These days, marriage is a fragile institution. Hollywood stars know this better than anyone. But every once in a while, a famously separated couple will decide to give their love another go. Maybe they were too young the first time. Sometimes, one (or both) of them cheated or had a substance abuse problem. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time.
Multiple marriages are not at all uncommon in Hollywood. The stars on this list have all been married more than once - and at least two of those marriages were to the same person. For some, they realized their mistake after a short time apart and quickly reconciled. Some of those couples even managed to stay together for the long haul. For others, it was the second marriage that was the mistake.
In a couple of cases, these celebrities re-married more than one former spouse. A few of these stars have so many marriages on their resume that it practically became a hobby. It’s quite possible that a few of these crazy kids will never quit each other. Who knows? They might even take the plunge a third time!
Here are 20 Stars Who Married The Same Person Twice.
20. Elon Musk and Talulah Riley
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk met Westworld star Talulah Riley in 2008, and they married two years later. But their marriage only lasted as long as their courtship. In 2012, Musk tweeted to his soon-to-be ex, “It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever. You will make someone very happy one day.”
Musk would be that someone when they reconciled 18 months later. Alas, they beat their marriage record by only 6 months. They filed for divorce on New Year’s Eve 2014, but Musk soon withdrew the petition. A short while later, Riley filed in turn to file, and the divorce went through in 2016. Musk had a short-lived rebound with actress Amber Heard. He told Rolling Stone, "If I'm not in love, if I'm not with a long-term companion, I cannot be happy."
19. Eminem and Kim Mathers
Rapper Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers), wrote many songs about his longtime love, Kim. But since they weren’t exactly Coldplay ballads, it’s no surprise that their relationship had its ups and down. The childhood sweethearts met at a house party when he was 15 and she was 13. They had a daughter, Hailie, and married in 1999.
In 2000, Kim attempted to take her own life when she witnessed Eminem beating a blow-up doll in her likeness on stage while performing one of his songs. Mathers filed for divorce shortly thereafter, but they continued to co-parent Hailie.
In 2006, they gave it another go, and Eminem even adopted the daughter, Whitney, that Kim had in the interim. But their second marriage wouldn’t last the year. In 2017, Mathers wrote a new song called “Bad Husband”, in which he apologized for their shady history.
18. Pamela Anderson and Rick Solomon
Pamela Anderson is known for having tumultuous relationships. But once she came back for seconds. On Ellen, The Baywatch actress likened her second marriage to Rick Salomon to eating spoiled leftovers. "It's like when you put something back in the fridge that's not good. It's not gonna be good the second time.”
Salomon logged prior marriages to actresses Shannen Doherty and E.G. Daily. Anderson, who previously wed rockers Tommy Lee and Kid Rock, first married the professional poker player in 2007. Less than a year later, she obtained an annulment, citing “Fraud”. In 2014, they briefly re-hitched. Several months later, Salomon filed for an annulment in Nevada while Anderson petitioned for divorce in California.
During an extremely messy process, Anderson accused Salomon of verbal and mental abuse, while he called her “a serial ... killer”. Hopefully Anderson has pitched those leftovers once and for all.
17. Melanie Griffith & Don Johnson
The first time Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson were married was for six months in 1976. During their 13 years apart, both actors suffered substance abuse and depression. Griffith also had a rocky six-year marriage to Steven Bauer (1982-87).
But in 1989, the Working Girl star reunited with the Miami Vice actor. For a time, they lived an idyllic life on a 20-acre ranch outside Aspen with their daughter, Fifty Shades actress, Dakota. Said Griffith, “I’m a princess in a fairy tale. Not only do I have my prince, I have the castle that goes with it.”
But in 1996, their fairy tale ended when 44-year-old Johnson, who had been sober since 1983, returned to substance abuse and checked into rehab. Johnson told Arsenio Hall, “Some people fall off the wagon. I fell off a building.”
16. Sinbad and Meredith Adkins
In 1985, comedian Sinbad (aka David Adkins) married his wife, Meredith for the first time. When they split in 1992, Sinbad reflected, "This business is a very selfish business. We had two kids [Paige and Royce], I was on the road. I had two lives... And the life on the road probably gets more real than the life at home. I wasn’t ready to be married. I became a great father, but I wasn’t a great husband. I had no tools to understand how to be a husband."
They reunited in 2002 and are still married today. During their 10 years apart, Sinbad says he learned a thing or two. "Those things you fought about, you realize they don't mean that much. I'll tell you this philosophy: If it ain't worth breaking up over, let it go.”
15. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Gladys Portugues
After 2 failed marriages, Jean-Claude Van Damme found double the love with bodybuilder Gladys Portugues. The athletic pair got hitched in 1987 and had double the children: Kristopher and Bianca. They divorced in 1992 amid Van Damme’s infidelity.
During their spousal hiatus, the Double Impact star wed his mistress, actress Darcy LaPier. But he went back to the former Ms. Olympia in 1999. Despite a hiccup in 2015, during which Portugues briefly filed for divorce, they have been together ever since.
Van Damme mused, “The couple has to work their stuff together no matter what they have to do… Divorce is simple - it's a word - and love is a feeling. It's hard to mix both…If people can stick together like in the old time it will make America strong.”
14. Judge Judy and Jerry Sheindlin
The sparkplug Judge Judy first married her longtime love in 1977. When she met Jerry Sheindlin, she was hot off a divorce from her first husband of 12 years, Ronald Levy. Judy says she gave Ronald the boot because of his disregard for her career.
The Sheindlins’ first go-round wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows either, as Judy claims she grew tired of catering to Jerry’s demands. During their year apart, Judy says she had a revelation. “I missed him and I really found out - this is not to denigrate your species - actually, most men are alike.” Jerry had a leg up though because, “Mine had hair!” They reconciled in 1991 are still married today, boasting 5 children and 12 grandchildren.
13. Barbara Walters and Merv Adelson
Television journalist Barbara Walters has been married 4 times to 3 different men. Her repeat offender was Lorimar Television CEO Merv Adelson, to whom she was wed from 1981–1984 and from 1986–1992. It was the third marriage for both of them. Walters had previously married Robert Katz and theater producer Lee Gruber, with whom she adopted her daughter, Jacqueline.
In her autobiography, Audition, Walters glossed over her marriage to Adelson. Fans were disappointed when she failed to address the 1986 allegations that the FBI had claimed Adelson was in, "close association with the hoodlum element,” and had ties to the Mafia. She said simply that "the marriage sputtered along" and that by September 1990 "it had run out of steam."
12. Larry King and Alene Akins
In of marriage, TV host Larry King has been married 8 times. Two of those times were to Alene Akins. They were first wed from 1961 to 1963, during which time King adopted Akins’ son, Andy.
King then married Mickey Sutphin in 1963 but went back to Akins in 1967. In 1969, Akins gave birth to their daughter, Chaia. Though they only lasted five years this time, King mourned Akins’ death in 2017 with a tweet: “So very saddened over the ing of Alene Akins, who died peacefully with our children Chaia and Andy by her side. She was a grand lady.”
In 2010, King told CBS, “I think in my life I have loved three people — married all three. The other marriages I wasn’t in love. It was the thing to do.” He has been married to Shawn King since 1997.
11. Marie Osmond and Steve Craig
Actress Marie Osmond found that once you go Steve Craig, you definitely go back. She married the production designer/former basketball star in 1982 and they stuck it out for 3 years, during which time they had one son.
In 1986, Osmond married record producer Brian Blosil with whom she had one more biological child and adopted five. During her rocky marriage to Blosil, Osmond suffered post-partum depression and multiple eating disorders.
They called it quits in 2007, but their tribulations continued through 2010, with their son Michael’s death . The Dancing with the Stars contestant found solace in 2011, when she reunited with Craig. Osmond recycled her wedding dress for their ceremony in the Las Vegas Mormon Temple on Michael’s birthday. She told Closer Weekly, “I wanted him to be there for the wedding [in spirit].”