018.

Paltrow wed writer/director/producer Brad Falchuk in September 2018. Martin has been dating actress Dakota Johnson since late 2017.