12 Famous Couples Who Had Their Marriage Annulled

"I knew on the honeymoon it wasn’t going to work out," said one star -- while another admitted he "got inebriated and a little too friendly with a young lady on spring break" days before his wedding.

Not all marriages stand the test of time -- in fact, some marriages last barely any time at all. When the bride and groom decide things aren’t going to work shortly after tying the knot, they often file for an annulment instead of a divorce. That means in the eye of the law, the marriage was never legally valid and it’s as if it never happened. While not all couples qualify to take that legal route, these stars all tried to get their marriages annulled.

Find out why these celebs got their marriage annulled…

1. Billy Ray Cyrus & Firerose

Billy Ray Cyrus and his ex Firerose had known each other for over a decade when they tied the knot in October 2023. But just seven months later, Billy Ray filed to annul the marriage, claiming the marriage was obtained by fraud. According to TMZ , he cited irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct in the documents.

Since then, things have gotten dramatic between the couple with Firerose filing her own legal paperwork accusing Billy Ray of “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” and substance abuse issues that made him “unpredictable and volatile.” She also denied being guilty of inappropriate marital conduct and claimed Billy Ray was the one who acted inappropriately and made their living arrangements “unsafe.”

Billy Ray has now filed an emergency restraining order , claiming that Firerose used his business credit card to spend over $96,000 following their split. In response, Firerose claimed that she’d been given permission to use his credit cards when she moved in with him in 2022 and was never confined to a limit.

The annulment has not yet played out in court.

2. Renée Zellweger & Kenny Chesney

In May 2005, Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney tied the knot in a low key ceremony but just four months later they filed for an annulment. In court papers, Renée cited “fraud” as the reason for the split, which led to much speculation in the media about Kenny’s sexuality. Despite her attempt to dispel the rumors at the time, she said it was a sad situation for both of them.

“That made me sad,” she told The Advocate years later. “It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences. Of course, there’s the bigger-picture problem of why anyone had to make up a story at all.”

3. Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries documented their entire relationship on reality TV -- including Kim’s hesitations leading up to their nuptials. The couple, who only dated for six months before getting engaged, tied the knot in August 2011. Just 72 days later, Kim filed for divorce -- although Kris fought to get the marriage annulled instead. Despite Kris’ efforts to get things annulled, the judge eventually granted a divorce .

“I think a lot of girls do go through that, where they freak out thinking they’re getting old and all their friends are having kids. So it was more of that situation. But I knew on the honeymoon it wasn’t going to work out,” Kim later explained on Keeping Up With the Kardashians .

4. Britney Spears & Jason Alexander

Britney Spears made headlines when she married her childhood friend Jason Alexander in a late night Las Vegas ceremony. Britney, who was just 22 at the time, explained that the pair were just having fun but didn’t realize the consequences of their actions. Just 55 hours after saying “I do,” a judge annulled the marriage.

"It was me being silly, being rebellious, and not really taking the responsibility of what I was doing," she reportedly said in an interview.

5. Sophia Bush & Chad Michael Murray

Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray had found love on the set of One Tree Hill but behind the scenes, their relationship was far from picture perfect. In 2003, they tied the knot, although Sophia later said she felt pressured by show executives to continue her relationship with Chad. Five months into their marriage, Sophia filed to annul the marriage, which was ultimately not granted. The couple was eventually granted a divorce.

“I think lots of people do stupid s--t before their prefrontal cortexes are fully formed and they’re not until they’re 26,” Sophie later said on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast . “So you do the math on my timeline. I literally didn’t have a whole brain. I have humor and grace for being a kid and having the experience that I have.”

6. Nicky Hilton & Todd Andrew Meister

Nicky Hilton and Todd Andrew Meister had been great friends for years before they wed in a late night Las Vegas ceremony in 2004. Unfortunately, their marriage only lasted 85 days. Less than three months into their marriage, the couple chose to get the nuptials annulled.

“Both parties have ended the marriage amicably, and they remain good friends,” the duo's representatives said in a statement .

7. Mario Lopez & Ali Landry

Mario Lopez and Ali Landry had been together for six years before they walked down the aisle. But just days before their wedding, Mario cheated on Ali during his bachelor party. He kept it a secret until Ali discovered a photo of him with another woman after they tied the knot. Two weeks into their marriage, Ali filed for an annulment.

"It was a five-day nonstop party," Lopez wrote about his infidelity in his memoir. "Suffice it to say, my good time was a little too good, because I got inebriated and a little too friendly with a young lady on spring break at one of the stops in some university party town. What was I thinking?"

Landry, meanwhile, told Oprah she didn't believe his initial denial -- but went through with the wedding because all her friends and family were already flying down to Mexico for the ceremony.

8. Carmen Electra & Dennis Rodman

Carmen Electra had only been dating Dennis Rodman for a few months when they tied the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony after a night of partying. The couple allegedly split later that day and just nine days into their marriage, they filed for an annulment. According to Dennis’ lawyer , he “didn’t have all his faculties about him” at the time of the marriage. While the couple did reconcile, they ended up filing for divorce once again the following year.

“My advice to anyone is to not get married in Vegas. Do not get married at the drive-thru in Vegas, especially. Take your time -- enjoy it! It’s important to think out marriage in general because it’s a huge commitment. Besides that, I hate to say it, but it’s a lot of paperwork and a lot of emotions. It can be difficult,” Carmen later told People .

9. Nicolas Cage & Erika Koike

After a little over a year of dating, Nicolas Cage and his girlfriend Erika Koike tied the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony. The marriage, which marked the fourth time Nicolas had said “I do,” didn’t last long. Just four days later, he filed for an annulment, citing in court documents that he was too drunk to understand his decision -- and believed that Erika was in another relationship. Several months later, their split was finalized.

“There was a recent breakup...I was pretty upset about that and the way things happened,” Nicolas told The New York Times Magazine at the time.

10. Pamela Anderson & Rick Salomon

For years, Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon had a rocky on-and-off relationship, eventually culminating in the decision to tie the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony. The couple actually said their vows between two performances of a magic show in which Pamela was appearing. A little under two months later, Pamela had filed to annul the union, citing “fraud” in court documents.

It wasn’t the end for Pamela and Rick though because seven years after annulling their marriage, they walked down the aisle again. Six months after their 2014 wedding, Pamela filed for divorce. The couple reconciled shortly after and gave it one more try only to ultimately divorce in 2015.

11. Shannen Doherty & Rick Salomon

Before marrying Pamela Anderson , Rick Salomon was also briefly married to Shannen Doherty in 2002. The couple had only dated for two days before they decided to tie the knot. They ended up remaining married for nine months before Shannen filed for an annulment.

“I haven’t made the best choices in men, but there was something that Rick provided that was amazing to me. I never had someone make me laugh so much,” she reportedly told Details magazine . “I was madly in love. It was a really hard marriage. When it ended, it was a heart-crushing thing.”

12. Janet Jackson & James DeBarge

Janet Jackson was only 18 when she eloped with James DeBarge in 1984. After eight months of marriage, Janet filed for an annulment. She later shared that at the time, James had been struggling with drug addiction and he was often gone for long periods of time. Sometimes she would have to drive around town looking for him in the early hours of the morning.

“I remember times when I would find the pills and I would take them and try to flush them down the toilet, and we would be rolling around on the floor fighting for them, that’s not a life for anyone,” Jackson said in her A&E documentary . “I cared so much for him, and I saw the good in him as well, and I just wanted that to take precedence as opposed to this ugliness, because I knew that he needed help. But I wasn’t the help that he needed.”

Click Image to Open Gallery