by Zack Mandell

Created on: October 12, 2010

Today Courteney Cox and David Arquette announced in a statement that they are separating after 11 years of marriage.  The news comes as a shock to most people, as the former “Scream” co-stars were that oddly-matched couple who managed to evade the curse of the Hollywood limelight. Hours later, internet news sites revealed that Christina Aguilera was separating from husband Jordan Bratman. A source told Us magazine that the pair “have been separated for a few months.”

Although both couples are only separating at this time, today’s celebrities do seem predisposed to divorce.  Just think about all of the big names that have been in the headlines over the past five years. Examples are: Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Sean Penn and Robin Wright, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, Mel Gibson and wife Robyn, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe.  The list goes on and on.

So is it true that celebrities are more likely to divorce?

In my opinion, the answer is yes. This is because of the theory that’s been planted in the minds of celebs and spectators. In our minds, what we perceive to be true is our reality. The same holds for those people that are famous.  The media has convinced us and them that Hollywood marriages are more likely to fail. Gossip magazines, websites, and news programs zoom in on the relationships of high-profile celebrity couples, reporting small incidents that are really insignificant. Even worse, tabloids often exaggerate stories or make them up completely.  The perceived effect on their image as well as the idea that people believe the rumors can drive a celebrity to crack, even when in a perfectly healthy relationship.   

Statistics prove that even for American citizens who aren’t famous, the odds that they will get divorced are greater in the U.S. compared to other countries. As a nation we have the highest divorce rate in the world. In 2009 CBS revealed that 10.7 percent of U.S. people over the age of 15 were divorced. That statistic is staggering.  

As for the celebrity divorce rate, author Greg Baer summarizes the results of a related study in his book, “Life, The Odds: And How to Improve Them”. The project focused on Golden Globe winners from the years 2000 and 2001. Using 127 unique subjects, they found that 68 percent had been married at least once. According to Baer, they found that “the probability of a celebrity marriage

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