Is there love after baby? The question is contentious because studies have actually demonstrated that there isn’t always. The transition into parenthood isn’t an easy one, especially for the couples who were already on the rocks before news of an incoming baby changed everything.

Celebrities are particularly interesting to examine from this standpoint because although they try to keep their lives as private, certain details about their lives, relationships, breakups, and journeys into parenthood still manage to leak out into the press.

According to data collected by the Relationship Research Institute in Seattle, 75% of couples agree their relationship deteriorated within the first five years of having a baby. While that may be surprising to some, it does make sense when we look at why some celebs may have broken up. Some of the ones who split after having a baby hadn’t been together very long or were already on the verge of walking away.

While the news of a baby is enough to hold some couples together for the sake of their child, most still invariably end up going their separate ways either weeks, months or sometimes a few years later. The study also concluded that 13% of marriages ended in divorce within the first five years.

Let’s have a look at 17 celebrities who split after having a baby and 3 more who couldn’t tolerate staying together until the birth.

20 Ciara & Future - The Birth Of Their Son Changed Everything

Ciara’s second baby is already one year old and fortunately, her marriage to Russell Wilson is still going strong but it’s the situation that befell her after the birth of her first child back in 2014 with rapper Future that has us sad for this ultra-talented singer.

Everything seemed to be going so well when she first met Future, but their relationship quickly headed downhill after the birth of their son Future Zahir Wilburn, Ciara’s first baby and Future’s fourth at the time.

Apparently the big spotlight on their relationship ultimately was a problem for him, and there was a creative disconnect between them as well,” explains E! News.

They even ended up in the middle of some messy court proceedings, which she initiated to get him to stop badmouthing her.

19 Miranda Kerr & Orlando Bloom - They Were Model Co-Parents

We’re all guilty of attributing too much perfection to Hollywood’s golden couples. Take Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, for instance, or the recently separated Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan that no one saw coming.

The same goes for Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom. Everything seemed perfect for them and yet despite beginning to date in 2007, their marriage only lasted from 2010-2013. Despite both admitting that the divorce was particularly painful, they are now in a pretty good place with regards to co-parenting.

In fact, he told Elle Magazine, “With Miranda, there was a sense that I don't want my son to go back through the internet where people have made up lies [about us]. Miranda and I have a remarkable relationship. We co-parent really well.”

18 Mel B. & Eddie Murphy - The Baby Is His Spitting Image

When the news broke that Eddie Murphy may have fathered Mel. B’s baby, no one could contain their shock. Although the details of their relationship have always stayed iron-clad, the fact remains that Eddie Murphy denied, denied, denied when Mel B. came out saying he was the father of her child in 2007.

He even went so far as to say, “I don’t know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test,” as reported by Heightline. After a bitter paternity battle, the test eventually confirmed he was indeed the father.

Still, the news did nothing to rekindle any romance they may have had, which also means we’ll never know if the relationship originally ended when he first found out she was pregnant.

17 Janet Jackson & Wissam Al Mana - 3 Months Later Things Went South

Speaking of surprise pregnancies, Janet Jackson’s pregnancy is right up there as well, although for a different reason. As happy as fans were when Janet Jackson announced her very first pregnancy in 2016, many also questioned the fact that she would be giving birth at the age of 50.

We thank God for our blessing,” said Janet at the time of her baby boy’s birth, as reported by Huffington Post. Unfortunately, her relationship with Wissam Al Mana just didn’t survive, with the couple calling it quits just three months after the birth.

"Janet and Wissam don't see eye to eye on many things," a source later revealed to E! News. "One of the many divorcing factors was their religious beliefs. Wissam and Janet did not feel that they were on the same page when it came to this and the way they wanted their child to get raised.”

16 Audrina Patridge & Corey Bohan - Shared Their Messy Custody Battle With The Media

One minute, everything was going great for Audrina Patridge and Corey Bohan, and the next, it was all crumbling down around them. Despite getting married in 2016, the same year their daughter Kirra made her appearance into the world, the couple has since split. It hasn’t been an amicable separation by any means either as it has been filled with a restraining order, a custody battle and lots of unpleasant words spoken to the media. It’s clear that they’re nowhere near being able to peacefully co-parent just yet as Cohen has just filed a court order to prevent their daughter from appearing on The Hills!

15 Tyra Banks & Erik Asla - They Made It To 20 Months

Just as with Janet Jackson, fans couldn’t have been happier to learn that Tyra Banks had become a mom. The news was particularly surprising since Tyra posted a picture of a teeny-tiny hat in January 2016, explaining that “The best present we worked and prayed so hard is finally here.”

Given that no one had any idea she was expecting a child, it all made sense when she elaborated, “As we thank the angel of a woman that carried our miracle baby boy for us, we pray for everyone who struggles to reach this joyous milestone.”

Sadly, Tyra Banks and her boyfriend Erik Asla called it quits just 20 months later, as reported by People.

14 Sherri Shepherd & Lamar Sally Split During The Pregnancy

Speaking of surrogacy, if you’re going to split after the baby’s arrival, just don’t do it the way former The View host Sherri Shepherd and Lamar Sally did.

Sally filed for divorce while their surrogate was six months pregnant! Brutal doesn’t begin to describe this situation. Worst still is that as reported by Bustle, “Shepherd has since attempted to lessen her ties to the child, who was born in August 2014 and is not biologically hers.”

Crushable explains that while her eggs were deemed “not viable”, his sperm was used with donor eggs.

Sally eventually stepped in to raise the child and ended up winning in court to have Shepherd pay child support.

13 Cheryl Cole & Liam Payne - Was The Age Difference To Blame?

Is it all that surprising that Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne’s romance fizzled out after having a baby? Not exactly. Actually, it’s right up on par with Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin’s spur-of-the-moment engagement and marriage.

Having met on the X Factor UK when she was a judge and he was just 16 years old, they only officially came out as a couple in 2016 when he was 22 years old and she was 33. Soon after, reports started swirling they may have been expecting a baby and sure enough, their son was born in March 2017.

Just a year later though, Liam was already revealing to Evening Standard, "Of course I’m not gonna sit here and say that everything’s absolutely fine and dandy, because of course you go through different things, and that’s what a relationship is."

12 Kim Porter & Diddy - She Packed Up The Twins & Left

Diddy is famous for his lavish lifestyle and sparing no expense for his kids but he’s also known for his failed relationship to Kim Porter. As Madame Noir explained, “Despite birthing twin daughters Jessie and D’Lila in December of 2006, in July of 2007, Porter packed up everything, including the baby furniture, and stormed out of the home she shared with longtime love Sean Combs. The fact that he had daughter Chance with Sarah Chapman right before the birth of his twin is, we’re betting, what spurred Porter to throw in the towel.

Yep! That would certainly do it, unfortunately.

11 Keshia Knight Pulliam & Ed Hartwell Split During The Pregnancy

It’s always sad to hear about a couple splitting during the pregnancy and such is the case of Keshia Knight Pulliam and former football linebacker Ed Hartwell. Worst still is the fact that although she found out she was pregnant in 2016, a more sinister fact has since come to light.

As it turns out, Ed Hartwell was involved with another woman at the time by the name of Tonya, who insisted relentlessly he leave Keshia. A friend told Black America Web that Tonya “wanted to get something that would cause someone to have a miscarriage.”

To this day, Ed and “the other woman” are still together and are expecting a baby, according to Hip Hollywood.

10 Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz - He Could No Longer Be Mr. Mom

Although they were seemingly the perfect pop-punk couple, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz just weren’t able to make their relationship last. They actually welcomed their first child Bronz Mowgli Wentz in 2008, the same year they got married.

Pete Wentz recently revealed that although he “thought it was forever,” he told E! News he ultimately lost himself in the process. “At 31, we'd had all these great years as a band, and then we took time off, and I basically became Mr. Mom. I had the beard, the flannel shirt. I didn't know what my identity was. That factored in. When your identity is what you do, it's hard when you stop doing it.”

Less than three years later, they separated in 2011. But on the bright side, Ashlee’s current husband Evan Ross has an “amazing” relationship with him, according to ET Online.

9 Blac Chyna & Tyga - They Narrowly Avoided Awkwardness

 

Not too long before the whole Rob Kardashian craziness, Blac Chyna had another relationship end up in the gutter. We’re of course talking about the one with Tyga, which originally put her name on the fame map. Having met when she starred in his Rack City music video in 2011, their romance moved very quickly and they welcomed their son King in October 2012.

Although they even got engaged, any plans for a wedding were called off in December 2014, as reported by TMZ. As it is to be expected, there has been tons of drama between the two since the split and it certainly doesn’t help that she has called out the father of her child for not paying enough.

8 Blac Chyna & Rob Kardashian - They Lasted One Month

Having covered Tyga, there’s also no way to avoid Blac Chyna’s history with Rob Kardashian… especially since she the two started dating during the same time Rob’s sister Kylie Jenner was dating Tyga. Luckily, Kylie didn’t go on to have a baby by the same man who fathered the baby of the Kardashian sworn nemesis, so at least they can all cross that one off their bucket lists.

As explained by People, “After dating a mere 10 weeks, Rob put a (very hefty) ring on it — officially deeming him and Chyna engaged in April 2016.” The fast engagement undoubtedly has something to do with the fact that she also got pregnant and gave birth to their daughter Dream in November of the same year.

Alas, the relationship didn’t work out and they separated a mere month later. They since haven’t stopped throwing each other under the bus to the media.

7 Mackenzie & Josh Mckee - They Made Happy Faces For The Cameras Only

Bristol isn’t the only one out of the Teen Mom franchise with marital problems. In fact, she revealed to In Touch Weekly, “I was in a really dark place,” she confessed. “Then I had Broncs and it got even worse. He actually left and ended up filing for divorce. I think we were separated for two months.”

The fact that he actually filed for divorce shows just how desperate their situation had become, even though they kept on putting happy faces for the cameras. Despite splitting after the birth, they’re seemingly back together and this, despite reports she may have betrayed Josh during their marriage.

6 Usher & Tameka Foster - There Are No Regrets For Tameka

Usher’s big mistake isn’t actually his biggest regret. Talking about his failed marriage to Tameka Raymond from 2007-2009, Usher revealed to O Magazine, “Most people probably think I regret it because I ended up getting divorced, but it helped me learn that sometimes I think I know more than I actually do.”

On the bright side, they share two sons, Usher Raymond V, born in 2007, and Naviyd Ely Raymond, born in 2008.

Looks like their marriage just wasn’t able to recover after the birth of their second son as they separated a mere year later. But chances are, they were likely already on the rock long before then.

5 Heidi Klum & Flavio Briatore - His Kids Are Being Raised By Another Man

Just a few months after splitting from Renault F1 team manager Flavio Briatore in 2004, Heidi Klum went on to give birth to her daughter Leni. It’s also in the same year that she began dating Seal, who she eventually stayed married to from 2005-2014. In fact, Klum, herself, has repeatedly said Klum was Leni’s dad, which he officially confirmed by adopting her when she was five years old.

According to Express.co.uk, Heidi’s ex Flavio has even admitted he was never in his child’s life, “Heidi, Seal and I have built an amazing relationship. It's hard to miss a baby that you never see. But I know that Leni is not an abandoned child. Leni is part of Seal's family and Nathan is part of mine.”

4 Christina Milian & The Dream - Did They Split Up During Or After?

In some reports, Christian Milian and The Dream split months before their baby’s birth. In fact, Madame Noir explains, “The-Dream didn’t tell people until summer of 2010 that he and Milian had split, and actually done so in late 2009, months before little Violet Madison Nash’s birth.”

According to other reports, however, they split five months after the baby’s birth. Whether they split before or after makes no difference as judging by all the rumors swirling around the ordeal, it sounds like it’s a good thing they went their separate ways! The Daily Mail reported at the time that many photos had surfaced of The Dream spending time with a “mystery brunette” at the time of the split.

3 Kelis & Nas - They Still Are Not Great To This Day

Back in 2009, Milshake singer Kelis and rapper Nas split while she was seven months pregnant. As reported by MTV, she went on to accuse him of “abandoning her during pregnancy,” seeking retroactive spousal support as well as child support once the baby was born.

That was only the beginning of all their court troubles since just recently, she requested for an increase in child support. Although, as Page Six chose to sum the situation up in their headline, “Kelis made nearly $1m last year and still wants more child support.”

The fact that the unhappy co-parents are still at each others’ throats now that their child is already eight years old isn’t very encouraging.

2 Tiny & T.I. - There is Hope On The Horizon

Just a few months after their daughter Heiress Harris was born in March 2016, Tiny and T.I. decided to go their separate ways in December with Tiny filing for divorce, according to Madame Noir.

There now appears to be a happy ending on the horizon for the couple though as recent reports are indicating that they may be attempting to rekindle their romance. In fact, a source revealed to Hollywood Life that even Jay-Z may have been giving T.I. “advice on how to save his marriage, and just in the nick of time, as he and Tiny want another baby!”

It’s kind of ironic for marriage advice to be coming from the one who caused his own wife much heartache but hey, if it works, it works.

1 Bristol & Dakota Meyer - The Marriage Sealed Their Fate

After her relationship with Levi Johnston publicly didn’t work out, Bristol eventually found love with Dakota Meyer… except not really. They got married just one year after their first child together was born and just recently separated one mere year later after the birth of their second child together. But the worst part is the revelatory statements Meyer made to People recently, saying:

This relationship was done way before Teen Mom OG,” Meyer said, also adding he knew it was over “the day after we got married.”

Our relationship has had struggles from day one, I think we tried our best,” he says. “I can definitely say that I tried in this relationship.

References: Babble,  Elle, People, Huffington Post,  BustleStandard, Madame Noir, Hip Hollywood,  TMZ,  In Touch Weekly, Express.co.uk, Daily Mail, Page SixMTV, and Hollywood Life.