24 Celebrity Couples Who Broke Up While Working Together
Could it get any more awkward?
It's hard enough bumping into an ex around town, but having to see them–or worse–work with them on a daily basis? It couldn't get any more awkward. But unfortunately for those in the acting world, the show really, actually must go on, even when it entails making out with your ex on camera. Here, 21 celebrity couples who've broken up yet had to continue to work together.
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson, 1998
While the story of Dawson and Joey was unfolding, another love story was in the works behind the scenes. Holmes and Jackson had a somewhat under-the-radar but serious relationship while filming Dawson's Creek during the late 1990s. While the relationship was short-lived, the stars continued working together until the show ended in 2009. (And in our minds, it'll always be Joey + Pacey forever.)
Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody, 2003–06
While filming The O.C., Bilson and Brody's professional relationship turned intimate. Fans thought their epic romance would never end, but the two celebs broke up after three years, in 2006, continuing to work together until the show's finale in 2007.
Diane Keaton and Al Pacino, 1972–89
Keaton and Pacino had a two decades-long on-again, off-again love affair during the '70s and '80s while starring together in the iconic Godfather trilogy. Allegedly, she wanted to settle down, but Pacino wasn't ready at the time, so they split up. Still, they worked together for about 20 years, having to continue their professional relationship while their personal one remained rocky.
Charlize Theron and Sean Penn, 2014–15
Theron starred in the Penn-directed movie The Last Face, and the two were even rumored to be engaged before the actress called it quits (allegedly by "ghosting" him) in June 2015. One year later, they had to reunite while doing press for the film at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
Blake Lively and Penn Badgley, 2007–10
Taking a cue from their on-screen characters, the Gossip Girl co-stars' relationship heated up in real life, with Lively and Badgley dating for a solid three years while working together, too. Their romance ended in 2010, which must've made it super strange to not only continue working together but also to marry each other on the show during the final, 2012 season.
Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray, 2005–06
Much like their One Tree Hill characters Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott, Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray were not destined for each other. The former co-stars wed in 2005 only to separate a short five months later. After the split, the former couple continued to work together on the show until the series finale in 2012.
Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult, 2011–14
The former couple met on the set of 2011's X-Men: First Class and went on to work together in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). After two years of dating, they shortly separated, then rekindled their romance in late 2013, only to split for good a year later in 2014. After breaking up, the two went on the film X-Men: Apocalypse together, which was released in 2016.
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, 2009–13
The on-screen, off-screen couple started dating in 2009 while filming the Twilight movies. After several years of dating and a short-break up in 2012, they broke up for good in 2013, just before having to do press appearances together leading up the premiere of the last Twilight installment, Breaking Dawn Part 2.
Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter, 2008–11
The Dexter siblings definitely had some abnormal chemistry on-set, and so they went on to date in real-life. After marrying in 2008, the two ended up getting a divorce in 2011. But, they had to set it aside and keep up their contracts by continuing to work together until the show's end in 2013.
Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder, 2010–13
Elena Gilbert may have struggled in choosing between the Salvatore brothers on The Vampire Diaries, but for three years, Dobrev was team Somerhalder all the way. Their adorable off-screen relationship was #couplegoals for fans everywhere, but in 2013 they decided to part ways, the world was heartbroken, and they continued to work together on TVD until Dobrev left the show in 2015.
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki, 2007–09
Fiction imitated reality when The Big Bang Theory co-stars Cuoco and Galecki began dating in real life as their characters Penny and Leonard were dating on screen. After a two year relationship, they decided to go back to being 'just' friends in 2009. With the show about to start its 10th season, rumor has it that the on-screen couple might be getting back together in real-life, but we'll have to see about that.
Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia, 2007–09
Panettiere starred as the niece of Ventimiglia's character Peter Petrelli in Heroes, but that didn't keep the co-stars from pursuing a romance off-screen. They dated when the actress was just 18 and the age gap—Ventimiglia was 12 years her senior at the time—ultimately caused them to call it quits in 2009. The show aired its final episode a year later.
Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer, 2004–06
The House co-stars took their on-screen romance off-screen and eventually got engaged. While their relationship IRL ended in 2007, the co-stars had to remain in love fictionally, as their characters eventually got married in the season five finale.
Jessica Szohr and Ed Westwick, 2008–09
While Penn Badgley and Blake Lively hold the crown for most-loved couple on the Upper East Side both on and off-screen, Szohr and Westwick took a stab at romance, too. "It kind of just happened. We had fun together, and we were like, 'All right, let's see where this goes," she told Teen Vogue in 2009. The couple reportedly dated on and off until 2012, the same year Gossip Girl ended.
Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan, 2003–04
Garner and Vartan played a couple alongside one another in the ABC spy drama Alias, and actually dated for a few months. After breaking up in 2004, the co-stars stayed friends and also proved they could continue a professional relationship sticking to their Alias roles.
Mindy Kaling and B.J Novak, 2005–07
Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak dated on and off while starring in The Office. But there's definitely no bad blood between the former co-stars, since Kaling brought Novak as her date to Vanity Fair's 2018 Oscars party.
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, 2004–14
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were one of the most famous couples in Latin music but, after a decade together, realized they worked better as musical partners and co-parents. The exes worked on Lopez's upcoming Spanish-language album and share twins, Max and Emme.
Sarah Hyland and Dominic Sherwood, 2015–17
Modern Family star Sarah Hyland began dating Shadowhunters' Dominic Sherwood in 2015. The couple reportedly got matching arrow tattoos in the beginning of their relationship but broke up two years later. Hyland filmed two episodes of Shadowhunters as the Seelie Queen, but the couple broke up just weeks before the episodes aired.
Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, 2003–07
Diaz and Timberlake began dating in 2003 and called it quits in 2007. Timberlake started dating now wife Jessica Biel shortly afterwards, but reunited with former flame Diaz for the comedy film Bad Teacher—in which they had a love scene.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck, 1997–2000
Paltrow and Affleck's romance was heating up during the filming of 1998 film Shakespeare in Love—she played the protagonist, Viola de Lesseps, while he played Ned Allen, an actor. The couple ended their romance in 2000, the same year their romance film Bounce was released.
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