Hollywood’s Shortest Marriages: A Look at the Briefest Unions

Some celebrity romances burn bright and fizzle fast, leaving behind whirlwind timelines and curious legal footnotes. These brief unions range from days-long Vegas ceremonies to high-profile weddings that unraveled before the thank-you cards went out. What they share is a paper trail of dates, filings, and official statements that document just how quickly things changed.

Below is a look at 15 famously short marriages, with concrete timelines—wedding dates, separation filings, annulments, and divorces—plus any unusual details that made each split stand out. It’s a tour of nuptials that moved from “I do” to “we’re done” at remarkable speed.

Britney Spears & Jason Alexander

Britney Spears married childhood friend Jason Alexander in Las Vegas on January 3, 2004, after obtaining a marriage license at the Little White Wedding Chapel. The marriage was annulled 55 hours later, with the petition stating she lacked understanding of her actions at the time of the ceremony.

The court’s annulment restored both parties to single status within days, making the episode one of the shortest legally recognized celebrity marriages on record. The paperwork clarified that the ceremony created a valid union that was later nullified, rather than a ceremony that was void from the start.

Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries

Kim Kardashian wed NBA player Kris Humphries on August 20, 2011, in Montecito, California. She filed for divorce on October 31, 2011—72 days after the wedding—citing irreconcilable differences in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Proceedings outlasted the marriage itself by a wide margin, ending with a 2013 judgment of dissolution. No spousal support changed hands under the settlement, and both parties resumed their separate lives following the court’s final order.

Carmen Electra & Dennis Rodman

Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman married in Las Vegas on November 14, 1998. Nine days later, Rodman filed for an annulment, initially alleging he had been of unsound mind at the time of the ceremony.

After brief reconciliation efforts, the case moved forward as a divorce rather than an annulment. A final judgment entered in April 1999 closed the matter, documenting one of the era’s most fleeting high-profile unions.

Pamela Anderson & Jon Peters

Pamela Anderson and producer Jon Peters held a private Malibu ceremony on January 20, 2020. Within 12 days they announced a separation, and Anderson later confirmed the couple had not filed the required paperwork to register the marriage with California authorities.

Because a marriage license was never completed, no divorce or annulment case followed. The public announcement and subsequent clarification created a rare instance of a widely reported ceremony without a corresponding legal marriage record.

Nicolas Cage & Erika Koike

Nicolas Cage obtained a marriage license with makeup artist Erika Koike in Las Vegas on March 23, 2019. Four days later, on March 27, he filed for an annulment and alleged he lacked understanding of the consequences at the time of the wedding.

A Nevada judge ultimately granted a divorce in June 2019 after the annulment was not approved on the asserted grounds. The four-day interval between wedding and annulment filing places this union among the briefest to reach a court docket.

Mario Lopez & Ali Landry

Mario Lopez married Ali Landry in a Catholic ceremony in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on April 24, 2004. Landry petitioned for an annulment soon after, and the marriage was declared null roughly two weeks later.

Because the court granted an annulment rather than a divorce, the judgment treated the marriage as if it had not legally existed. The swift resolution left no ongoing property or support issues on the public record.

Eddie Murphy & Tracey Edmonds

Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds held a ceremony on a private island in French Polynesia on January 1, 2008. The event was symbolic and not legally binding under U.S. law, and the couple never completed a stateside civil ceremony.

Within two weeks they announced their split and confirmed they would not seek a U.S. marriage license. With no domestic registration, there were no divorce filings, and the separation proceeded outside the court system.

Elizabeth Taylor & Conrad “Nicky” Hilton

Elizabeth Taylor married hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton on May 6, 1950, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. She filed later that year, and a divorce decree was entered on January 29, 1951, approximately 205 days after the wedding.

Court records cited cruelty as the legal ground, consistent with the statutes in force at the time. The brief duration marked the first of Taylor’s multiple marriages and stands out for its rapid path from wedding to decree.

Sinéad O’Connor & Barry Herridge

Sinéad O’Connor married Barry Herridge in Las Vegas on December 8, 2011. She announced a separation 16 days later and described difficulties that surfaced almost immediately after the ceremony.

The pair briefly reconciled before ultimately ending the marriage. The early separation announcement and subsequent closure made this one of the most short-lived celebrity unions of that year.

Zsa Zsa Gabor & Felipe de Alba

Zsa Zsa Gabor wed Felipe de Alba on April 13, 1983, aboard a boat in international waters. The marriage was annulled the next day when it was determined that Gabor’s previous divorce was not yet finalized, creating a legal impediment.

Because the earlier marriage had not been fully dissolved, the new union was voidable and then declared invalid. The one-day duration has been widely cited as among the shortest celebrity marriages ever recorded.

Dennis Hopper & Michelle Phillips

Dennis Hopper married singer Michelle Phillips on October 31, 1970. The pair separated after eight days, and divorce proceedings commenced shortly thereafter.

The filings documented less than two weeks between wedding and separation. The rapid sequence of events led to a quick dissolution by Hollywood standards, with no extended litigation recorded.

Lisa Marie Presley & Nicolas Cage

Lisa Marie Presley married Nicolas Cage on August 10, 2002, in Hawaii. Cage filed for divorce on November 25, 2002, a little over three months after the ceremony.

The case concluded in May 2004 following standard procedural steps, including property and administrative matters. The docket reflects a brief marital period followed by a routine legal wind-down.

Nicky Hilton & Todd Meister

Nicky Hilton married Todd Meister in Las Vegas on August 15, 2004. The couple obtained an annulment in November 2004, noting the quick decision and time spent apart as factors in the filing.

Nevada’s annulment order ended the union without a prolonged dispute. With no complex community property issues involved, the case closed swiftly and left a concise public record.

Bradley Cooper & Jennifer Esposito

Bradley Cooper married Jennifer Esposito in December 2006. Esposito filed for divorce in May 2007, and a judgment of dissolution was granted later that year, citing irreconcilable differences.

The official timeline shows roughly four months between the wedding and the filing. The case proceeded without extensive motion practice, and neither party contested the core terms of the dissolution.

Sophia Bush & Chad Michael Murray

Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray married on April 16, 2005, in Santa Monica, California, after working together on ‘One Tree Hill’. They separated about five months later in 2005, and Bush filed for an annulment in early 2006, alleging fraud in her petition.

When the annulment was not granted, the case transitioned to a no-fault divorce under California law. The dissolution was finalized in December 2006, concluding a short-lived marriage that moved quickly from separation to judgment.

Share the short-lived celebrity marriage you remember most in the comments!