Second Acts

Everyone Divorces Like a Celebrity Now The rise of the Instagram breakup.

- Allie Jones

WHEN REESE WITHERSPOON announced that she was divorcing her husband of 12 years, Jim Toth, in late March, she did so in the manner we have come to expect from celebrities facing such a challenge: She posted a brief, conciliatory joint statement on Instagram and asked for privacy.

“It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” read the statement, which dropped on a Friday afternoon—no doubt in order to minimize press coverage. “We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness, and mutual respect for everything we have created together.”

The post, naturally, was closed to comments.

These days, this kind of statement is customary for A-listers going through a separation. But the de rigueur Instagram divorce announcement is no longer limited to celebrities. Influencers, business leaders, and even unfamous, “normal” people are typing up statements on the Notes app to tell their followers about the end of their marriages. The tone of these announcements varies, of course, but the sentiment is usually the same: The estranged couple is always moving forward with respect and love and, if there are children involved, a commitment to amicable co-parenting.

The trend started with Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s “conscious uncoupling” in 2014 and has become pervasive with the rise of Instagram. Now that celebrities can address fans directly on their own accounts, they are more likely to break divorce news themselves than to leak it to the tabloids.