Breakups are never easy, but imagine splitting with the person you thought was “the one” and then having to go to work and see their face every day – no thanks!
For Hollywood stars, though, there is no better way to test their acting abilities than having to play the role of a lovesick partner after getting dumped in real life.
Even if they’re not sharing screen time, working closely with an ex is a trope we do not want to get on board with.
So, spare a thought for the celebrities below, who were forced to work with their exes after breaking up – spoiler alert, they’re not all happy endings.
photo of ben affleck and jennifer lopez
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are no strangers to working together (Jersey Girl/Gigli), so they didn’t let their marriage troubles get in the way when it came to making Kiss of the Spider Woman, in which Jennifer starred, and Ben’s company, Artists Equity, helped produce.
Jennifer, who wed Ben in 2022, filed for divorce in August 2024, two months after the film wrapped. She admitted she “barely” made it through filming, but gave Ben his credit, telling CBS Sunday Morning: “The movie wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for him and Artists Equity. I will always give him that credit.”
photo of katie holmes and joshua jackson dawsons creek
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson starred together on Dawson’s Creek and became an item before their on-screen characters, Joey and Pacey, even got together.
While it’s unclear when they started dating, Katie told Rolling Stone in 1998: “I’m just going to say that I met somebody last year. I fell in love, I had my first love, and it was something so incredible and indescribable that I will treasure it always.”
They broke up in 1999 but continued working together until the show wrapped in 2003.
photo of kaley cuoco and johnny galecki
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki played love interests on The Big Bang Theory and in real life, but their romance was so well hidden that no one knew about their relationship until after they split up.
The former couple secretly dated from 2008 to 2010 and continued to play a couple on the show until it ended in 2019. Despite their breakup, they remained incredibly close and still have a great friendship today.
“Luckily, Johnny and I came out of it so brilliantly, and we’re closer today than we ever were,” Kaley said on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast in 2020.
Speaking about how they maintained a healthy working relationship after their breakup, Johnny said on The View in 2017: “Massive doses of mutual love and respect, mostly. It’s not easy, but with those two ingredients, pretty much anything is possible. We’re dear, dear friends.”
photo of mindy kaling and bj novak
Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak
Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak
Another former couple who remained besties after their split are Mindy Kaling and B.G. Novak, who played love interests in The Office and later in The Mindy Project, despite ending their relationship around 2007.
“No one, including us, ever really knew, ‘Is this dating? Is this not dating?’ We were never really dating, we were never really not dating,” he told Vulture. “We didn’t know. No one knew. All you’d know for sure was that you’d always find one of us next to the other, even if we weren’t getting along.”
Proving how close they still are, Mindy even made B.J. godfather to her three kids, Katherine, Spencer, and Anne.
photo of blake lively and penn badgley
Blake Lively and Penn Badgley
Blake Lively and Penn Badgley
Blake Lively and Penn Badgley were on-and-off-again in Gossip Girl and in real life, too. While their characters ultimately ended up together, Blake and Penn split for good in 2010 after beginning a secret relationship in 2007, and continued working together on the show, which ended in 2012.
“We were constantly professional, to be honest, and we should both pat ourselves on the back because anything is complicated in that way … and we handled it,” Penn said of their working relationship after they called it quits.
photo of chad michael murry and sophia bush
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush were forced to play love interests on One Tree Hill, even after the demise of their short-lived marriage.
The former couple met on the show and began dating in 2003, marrying in April 2005, but only five months later, they separated. Sophia initially tried to annul the marriage, citing fraud, but was denied, and they divorced in 2006. They continued to work together until Chad left the show in 2009.
“For me, at the end of the day, my job is my priority, and so I think at the end of it, it really let me just let go of it,” she said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
photo of joey king and jacob elordi
Jacob Elordi and Joey King
Jacob Elordi and Joey King
Jacob Elordi and Joey King became an item while playing love interests in The Kissing Booth and remained an on-screen couple in the Netflix movie franchise for the next two films, despite breaking up in 2018.
“I’m a fan with how [the film] resonated with the world, it resonated with me,” Joey said on the Mood With Lauren Elizabethpodcast. “So going back and doing that and making the sacrifice of what, obviously, everyone is thinking about — outwardly addressing, but what I’m kind of on the sly addressing, making those sacrifices was totally worth it.”
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