When we hear announcements about some of our favorite couples breaking up, some of us feel shocked, discouraged, and sad to see the end of what we believe to be a prototype of Black love. When we hear these couples are choosing to give love a second or third chance, our hope is reinstated. Quite a number of celebrity couples have given love a second try, which is understandable because letting go of a relationship that lasted years, sometimes decades, isn’t easy.
However, after a second chance, sometimes you get all the clarity and confirmation you need that it’s time to move on. One of the most recent couples who seemingly have come to that conclusion includes “Sure Thing” singer Miguel, and his teenage sweetheart Nazanin Mandi.
Despite these couples breaking up being seemingly sad, it’s also important to remember that divorce can mean beautiful beginnings for both parties. Here are a few celebrity couples who have broken up after reconciliation over the years.
01
Miguel and Nazanin Mandi
The singer and model met when they were young and have been together for close to two decades. They were headed for divorce in 2021 and many of us were shocked, because the signs of a rocky relationship weren’t visible on social media or in the press.
“After 17 years together, Miguel and Nazanin Mandi have decided to separate and have been for some time now,” a rep for the couple said at the time. “The couple both wish each other well.”
However, they took our breaths away and made us believe in second chances when they shared they were still together and “happy” in March of 2022. Both parties exchanged many heartfelt Instagram posts about how “love heals” and how proud of themselves they were to have worked things out. After what seemed to be a fresh start in their marriage, Nazanin filed for divorce in October 2022, citing irreconcilable differences.
02
Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay
Their romance began in 2014, and they went on to get married and start a family in 2016. Things would take a turn In 2020, as Crystal filed for divorce. But just four months later, Ne-Yo announced they were working things out. Despite their sometimes tumultuous relationship, the couple managed to reconcile, renewing their vows in early 2022. However, by August 2022, they called it quits again, with Crystal accusing her husband of lying and cheating during their marriage they were together in an Instagram post.
“I will no longer lie to the public or pretend that this is something it isn’t. I choose me, I choose my happiness and health and my respect. I gained [three] beautiful children out of this but nothing else but wasted years and heartache,” she wrote.
We haven’t heard any talks of reconciliation since. In fact, he seems to have moved on in a very public way.
03
Big Boi and Sherlita Patton
After 20 years of marriage, the Outkast rapper and wife Sherlita pulled the plug on their relationship. They had tried to end things previously, with Sherlita filing for divorce back in 2013. They would go on to reconcile in 2014. But he filed papers in April 2022 and by June, their divorce was finalized as they’d already been living apart for some time.
04
Lala and Carmelo Anthony
LA Lakers star Carmelo Anthony and actress Lala have been divorced for a while now, but they had a little push and pull before they signed on the dotted lines. Anthony was unfaithful in the marriage, reportedly impregnating another woman. In 2017, after seven years together, she filed for separation. Although on the verge of divorce, in December 2018, they reconciled and decided to keep working at their love.
Those efforts didn’t work. After Anthony made some poor choices in public, Lala filed divorce papers again in June 2021 and “irreconcilable differences” were the reason. They have since finalized their divorce, and during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May, Lala opened up about how hard walking away from her marriage was.
“To step away from that and try to build my own life and still keep my sanity and keep things normal for my son, who only knew his mom and his dad together, that wasn’t the easier decision, but I had to make a decision for myself,” she said. “So now it’s like, wow, if I could do that, I could do anything.”
The actress and TV personality is also open to the idea of finding love again, thanks to encouragement from her bestie Ciara.
05
Chris Rock and Malaak Compton Rock
Comedian and actor Chris Rock made the list because he and ex-wife Malaak Compton-Rock were married for over two decades and share two children together. It’s almost always a shocker when a couple who’s been together that long decides to end a marriage. The duo did try and give it another chance after he filed to end their marriage in 2006, but officially got divorced in 2016. Infidelity on Chris’ part was apparently one cause.
“I was a piece of s—,” Rock said to an audience during a comedy show, before describing three women with whom he cheated: “one famous, one semifamous, and one a member of the retail class.”
Rock admitted that he thought being rich and famous would give him a “cheat free” pass, or several at that, but that wasn’t the case. During his Netflix special ‘Chris Rock: Tamborine,’ he also admits the marriage ended because he didn’t listen to Malaak enough.
06
Shaunie Henderson and Shaquille O’Neal
Basketball Wives star and producer Shaunie Henderson and NBA Hall of Fame Shaquille O’Neal had a very high-profile relationship, so when things went bad, the news spread fast. They had a seven-year marriage and four children together, but in 2007, Shaunie was ready to end things. Before making the divorce official, they tried to work through their marital issues, but two years later in 2009, she filed for divorce again.
Shaq has been opening up about the reason their marriage ended more recently, owning up to cheating. He’s admitted that he was living a double life and more recently, claimed that he was at one time a “serial cheater.”
“I had the perfect situation,” he said during a conversation with The Pivot Podcast. “Wife was fine. Kept giving me babies. Still fine. I had it all. I don’t make excuses. I know I messed up.”
Shaunie has since remarried Pastor Keion Henderson and Shaq’s relationship status is unknown.
