Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox’s entire two-year relationship has been closely recorded on Instagram
(Picture: Getty Images for The Recording A)Breaking up in front of literally the entire world is surely the stuff of nightmares. But for celebrities in high-profile relationships, it’s all too real, especially today when their lives are lived, shared and judged on social media as well as in the tabloids.
Some manage to “consciously uncouple” without much online fanfare — maintaining at least the facade of dignity, goodwill and benevolence as they release statements asking for privacy to be respected. They might also take a social media sabbatical.
Others give poise a good go — perhaps occasionally resorting to cryptic quotes or passive-aggressive memes — before deleting or denying such content has anything to do with their ex.
And then there are those who are so furious and humiliated that they don’t care about looking cool or calm any more — and wilfully use their platforms to settle scores and set records straight.
All of them know that any slight change in online behaviour will be noticed in seconds — so from going dark to rage-filled rants, we look at how these recent celebrity breakups have played out on social media.
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly
Their entire two-year relationship has been closely recorded on Instagram — the matching outfits, the impromptu photo shoots, the double dates with Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker. As such, it makes sense that if anything was amiss between actress Fox, 36, and musician MGK (real name Colson Baker), 32, the world would be able to tell with a perfunctory glance at either of their grids.
And so on February 11, hours after she appeared with MGK at a Super Bowl party, Fox posted a string of selfies and a video in which she appeared to burn a letter in a bonfire, accompanied by the caption “You can taste the dishonesty/ it’s all over your breath”. These are lyrics from the BeyonceÌ track Pray You Catch Me, about Jay-Z’s affair, so we all knew something was up. Fox then removed every single image that contained the rapper from her Instagram account, before deleting it entirely.
Dignified or disaster? Too soon to tell.
Vanessa Feltz and Ben Ofoedu
A couple of weeks ago, journalist and national treasure Vanessa Feltz talked direct to camera for an Instagram post. She announced that her three-week absence from the social media platform had been down to her 16-year relationship with singer Ben Ofoedu ending.
Dressed characteristically vibrantly in a multi-coloured, patterned dress and fuscia boots, and sitting in her north London home, Feltz alluded to infidelity on her fiance’s part, saying: “I really do feel that once the trust in a relationship is gone, you can’t really get it back”.
Her post was met with unanimous support from friends, with the likes of Zoe Ball and Rochelle Humes using the comments section.
Ofoedu has since confirmed that he was unfaithful to Feltz via the Mirror. He added that he had never received so much abuse and claimed that he is homeless since moving out of Feltz’s £3.5 million home.
However, his social media response to the breakup seems to have been only an enlarged broken-heart emoji posted to his stories.
Dignified or disaster? Feltz’s positivity, vulnerability and transparency have gained her praise for her strength of character — especially as at no point has she berated or insulted her ex. Admittedly, she has Carol Vorderman to do that for her.
Shakira and Gerard Piqué
It started off with a dignified cut-and-paste breakup statement in June 2022: “We regret to confirm that we are separating. We ask for privacy at this moment for the well-being of our children, who are our maximum priority.”
Since then things have descended into utter chaos for the Colombian hit-maker, 46, and her footballer ex, 36, who were together for 12 years. Piqué’s relationship with the public relations student Clara Chia Marti, 23, seems to have been the cause.
In January, Shakira released a single, Shakira Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53, in which she describes Piqué’s new girlfriend as a Renault Twingo (as opposed to a Ferrari). This resulted in Piqué buying a version of the economical, four-seater hatchback and parking it in front of a crowd of baying paparazzi.
The track quickly went viral, racking up more than 63 million YouTube views in 24 hours, making it the most watched new Latin song in the platform’s history. Shakira said on Instagram: “I want to embrace the millions of women who stand up to those who make us feel insignificant.”
The Hips Don’t Lie Singer then placed a terrifying, life-sized witch doll on her balcony, apparently facing her mother-in-law’s home.
Piqué hit back by making his relationship with Chía Marti Instagram official, sharing a cosy selfie of the pair.
Dignified or disaster? If a dignified silence is the mark of success when it comes to breakups, these two have failed hard. But if cathartic release is what they need in the form of wall-to-wall public drama, they’re both taking home gold.
Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde
Two years after they met on the set of Don’t Worry Darling, Styles, 28, and Wilde, 38, called it quits in late 2022.
Two months later, in January 2023, Wilde posted a screenshot of a scene from Tropical Malady overlaid with a quote from the movie: “I’d hate to die without having loved.”
While this could be interpreted as her having been grateful to have loved, many commentators believe this is Wilde’s way of saying she has never been in love.
Unlike Styles, who tends to let his clothes do the talking, Wilde has form for engaging in cryptic social media content. During her separation from SNL actor Jason Sudeikis with whom she shares two children, there were plenty of tabloid rumours about her doing the rounds. One of these was about Sudeikis being disgruntled that she had made her trademark salad dressing especially for new man Styles.
Wilde responded by posting the recipe for the salad dressing — which turned out to be the one made famous by Nora Ephron’s book Heartburn— on her Instagram stories.
Dignfied or disaster? So far, mutual respect seems to reign.
Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott
They’ve been on and off for six years and have two children together but according to reports, the beauty mogul and her rapper beau have broken up again.
The couple, who have never publically badmouthed one another either directly or cryptically, tend to keep the world abreast of their relationship status using images only. Jenner especially, with 380 million followers on Instagram, is acutely aware of how watched she is.
It’s interesting to note that whenever the pair are on a break, Kylie turns up the heat and frequency of her bikini selfies. Rather than rage, she just sets a load of digital thirst traps and waits for him to come back.
Dignified or disaster? Cute, in every sense of the word.
