Rachel Zoe opened up about the end of her decades-long marriage.MEGA
When Rachel Zoe recently opened up about the end of her decades-long marriage, she offered a glimpse into the very personal — and very public — dynamics that often accompany celebrity divorces.
The fashion designer and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star revealed during a March 9 appearance on “The Inside Edit” podcast with Maeve Reilly that one of the first people she called after separating from her husband of 26 years, Rodger Berman, was actress Jennifer Garner. Zoe said she reached out to Garner for a recommendation for a divorce attorney.
According to Zoe, Garner immediately suggested celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, who represented her during her split from Ben Affleck. Zoe recalled Garner’s empathetic response to the news.
“Her reaction was so interesting and I’ll never forget it,” Zoe said. “She was like, ‘You must be so exhausted.’ And I knew what she meant by it. And I was, I really was so exhausted.”
Rachel Zoe said Jennifer Garner helped her find a divorce lawyer.MEGA
Zoe and Berman, who share two sons, announced their separation in September 2024 before she filed for divorce in July 2025. Reflecting on the breakdown of the relationship, Zoe said she realized the marriage had run its course when she noticed a shift in how she felt about spending time with her husband.
“The person that I never went anywhere without, I wanted to go without,” she said.
A Divorce That Played Out Both Privately and Publicly
The split unfolded in both private and public ways.MEGA
Zoe has spoken candidly about the emotional toll of the split, including on RHOBH, where she previously said of the relationship, “At the end of the day, I can’t change someone else.”
The couple had been together for 26 years before separating, and Zoe has said that despite the breakup, the pair are focused on their children. She has said they are trying to remain amicable “because ultimately we want what’s best for the kids, right?”
Still, even relatively amicable celebrity breakups rarely remain entirely private.
The ‘Court of Public Opinion’ in Celebrity Divorces
Legal experts explained that divorces often unfold on two parallel tracks.MEGA
According to attorney Robert Wallack of The Wallack Firm, a Manhattan firm that specializes in matrimony and family law, high-profile divorces often unfold on two parallel tracks: the legal process itself and the narrative that develops in the media.
“While divorce filings are confidential and not made public by the court system, that doesn’t necessarily stop a party from leaking copies of the documents, or details contained in them, to the press,” Wallack explained.
Unless there is a confidentiality agreement, non-disclosure agreement, or court-ordered gag rule, he said, “there is really no limit” on what either party can publicly reveal. In celebrity cases, decisions about what information becomes public are often carefully considered.
“The decision about what to disclose, and what not to disclose, is usually strategic, and in celebrity cases is often made in conjunction with PR professionals,” he said. “The goal is to put forward a compelling story which can aid a party’s case, engender sympathy for the party, and/or to vilify the other party.”
Who Filed First?
The divorce narrative continued beyond court filings.MEGA
As with the release of any other information, revealing who filed first is part of the strategy for shaping how the public understands a breakup.
“Since every state now has a no-fault divorce provision, being the one who filed first doesn’t matter as much in court, and instead tends to be more important in the ‘public’ case, since it allows one party to get their narrative and talking points out there first,” Wallack said.
As Zoe continues to speak openly about her experience — and embrace a new chapter in her life — her story illustrates how personal transitions for public figures rarely remain entirely behind closed doors.
“When it comes to celebrity or high-profile divorces,” Wallack said, “they often involve two ‘cases’ – the one made in court during the litigation, and the one made in the court of public opinion.”
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