8 Celebrity Couples in On-Again/Off-Again Relationships
For decades, people have cared a whole lot about celebrity romances. We look up to these celebs as idols and role models, so it’s natural to get excited when two of our favorites pair off. (Love is real!) Of course, the flipside to the excitement over a new romance is the devastation we feel when we hear that their relationship has ended. (Cue the chorus of, “Ugh, love is dead.”) Fans have to pick sides, photos may be deleted on social media — it’s pretty much the worst, right? But some celebrities have really toyed with our emotions over the years as they’ve taken us for a rollercoaster ride through their on-again/off-again relationships. Here are 8 Hollywood couples who have called it quits and then rekindled their romance, probably* just to torture us.
(*Not really, but it feels like it sometimes.)
WireImage1/9Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez
The Biebs and Selena are the king and queen of this topic, so they have to come first on this list. Their relationship saga is so complicated that you might need a chart to follow it (but don’t worry, we documented it for you earlier this summer). Their relationship started crumbling in 2012, but then they (sort of) got back together, then broke up again.
TBH, their relationship has always been kind of fuzzy since that first breakup, and Justin certainly doesn’t provide any clarity when he Instagrams throwback pictures of Selena every few months. That said, given their recent exchanges on social media (which led to Justin deleting his Instagram altogether), we may not see any of those #TBT pics for a while.
Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@GigiHadid2/9Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik
Gigi and Zayn broke up for a literal hot second earlier this summer — just days after Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris announced their split, leaving fans asking if there was something in the water. Zigi’s breakup was rumored to have happened due to communication issues and fights during Gigi’s birthday. However, a few days later, they were spotted holding hands on the street and it seemed pretty clear that they were back together. WHEW.
Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@JustinTimberlake3/9Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake
In 2011, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel broke up after four years of dating. There was no shortage of rumors surrounding their breakup, but friends of Jessica and Justin told People that the couple called it quits because of different priorities and long distance. However, their breakup didn’t last long, and just a few months later, they were back together. In October of 2012, they got married in southern Italy. All’s well that ends well!
Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@KylieJenner4/9Kylie Jenner and Tyga
Kylie and Tyga faced their fair share of rumors before they even announced they were actually dating, but this past May, they did officially break up. This was shortly after they both appeared at the Met Gala — but not together. Throughout the next few months, both Kylie and Tyga reportedly saw other people. But later this summer, Tyga started appearing in Kylie’s Snap stories again, and they both Instagrammed pics of one another. Thank goodness for social media, or else we’d never be able to keep up.
Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@KristinCavallari5/9Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler
In 2011, Kristin Cavallari (of Laguna Beach fame) and pro football player Jay Cutler called off their engagement – and they even went so far as to return wedding gifts to friends and family. Kristin later wrote a tell-all book that explained their breakup; she wrote that something just “wasn’t right” in the relationship. In 2012, Kristin and Jay got back together, and they later got married in 2013.
WireImage6/9Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth
Are they together? Are they engaged? (Are they married?!) What is going on?! #Miam made their first public appearance in 2010, then broke up later that summer. They got back together in spring 2011, were engaged in June of 2012, and then called off said engagement in September 2013. If that wasn’t enough, they got back together this year, Miley started wearing her engagement ring again, and they’re always out-and-about in matching outfits. Our brains and our hearts hurt from all the confusion.
Getty Images for MTV.com7/9Rihanna and Drake
The two musical heavyweights were never confirmed as dating — there's a whole history of back and forth here, and the constant speculation is enough to make anyone's head spin. But it was when Drake presented Rihanna with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 VMAs (and professed his love for her!) that it seemed they were officially official. After all, you don't get matching shark tattoos with just anyone.
Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@KensingtonRoyal8/9Prince William and Kate Middleton
Even royal couples experience relationship drama! Prince William and Kate Middleton briefly broke up in 2007, after they had been dating for four years. A biography on Kate written by Marcia Moody explained that the couple struggled with long distance and the pressures of the hungry paparazzi. William later explained in an interview with the U.K. Press Association that he and Kate were both young then and they simply needed some time. “We were both finding ourselves,” he explained. “We were growing up.”
