These Shocking Celeb Love Stories Will Have You Clutching Your Pearls

There’s not much that isn’t known about the fallout and the marriage dissolution between Robin Givens and Mike Tyson. But before things went WAY DOWN SOUTH, their relationship was off to a pretty positive—albeit interesting, start. And now we’ve got a bit more insight about it.

The dynamic between Bob and Rita Marley took a backseat in the recently released biopic, “Bob Marley: One Love” released in 2024. However, the ins and outs of how they navigated fame, working together, and the pressure that put on their marriage (and the affairs that took place from both parties because of it) is something that definitely shouldn’t be hidden if we want to paint a full picture of the reggae music icon.

James Brown’s alleged side chick Dessie Brown was arguably a “City Girl” before the term became popular as she was allegedly getting money and having fun with the soul singer all while he was married to his actual wife, Velma. However, their secret relationship caused many others to get caught in the crossfire when a shootout occurred in a club back in the late 1950s.

While Sue Brown’s pristine image was beneficial initially to her marriage to NFL legend Jim Brown, it ultimately did her a disservice as she gained the reputation of a “ride or die” amidst their truly despicable marital issues. (Some stuff isn’t worth staying around for, I’m just saying.)

Before OJ Simpson became regarded as a controversial figure and football legend, the story of how he got with his first wife was filled with a friendship betrayal. Their relationship would later have to deal with bigger problems as it progressed.

Who knew we had NFL legend Walter Payton’s football coach to thank for his wife Connie Norwood. If it wasnt for his efforts, he wouldn’t have gone on to father his two beautiful children now enjoyed his marriage of 18 years.

Though they were only married from 1924 to 1931, Lil Hardin’s impact on famed trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s career is notable enough to get mentioned as it was her vision and managerial skills that put him on a better path. Sadly, due to Armstrong’s wandering eye, it wouldn’t be long before the two decided to split ways.

While the name Ursula Burns may be notable—as she was the first Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company,—what isn’t known is the role her husband Lloyd B played in helping her rise in her success.

With Medgar Evers serving as the first field secretary for thr National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) back in the day, it was natural for his wife Myrlie to have some reservations and massive anxieties about the safety of her husband. Sadly, her worst fears would come true on June 12, 1963. But the story of their love is filled with some positivity thankfully.

While Diana Ross and Michael Jackson never dated, it’s a well known fact that the two harbored major feelings for each other and had a close relationship. However, what you may not know is that by the time Ross married her second husband Arne Naess Jr. in 1985—which was a one of the events of the year—Jackson was nowhere in attendance. And you’ve got to hear why.

Having met in 1837, Murray played a pivotal role in getting an enslaved Douglass out from captivity and into freedom by giving him money, helping disguise him as a sailor, and even securing a borrowed freed man’s certificate as the icing on top. Sadly, her efforts would only get rewarded with alleged affairs.

Having met at Hampton Institute in 1944, Belafonte and his first wife Marguerite would go on to marry just four years later. But the happy couple would run into issues thanks to both sides of their families disapproving of the other partner, Belafonte’s instability as it relates to providing for her financially, and his alleged affair with a white woman dancer—among many other things.

OK, so while Clarence Thomas isn’t one our favorites, it’s interesting to note that he wasn’t always the disappointing Supreme Court justice that we know today. In fact, his love story of how he met his first wife back in 1969 paints a different picture of the man who once held a promising future and upheld positive ideals for the advancement of Black folks.

Married in 1950, it would only be seven years later when the spark between pioneering actor Sidney Poitier and his first wife Juanita Hardy would start to dim. And it didn’t help that Poitier also had an alleged “entanglement” with his “Paris Blues” costar Diahann Carroll somewhere in between. Thankfully, Poitier continued to speak highly of his first wife who mothered four of his children.