10 Celebrities Who Were Caught Cheating

Celebrity break-ups are common, and some of them can get quite nasty. A cheating scandal, like the infamous one involving Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Rupert Sanders, can dominate tabloid headlines for weeks.

Infidelity in relationships is not limited to just celebrities of course. As NPR reported in 2015, a YouGov survey of 1,000 Americans found that 21% of men and 19% of women admitted to cheating. Another 7% did not want to answer the question.

There are also questions about what “cheating” really means. NPR noted that one study said 79% of women thought sending flirty messages to someone else was cheating. However, only 59% of men agreed with that. Men and women do agree that having a one-night stand is cheating, with over 90% agreeing.

With that in mind, here is a look at 10 of the most famous celebrity cheating scandals.

Jennifer Lopez, Cris Judd and Ben Affleck

In 2002, Cris Judd’s father, Larry Judge, told the National Inquirer that Jennifer Lopez cheated on his son Cris after just five months of marriage. He allegedly told the tabloid that their marriage was happy until she started working with Ben Affleck on Gigli. 

Lopez and Judd were married from 2001 to 2003. Judd is a choreographer, and opened up about the short-lived marriage to Us Weekly in 2014.

“You know it’s very tough,” Judd said. “Your privacy is breached. You’re no longer a normal person. [Our wedding] was a circus. I think several people got arrested trying to climb up a mountain… trying to sneak in. We actually rented the airspace.”

Heidi Klum, Seal and The Bodyguard

In 2012, Seal and Heidi Klum broke up. Seal accused Klum of cheating on him with bodyguard Martin Kirsten, who she started dating after their divorce. However, Seal’s representative later walked back the singer’s comments.

“Seal would like to clarify that he was not implying his wife was cheating on him while they were together,” the rep told PEOPLE in September 2012. “But rather he was pointing out that they are separated and the divorce is not final so they are legally still married.”

Klum’s relationship with Kirsten ended in January 2014.

Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey and Adam Levine

Jessica Simpson was married to Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006. In between, it was rumored that she had an affair with Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine. According to Us Weekly, they were reportedly seen at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles together in January 2004. She was supposedly seen wearing Levine’s shirt when she left the hotel the next morning. 

Levine broke up with Simpson in 2006 via test message, according to a 2011 Elle profile.

Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt and Friends star Jennifer Aniston were married for five years, from 2000 to 2005. There were rumors that he cheated on Aniston, and began seeing Angelina Jolie while still married. Pitt denied cheating on Aniston.

However, a source claimed to In Touch Weekly in September 2017 that Pitt apologized to Aniston after he broke up with Jolie. 

“He’s been determined to apologize for everything he put her through, and that’s exactly what he did,” the source told In Touch. “It was the most intimate conversation Brad and Jen have ever had.”

“Jen was overcome with emotion,” the In Touch source claimed. “All the hurt feelings and resentment she’d suppressed for years came flooding to the surface, and she broke down in tears.”

Larry King and Shawn Southwick

The 83-year-old Larry King is now married to his seventh wife, 58-year-old Shawn Southwick. The two have had a rocky relationship, with their marriage almost ending in 2010. 

In 2009, rumors started swirling in the tabloids that King had an affair with Shawn’s sister, Shannon Engemann and spent $1 million in gifts on her. Engemann denied the rumors, and King told the National Enquirer that they just had a “flirtation.” “I never made love to her,” he added. 

Strangely enough, the National Enquirer and Page Six reported in August 2016 that Shawn had an affair. The man was later identified as Richard Greene.

“I’ve been in the business — next May, it’ll be 60 years — and I’ve dealt with rumors a long time. Interviewed people involved with rumors. Rumors are what they are — they’re rumors. And I tell you the truth, I don’t pay any attention to them,” King told Home & Family in 2016, with Shawn by his side.

Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Jason Allen Alexander

Britney Spears reportedly cheated on Justin Timberlake with Jason Allen Alexander, the man she was infamously married to for 55 hours in January 2004. In 2012, Alexander told ABC News that he and the 
“Toxic” singer were still friends “with benefits” when Spears was daring Justin Timberlake. 

“There was an instance when [Britney and I] were hanging out,” Alexander told ABC News. “He had called, and I was … kicking it with her, kind of like the guy ‘behind the scenes’ no one knew about.”

When Spears and Timberlake split for good in 2002, there was a rumor that Spears had an affair with choreographer Wade Robson. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver and Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena

After 25 years of marriage, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger split in 2011. Days after their divorce was announced, it was revealed that Schwarzenegger had a son with his housekeeper, Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena, during the marriage. At the time of the divorce, the son, Joseph, was 14 years old. Baena was also married at the time of the affair, and divorced her husband in 2008. 

“After leaving the governor’s office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times. “I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry. I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time. While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not.”

Jude Law, Sienna Miller and Daisy Wright

In 2005, Jude Law was caught cheating on his then-fiancee, Sienna Miller. A former nanny, Daisy Wright, told the Sunday Mirror that she had an affair with Law while he was filming All The King’s Men in New Orleans. 

“He is a great lover and knows how to satisfy a woman,” Wright said, PEOPLE reported at the time. “We couldn’t get enough of each other.”

Law publicly apologized for cheating on Miller in July 2005.

Law was already divorced at the time. He has three children with his ex-wife, Sadie Frost. Law also has daughters with Samantha Burke and Catherine Harding. 

Jude Law, Sienna Miller and Daniel Craig

No, this is not a repeat. Miller also cheated on Law while they were still together. She reportedly had an affair with future James Bond actor Daniel Craig in 2005.

In a 2014 Esquire U.K. interview, Miller admitted she has done “immoral” things in the past. “I sabotaged things. I burnt a lot of bridges,” she added about her rocky relationships in the 2000s.

After Law and Miller broke up, Miller had a relationship with Rhys Ifans. She also dated Balthazar Getty when he was still married. Miller also dated Tom Surridge and they share a daughter. 

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Rupert Sanders

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Rupert Sanders’ cheating scandal dominated tabloid headlines in 2012. It even overshadowed the release of the movie at the middle of it – Snow White and the Huntsman. 

When work started on Snow White in August 2011, Stewart was dating her Twilight co-star Pattinson. Sanders was married to Liberty Ross. After months of rumors about the affair, Sanders and Ross filed for divorce in January 2013. 

“I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I’ve caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected,” Stewart said in an apology in July 2012. “This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I’m so sorry.”

“I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family,” Sanders said in his statement. “My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together.”

Pattinson and Stewart officially broke up in May 2013.