“I knew it wouldn’t work out on the honeymoon,” said one star — while another admitted he “got drunk and a little too friendly with a younger girl on spring break” days before the wedding.
Not all marriages stand the test of time — in fact, some marriages last almost nothing. When couples decide things aren’t going to work out soon after getting married, they often file for an annulment instead of a divorce. That means, in the eyes of the law, the marriage was never legally legitimate and it’s as if it never happened. While not every couple qualifies to go this legal route, all of these stars have tried to annul their marriages.
Find out why these celebrities had their marriages annulled…
1. Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose
Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Jr. and his ex Firerose have been together for over a decade, as they tied the knot in October 2023. However, just seven months later, Billy Ray filed for annulment, claiming the marriage was obtained through fraud. According to TMZ, he cited irreconcilable variances and marital misconduct in the paperwork.
Things have since gotten dramatic between the couple, with Firerose filing her own legal paperwork accusing Billy Ray of “excessive verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” and substance abuse issues that made him “unpredictable and risky.” She also denied any liability for inappropriate marital conduct and claimed that Billy Ray was the one who acted inappropriately and made their living arrangements “unsafe.”
Billy Ray has now filed an emergency restraining order, claiming that Firerose used his business bank card to spend over $96,000 after their split. In response, Firerose claimed that she was given permission to use his bank cards when she moved in with him in 2022 and was never restricted to a limit.
The annulment has not yet been carried out in court.
2. Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney
In May 2005, Renee Zellweger It is Kenny Chesney They married in a low-key ceremony, but just four months later they filed for annulment. In court documents, Renée cited “fraud” as the explanation for the split, which led to much speculation in the media about Kenny’s sexuality. Despite her attempts to dispel the rumors at the time, she did mention that it was a tragic situation for both of them.
“It made me unhappy,” she told The Advocate years later. “I was unhappy that somehow people were using this as a technique to be ruthless and call someone homosexual as a pejorative, which has fatal penalties. There’s actually the bigger problem of why anyone needed to make up a narrative at all.”
3. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
Kim Kardashian It is Kris Humphries documented their relationship in a reality show — along with Kim’s hesitations leading up to their nuptials. The couple, who dated for just six months before getting engaged, tied the knot in August 2011. Just 72 days later, Kim filed for divorce — though Kris fought to have the marriage annulled as an alternative. Despite Kris’s efforts to have things annulled, the judge ultimately granted the divorce.
“I feel like a lot of women go through that, where they freak out considering they’re getting older and all their friends are having kids. So it was more of that kind of situation. But I knew on the honeymoon it wasn’t going to work out,” Kim later explained. Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
4. Britney Spears and Jason Alexander
Britney Spears Britney made headlines when she married her childhood friend Jason Alexander in a late-night ceremony in Las Vegas. Britney, who was just 22 at the time, said the couple were just having fun, but didn’t realize the consequences of their actions. Just 55 hours after saying “I do,” a judge annulled the marriage.
“It was me playing around, being rebellious and probably not taking responsibility for what I used to do,” she reportedly mentioned in an interview.
5. Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray
Sofia Bush It is Chad Michael Murray They found love on the set of One Tree Hill, but behind the scenes, their relationship was far from rosy. In 2003, they got married, although Sophia later mentioned that she felt pressured by current executives to continue her relationship with Chad. 5 months after the wedding, Sophia filed for an annulment of the marriage, which was ultimately denied. The couple eventually got a divorce.
“I feel like a lot of people do stupid things before their prefrontal cortex is fully formed and it’s not until they’re 26,” Sophie later mentioned on Michael Rosenbaum’s show. Inside you podcast. “So you can do the math on my timeline. I didn’t really have a whole mind. I have humor and charm from being a kid and having the expertise that I have.”
6. Nicky Hilton and Todd Andrew Meister
Nicky Hilton and Todd Andrew Meister were good friends for years before tying the knot in a Las Vegas evening ceremony in 2004. Unfortunately, the marriage only lasted 85 days. Less than three months into their marriage, the couple decided to annul the nuptials.
“Each event ended the marriage amicably, and they remain good friends,” reps for the couple said in a statement.
7. Mario Lopez and Ali Landry
Mario Lopez It is Ali Landry They had been together for six years before they walked down the aisle. However, just days before their wedding, Mario cheated on Ali during his bachelor party. He kept it a secret until Ali found a photo of him with another girl after they got married. Two weeks after the wedding, Ali filed for an annulment.
“It was a five-day, nonstop affair,” Lopez wrote of his infidelity in her memoir. “Suffice it to say, my good time was a little too good, as I got drunk and a little too nice with a younger girl on spring break at one of the stops in some college town. What was I thinking?”
Landry, meanwhile, told Oprah that she didn’t consider her initial denial — but went ahead with the wedding because all of her family and friends were already flying to Mexico for the ceremony.
8. Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman
Carmen Electra it had just been a relationship Dennis Rodman for several months, as they tied the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony after a night of partying. The couple reportedly separated later that day and just 9 days after the wedding, they filed for an annulment. According to Dennis’s attorney, he “didn’t have all his faculties about him” at the time of the wedding. While the couple reconciled, they ended up filing for divorce once again the following year.
“My recommendation to anyone is don’t get married in Vegas. Don’t get married in a drive-thru in Vegas, particularly. Take your time — enjoy it! You have to think about marriage normally because it’s a huge commitment. Also, I hate to say this, but it’s a lot of paperwork and a lot of feelings. It can be hard,” Carmen later told People.
9. Nicolas Cage and Erika Koike
After just over 12 months of relationship, Nicolas Cage and his girlfriend Erika Koike tied the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony. The marriage, which marked the fourth time Nicolas had said “I do,” didn’t last long. Just four days later, he filed for an annulment, citing in court documents that he was too drunk to understand his decision — and believed Erika was in another relationship. A few months later, the separation was finalized.
“There was a recent breakup… I was pretty upset about that and the way things went down,” Nicolas told The New York Times Journal at the time.
10. Pamela Anderson and Rick Solomon
For years, Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon had a volatile relationship, which culminated in them deciding to marry in a Las Vegas ceremony. The couple actually said their vows between two performances of a magic show in which Pamela was performing. A little less than two months later, Pamela filed for annulment of the marriage, citing “fraud” in court documents.
It wasn’t the best for Pamela and Rick, though, as seven years after annulling their marriage, they walked down the aisle once again. Six months after their 2014 wedding ceremony, Pamela filed for divorce. The couple reconciled soon after and tried again only to finally divorce in 2015.
11. Shannen Doherty and Rick Solomon
Before marrying Pamela AndersonRick Salomon was also briefly married to Shannen Doherty in 2002. The couple dated for just 2 days before they decided to get married. They ended up staying married for 9 months before Shannen filed for an annulment.
“I haven’t made the best choices in men, but there was one thing Rick offered that was wonderful to me. I’ve never had anyone make me laugh so much,” she reportedly told Particulars magazine. “I was madly in love. It was a very difficult marriage. When it ended, it was heartbreaking.”
12. Janet Jackson and James DeBarge
Janet Jackson Janet DeBarge was just 18 years old when she eloped with James DeBarge in 1984. After eight months of marriage, Janet filed for an annulment. She later shared that at the time, James was struggling with drug addiction and was often away for long periods of time. She would often have to drive around town looking for him in the early hours of the morning.
“I remember times when I would find the pills and I would grab them and try to throw them in the toilet, and we would be rolling around on the floor fighting over them, and that’s no life for anybody,” Jackson said in his A&E documentary. “I cared about him so much, and I saw the good in him too, and I just wanted that to take precedence over the ugliness, because I knew he wanted help. But I wasn’t the help he wanted.”