Celebrity Divorce: Jennifer Anniston and Justin Theroux

It seems like every time someone turns on the news there is another celebrity couple that is going through some sort of a separation or a divorce. While this news may seem commonplace, it is important for people to understand that no matter how common divorce may seem, it is always a complicated and difficult matter. One of the most recent high-profile couples to go through a separation or a divorce is Jennifer Anniston and Justin Theroux, who announced that they had mutually agreed to go their separate ways sometime towards the end of last year. There are a number of complicated divorce issues that all families going through a divorce should think about, not just celebrity couples that are ending their marriage.

Journalists have reported that the couple had been spending time separated for a while. While they had been married several years ago, they were often apart for career interests, personal matters, or otherwise. This was one of the many signals that the marriage may not last. Justin was often spending time in New York CIty and he had been busy filming for a new movie. When he was not present for Anniston's birthday celebration, located in beautiful Malibu, this was a strong signal that something was going on.

While this seems indicative of celebrity life, it is something that all couple should take note: spending time together is important for your marriage. It is crucial to take time from your busy schedules to be with your spouse, particularly for an important event or celebration.

When a couple decides to go through a divorce, dividing financial assets can be a challenge. This is even more difficult when a couple has multiple houses and significant assets, which is the case for many celebrity couples. First, the property needs to be labeled as either joint or separate (i.e., marital or non-marital). Property that an individual had before entering into marriage is typically considered to be separate or non-marital; however, when couples join their accounts together, this can be complicated to sort out. The same can be said of debt, which is an anchor that far too many people have today. Retirement accounts, jewelry, houses, and anything of value is included as a financial asset and is subject to division in a divorce.

For this reason, it is very common for celebrity couples to enter into prenuptial agreements prior to their marriage. Non-celebrity couples should also consider pre-nuptial agreements to protect their interests and assets prior to entering into a marriage, especially if they have significant assets prior to getting married.

Jennifer and Justin’s divorce was a bit simpler because they did not have any children in common. Celebrity divorces involving couples who have children together can get even messier and more complicated, particularly since details of a divorce can be leaked to the public. Any accusations a party may have against the other related to their ability to parent may become public. Court hearings are typically open to the public, so any information or argument presented at a hearing can also be picked up the media and disseminated to the public. As such, celebrity couples may want to iron out all of the details of their dissolution of marriage prior to filing anything in court. This will keep any private information out of the public’s reach. Non-celebrity couples may want to handle their family law matters in a similar way, as all actions filed in family court are public documents.

Ultimately, trying to simplify the process of a divorce can be a difficult task. There are numerous complicated issues related to houses, cars, financial assets, and even children. It is important for everyone to make sure that this process is resolved as fairly and as smoothly as possible. Because of this goal, families should think about speaking with an experienced attorney so that this process is done correctly the first time.

Article updated September 19, 2020.