The Hollywood shuffle: why so many celebrity couples are splitting up

THANK God for Denzel and Pauletta. As celebrity marriages go, the Washingtons have one of the more enduring unions, lasting 23 years--practically an anomaly among high-profile celebrity marriages. While it is no secret that keeping a celebrity marriage intact is difficult, in the past few years, more star-studded unions than usual seem to have landed in divorce court.

With the backdrop of fame, glamour and wealth, both the media and the public appear to fixate on the day-to-day lifestyles of the rich and famous, and of course, the reasons behind their marital breakups. For example, on a blissfully perfect day in 1993 Eddie Murphy married model Nicole Mitchell in an elegant fairy-tale wedding ceremony in Manhattan. However, after 13 years of marriage and five children, last year Mitchell, 38, filed for divorce. News of the Murphy-Mitchell breakup was unexpected by many, especially since the actor said upon seeing Nicole for the first time: "Her, I would marry tomorrow without a prenuptial."

Perhaps after re-evaluating the situation, Murphy did insist upon a prenuptial agreement, as most celebrities do. Murphy, 44, who gained box office fame and fortune with movies such as 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Nutty Professor and Dr. Dolittle, was less visible onscreen in recent years as he settled into family life. The reason behind the couple's split has been cited as "irreconcilable differences," a popular phrase in Hollywood.

Most stars cannot--or will not--discuss the particulars of their divorces. For 25 years Sheila Eldridge, president of Miles Ahead Entertainment, has worked in the entertainment industry with high-profile clients, including Janet Jackson, Yolanda Adams, EnVogue, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. She often formulates media plans for her clients, advising them not to speak publicly about their personal situations.

"In most cases, less is more," says Eldridge. "I tell them not to say anything. If you have to speak because your character or reputation is being infringed, that's different. In cases like that, I tell them to give one candid, honest interview that establishes their position with a tested and true media outlet. Everyone else has to get what they want from that source."

Still, there are some celebrities like comedian Steve Harvey, divorced from his wife, Mary, after 10 years of marriage, who has talked publicly about his marital breakup. "We're still friends," Harvey told Jet about his former wife.".... She helped me to get to where I am, so I will never say anything negative about her. Ever."

Mary Harvey, when asked about the demise of her marriage, declined to comment.

Does the intense, constant scrutiny that celebrities must endure make maintaining a marriage more difficult? Sometimes it does, according to relationship experts who say marriage under a glass bowl presents additional pressures. Many celebrities, though often idolized by fans, suffer from many of the same emotional problems that non-celebrities do. Because of their larger-than-life status, many don't seek the counseling they need, and, experts say, that's when problems occur.

"What it comes down to is communication," says Bronwen Millet, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington, D.C. "Whether the problem is infidelity, gambling or not enough intimacy, it comes down to communication, whether you are a celebrity or Joe Blow on the corner."

Maintaining a celebrity relationship takes work, according to Samuel L. Jackson, who has been married to actress LaTanya Richardson for 25 years. Jackson pointed out that communication is the key to his marriage's longevity. "People get angry with each other; people have issues. You either work through them or you just walk away from them or each other," he told EBONY in a recent interview.

Some celebrities have chosen to live outside of Hollywood, frowned on for its permissive lifestyle, which is as well known as the wealthy and famous people who live there. It can be a tough place to settle into domestic tranquility, a fact that is further evidenced by the growing list of recent break-ups: Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds and his wife, Tracey, earlier this year announced that they were divorcing; Vanessa L. Williams and former NBA star Rick Fox have parted ways, although their divorce is pending; and actress Gabrielle Union and her husband, Chris Howard, a former running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, have split up as well.

Even a rumor about a celebrity breakup can cause an avalanche of public reaction, especially as Internet blogs, celebrity magazines and television shows tout the possibility of trouble in paradise.

"Let's face it," says psychologist Sandra E. Cox, Ph.D., who has offices in L.A., where celebrity sightings are the norm, "people are looking at the silver screen and TV and watching these celebrities who are rich and famous and wishing that they could have that dream. It's a fascination that Americans have."