Early Start to Celebrity Divorce in 2016

Two High Profile Celebrity Divorce Filings in First Two Weeks

2015 was a tough year for celebrity marriages and, if the first two weeks of 2016 are any indication, the trend will continue this year. Less than two weeks into the new year, at least two high-profile stars have decided to call it quits on their marriages.

• Keegan-Michael Key, star of Comedy Central’s hit series “Key and Peele” has filed papers to dissolve his 17-year-marriage to actress and dialect coach Cynthia Blaise. The divorce complaint was actually filed on New Years Eve. According to reports, the couple had been separated for a couple months before the filing. Key’s partner on the show, Jordan Peele, is taking a different path in his personal life, announcing in November that he and fellow comedian Chelsea Peretti will tie the knot this year.
• “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Yolanda Foster cited “irreconcilable differences” when filing her petition for divorce from husband David Foster, the Grammy-awarded songwriter and producer. The couple had been married four years. The Fosters announced the separation in December, but Yolanda filed papers on Monday, January 11. They had no children together.

Research shows that celebrity marriages face significantly more challenges than other relationships. A comprehensive study by the Marriage Foundation, a British think-tank, found that celebrity betrothals are twice as likely to end in divorce as other marriages. Researchers apparently followed nearly 500 famous couples between 2001 and 2010 and compared their rate of divorce to the British population as a whole. While just slightly more than one quarter (26%) of all marriages ended in divorce, one in two celebrity marriages failed to go the distance.

Contact an Experienced New York Divorce and Family Law Attorney

At the law office of Chris Palermo, Esq., we bring more than 13 years of experience to men and women in divorce and family law matters, representing clients across Long Island. To learn more about our practice, see our divorce and family law page. For an appointment, send us an e-mail or call us toll free at 1-800-483-1527. We have offices located in Huntington, Hauppauge, Garden City, Babylon and New York City.