8 Celebrity Divorces That Took Forever To Finalize

The experience of going through a divorce can be simple and completed in months, with both parties reaching an agreement without any issues. On the other hand, it can also be stressful, especially when it involves battles over finances and custody of the children. So imagine what celebrities have to go through. When you work in Hollywood, it is especially complicated because millions of dollars are at stake and each party’s team of high-powered lawyers is hellbent on getting their client the best possible settlement. So it’s not a surprise that it can take years before the divorce becomes official. Here’s a look at 8 couples whose divorces didn’t become official for years.

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Back in 2008, after 6 weeks of dating, Carey and Cannon decided to spend the rest of eternity together. And when we say “eternity” we’re using that term very liberally. By 2014, their marriage was done-zo, but Nick refused to sign off, much to Mimi’s dismay. You see, she was engaged to Australian James Packer who might have resembled a toad, but was worth billions and therefore good enough for Carey. Cannon and Carey were finally able to reach a settlement that they could both agree to in November 2016, one month after Packer and Songbird and called off their engagement.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver

Ah-nold and Maria were once the most powerful celebrity union on the planet. Schwarzenegger is arguably the greatest action star in history while Shriver was born into the Kennedy political dynasty. But behind the scenes, the former governor of California and the niece of JFK there was turmoil. Turns out, the Terminator was banging his housekeeper, and the child they had together was kept secret from literally everybody, including his own wife of 25 years! Suffice it to say, Maria wasn’t too pleased and immediately filed for divorce in 2011 once the news got out. Nearly a decade later, they’re still technically married with no end in sight.

Josh Duhamel and Fergie

The soap opera actor and the Black-Eyed Peas singer got hitched in 2009 and presumably enjoyed 8 years of love and harmony before it was over. But was it really over? Nope. It took another two years — May 2019 to be precise — before Fergie formally filed for divorce. The proceedings went relatively quickly from there. By November of that year, the matter was settled.