Hollywood stars are infamous for their cheating scandals, and the tabloids thrive on the drama when a saucy fling is exposed to the public. It’s not just some C-listers that like to “shop around,” but also high-profile actors and actresses! Their messy love triangles cause everyone pain, and sometimes they end up breaking up marriages.
From long-term unions to teen-star dramas, here’s a roundup of Hollywood’s most scandalous love triangles.
1. Shania Twain, Frédéric Thiébaud, and Marie-Anne
Shania Twain’s love story is one of the most confusing Hollywood classics. She’s been happily married to Frédéric Thiébaud since 2011, but before that, the singer was in a relationship with music producer Robert Lange while Thiébaud was going steady with Shania’s good friend, Marie-Anne. Then Lange hopped into Marie-Anne’s bed, essentially screwing over both Twain and Thiébaud, so the two had no other option than to get together, and they’ve been an item since 2011.
2. Naya Rivera, Ariana Grande, and Big Sean
Before her tragic death in July 2020, “Glee” star Naya Rivera spilled the tea in her 2016 memoir about her deal with rapper Big Sean. They got engaged in October 2013, but wedding plans were axed in April 2014 amid cheating rumors, which Big Sean’s rep denied. In her book, Rivera hinted that Big Sean cheated on her with Ariana Grande. The really messed up thing is that she learned about the engagement being off from the internet. That’s just disrespectful.
3. Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, and Aaron Carter
Even in the world of Disney starlets, there will be someone wild enough to do the sideswipe. Back in 2001, Hilary Duff and Aaron Carter hooked up after he appeared on “Lizzie McGuire.” But after almost two years, Carter decided to double-dip and date Lindsay Lohan too. He admitted to getting bored with Duff, fooled around with Lindsay for a bit, and then circled back to Duff. Instead of beating the crap out of the guy, Duff and Lohan ended up crashing each other’s premieres and doing other cringe things. The feud lasted for six years, until they both admitted that whatever happened was in the past.
4. Kevin Federline, Shar Jackson, and Britney Spears
There’s a curious story in Britney Spears’s memoir about meeting Kevin Federline. She claims she didn’t know he was engaged to Shar Jackson or had kids when they met. Moreover, his wife was already pregnant with their second baby when Spears took him away. But Jackson claims that Britney’s lying and that she knew about the pregnancy. Despite all that, Spears and Federline got married and had kids, but eventually split in 2006.
5. Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan, and Courtney Love
Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain may be one of the most iconic couples of the 90s, but even their relationship was quite rocky. Before Cobain, Courtney was dating the Smashing Pumpkins guy, Billy Corgan, but one day, he refused to pay for her flight home. So she hitched a ride with Nirvana and fell in love with Kurt Cobain. Courtney got pregnant while still dating Billy, but dumped him promptly, and married Cobain in 1992. The weird part is that after Cobain died in ’94, Love and Corgan allegedly started seeing each other.
6. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Rupert Sanders
The real-life affair between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson had fans swooning, but it hit a rough patch in 2012. Stewart was caught red-handed with director Rupert Sanders, and the paparazzi got photos to prove it. Stewart publicly apologized to Pattinson, and they seemingly let bygones be bygones, but Sanders’s wife, Liberty Ross, filed for divorce.
7. Jesse James, Sandra Bullock, and Michelle McGee
Sandra Bullock and Jesse James surprised everyone when they tied the knot in 2005. Bullock became a stepmom to James’s three kids, and from the outside, they looked like a solid Hollywood family. Bullock even thanked James in her Golden Globe acceptance speech in 2010. However, just days after winning an Oscar for Best Actress, rumors of James cheating on his wife with a stripper named Michelle McGee started popping up. Needless to say, their marriage was over, so Bullock filed for divorce in April 2010, which earned Jesse James the title of the most hated man in America.
8. Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, and Brad Pitt
When it comes to famous Hollywood love triangles, this one is always at the very top. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were a great couple, but since the universe hates perfection, the couple filed for divorce in 2005. That’s when Pitt-Jolie rumors started spreading, especially after their movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” came out. Even though Pitt denied cheating on Aniston at the time, Jolie admitted she had the hots for Brad during filming. Eventually, Pitt and Jolie married in 2014 but separated in 2016. They’re still good friends, and that’s more important.