Celebrities Who Faced Divorce After 50

Divorce after 50 is often called “gray divorce.”

It can happen after decades of marriage, after children grow up, after major life changes, or after two people realize they want different futures. In Hollywood and public life, those private decisions often become headline news.

This article focuses on celebrities who filed for divorce, had a spouse file for divorce, or publicly went through divorce after age 50. The point is not to turn marriage endings into gossip. It is to look at famous people who faced major personal change later in life.

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner was 68 when his marriage to Christine Baumgartner came to an end.

Baumgartner filed for divorce in May 2023 after nearly 19 years of marriage. The divorce became widely covered because of court disputes over child support, housing, and finances before the former couple eventually reached a settlement. AP later reported that their divorce was finalized in February 2024, with the pair sharing joint custody of their three children.

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman was in his mid-50s when his marriage to Deborra-Lee Furness legally ended.

Jackman and Furness announced their separation in September 2023 after 27 years of marriage. Furness officially filed for divorce in May 2025, and PEOPLE reported that the divorce was finalized in June 2025. The former couple share two adult children and had described their separation as a decision made with gratitude, love, and a focus on family.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone was 76 when Jennifer Flavin filed for divorce in 2022.

Flavin filed a petition to end their marriage after 25 years. AP reported that she filed in Palm Beach County, Florida, where the couple owned a home. PEOPLE also reported that the filing came after a long relationship that began in the late 1980s and a marriage that started in 1997.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates was 65 when he and Melinda French Gates announced their divorce in 2021.

The couple had been married for 27 years and built one of the world’s most influential philanthropic foundations together. Al Jazeera reported that they announced the decision in a joint statement, saying they no longer believed they could grow together as a couple but would continue working together at their foundation.

Melinda French Gates

Melinda French Gates was 56 when she and Bill Gates announced their divorce.

Her role in the split deserves separate attention because she became a major independent philanthropic figure after the marriage ended. The couple’s divorce was finalized in 2021, and French Gates later stepped away from the Gates Foundation to focus on her own philanthropic work through Pivotal Ventures.

Her post-divorce chapter became part of a larger story about women, wealth, philanthropy, and reinvention after 50.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos was 55 when he and MacKenzie Scott, then MacKenzie Bezos, announced their divorce in 2019.

The couple had been married for 25 years and shared four children. Reuters reported that the Amazon founder and his wife announced the divorce publicly in January 2019. Later that year, Reuters reported that the divorce was finalized, with MacKenzie receiving Amazon stock worth more than $38 billion at the time.

MacKenzie Scott

MacKenzie Scott was 48 when the Bezos divorce was announced, so she does not strictly fit the “after 50” rule at the time of filing.

Scott’s post-divorce life became notable because of her large-scale philanthropy and independent public identity.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger was 63 when Maria Shriver filed for divorce in 2011.

Reuters reported that Shriver filed for divorce from the actor and former California governor after 25 years of marriage. Their divorce was not finalized until 2021, more than 10 years after proceedings began.

Maria Shriver

Maria Shriver was 55 when she filed for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Reuters reported that she filed in July 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. Years later, PEOPLE reported that Shriver discussed the emotional difficulty of the divorce and her continued belief in marriage despite what she went through.

Madonna

Madonna was 50 when her divorce from Guy Ritchie was granted in 2008.

Reuters reported that neither Madonna nor Ritchie appeared in court for the hearing and noted that Madonna was 50 at the time. The court filing showed Madonna petitioned for divorce on the grounds of Ritchie’s unreasonable behavior.

The divorce came after nearly eight years of marriage and became one of the most covered celebrity splits of that period.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise was 50 when he and Katie Holmes settled their divorce in 2012.

Reuters reported that Cruise, then 50, and Holmes settled their divorce less than two weeks after the split became public. Holmes had filed for divorce after nearly six years of marriage.

The divorce drew major media attention because of Cruise’s fame, Holmes’ careful legal approach, and questions around their daughter’s upbringing.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda was in her early 60s when her marriage to Ted Turner ended.

Fonda and Turner split in 2001 after about a decade together. Their divorce became widely covered because both were major public figures: Fonda as an Oscar-winning actress and activist, Turner as a media billionaire and CNN founder.

Fonda’s later life became one of reinvention, activism, television success, and public reflection, showing that life after divorce can still be full and visible.

Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus was in his 60s when his divorce from Tish Cyrus became final.

Tish filed for divorce in 2022 after nearly three decades of marriage, following previous divorce filings that had been withdrawn years earlier. Entertainment Weekly recently reported that Tish opened up about the emotional difficulty of the split and said she had been devastated by the end of the marriage.

Tish Cyrus

Tish Cyrus was also over 50 when she filed for divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus in 2022.

Her story fits the topic especially well because she was the one who filed after a long marriage. In later interviews, she described how difficult it was to let go of the version of the relationship she had hoped for, while also speaking about finding a more supportive chapter afterward.

Judge Greg Mathis

Judge Greg Mathis was in his 60s when his wife, Linda Reese, filed for divorce after 39 years of marriage.

PEOPLE included the couple among public figures who separated after long marriages, noting that Reese filed after nearly four decades together. Their story fits the “gray divorce” theme because it involved a long-term marriage ending later in life.

Leah Remini

Leah Remini was over 50 when she and Angelo Pagán announced their divorce.

The pair ended their marriage after more than 20 years together. PEOPLE included them among celebrities who separated after long marriages, and the couple publicly framed the decision as respectful and rooted in personal growth.

Rachel Zoe

Rachel Zoe was over 50 when she and Rodger Berman announced their separation.

The fashion designer and stylist had been with Berman for decades and married for 26 years. PEOPLE included them in its roundup of couples who separated after long marriages, noting that their split followed 33 years together.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep was in her 70s when it became public that she and Don Gummer had been separated for years.

Although this was not a traditional new divorce filing story, Streep and Gummer are among the long-term celebrity couples whose marriages ended or separated after decades together. Their marriage had lasted more than 40 years.