The Biggest Red Flags In Hollywood Relationships & What We Can Learn From Them

Many things make celebrities different from the rest of us, including but not limited to their wealth, access to exclusive opportunities, and ability to be recognized no matter where they go. But one thing that puts celebs in the same category as us is that they, too, get into toxic relationships. 

Whether you're famous or not, you probably recall a time when you dated someone you thought was so great at one point, but as time went on, you realized the relationship wasn't the fairytale you thought it was. The only difference is that it doesn't play out in magazines or on gossip accounts on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. And we can all probably recall a celebrity relationship we saw play out on television or some other medium and maybe we thought on the outside looking in, things seemed great, but then they weren't. 

But if we look back and think about it, there were so many red flags happening right before our eyes in real-time.

"Vanderpump Rules," has had its fair share of toxic relationships, some of them even looked like they may actually work out ... until they don't. But for others, the red flags couldn't have been more obvious. Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney were a fan favorite and one of the few relationships that lasted from the first season of the show. The pair even documented their wedding on Season 5 of "Vanderpump Rules."

According to People, Maloney filed for divorce from Schwartz in March 2022 after about six years of marriage. Was anyone surprised? Since Season 1 of the show, Maloney (aka Tequila Katie, her mean alter ego) had been turning on the people she cared about when she was drunk. By Season 4, she had become a certified mean girl, especially toward those who didn't agree with her perspectives, and her relationship was not exempt. Any time Schwartz tried to talk about issues in their relationship, she would shut them down, sometimes hitting below the belt.

Maloney wasn't the only problem in their relationship — Schwartz had plenty of issues of his own. One of those issues included his fear of commitment which prevented him from wanting to take their relationship to the next level. And who can forget that he cheated on Maloney while on one of those infamous guy trips to Las Vegas? He also had a problem with drinking. Amazingly, they made it to the altar.

Cardi B and former Migos group member Offset had the potential to be a Hip Hop fairytale, and their romance may have been a storybook in the beginning, but it was not all a dream. Offset stole hearts with his public display of affection when he proposed to Cardi on stage in 2017, though no one knew the couple had secretly been married earlier that year, according to Billboard. Their bliss was short-lived when Cardi filed for divorce three years later with rumors swirling of infidelity on Offset's part. And this time, no one thought it was cute when he showed up at one of Cardi's performances to surprise her on stage, possibly to get her to take him back publicly and elicit sympathy. 

The two would go on to reconcile, though many fans hoped she would be done with him, and the pair had three kids together: Kulture, Wave, and Kiari Cephus, the latter being born following their announcement that they would be splitting ... again. It appeared that Cardi was for real this time as she filed for divorce in July 2024. 

The pair have taken public shots at each other on social media, a far cry from bragging about each other in their lyrics. Offset accused Cardi of cheating on him during her third pregnancy while Cardi said she regretted being with him, according to Billboard. It appears the second split cut the deepest.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were a bit of a surprise pairing, to say the least. Before their 2014 marriage, West had been one of the most prolific rappers of the 21st century while Kardashian was famous for well ... being famous. So when the two began dating and flaunting their relationship online, as well as in West's 2013 "Bound 2" music video, it was not a romance we had on our bingo card.

The two would have four kids (North, Saint, Psalm, and Chicago West) before getting divorced in 2022. And their split was full of the drama fit for a television show. But there were signs that this marriage was not going to last.

Something that was always troublesome was how West appeared to enjoy controlling Kardashian's image. Love her or hate her, Kardashian is a beauty, but of course, that wasn't enough for the rapper. He picked out her outfits, some of which were pretty out there as if he wanted her to fit this image that she could never attain. He also showed little to no emotion and said and did some offensive and outlandish things, like running for president in 2019, or calling slavery "a choice." No matter how you feel about Kardashian, we should be able to agree that she is better off.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson need no introduction. The reality star and NBA champion went from fairytale to infamous in the blink of an eye. They began dating in 2016 and had two kids (True and Tatum Thompson) dating on again, and off again until 2022. Where do we begin?

Of course, we all know that Thompson was caught kissing other women while Kardashian was pregnant with their daughter, True. The scandal played out on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," and Kardashian decided to be the bigger person by allowing the cheater to be present during their daughter's birth. Then in 2019, Thompson struck again with Jordyn Woods, the then-best friend of Kardashian's youngest sister, Kylie Jenner. And we have to admit here that Kardashian had a few missteps, sending all of her anger publicly toward Woods when she decided to take Thompson back after his previous indiscretions in the first place. She of course had the right to be angry at Woods, but it takes two to tango and ultimately, it was Thompson that destroyed their family.

Kardashian took Thompson back once again and the couple even began to talk about having a second child together. But of course, Thompson struck once again in 2021 when it came out that he fathered a child with Maralee Nichols, and this happened as he and Kardashian were waiting on the arrival of Tatum via surrogate, according to People. The flags couldn't have been redder.

Now, time for a throwback. One of the "it" couples of yesteryear was Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Growing up famous is already hard, but it can be even harder when you have a very public relationship, particularly with one of the biggest heartthrobs of his time. There is no mistaking how excited people were when Gomez and Bieber made things official in 2011. At the same time, some "Beliebers," his fan base, appeared to be jealous and acted viciously toward Gomez.

Though Bieber rented out a whole stadium just so they could watch a movie together, according to Vogue, he also struggled to find himself in the unforgiving world where everyone watches your every move. Following their split in 2012, Bieber was arrested for drunk driving in 2014 and that same year, he reportedly got into a physical altercation with Orlando Bloom in Spain. The pair had dated other people and took petty jabs at each other on social media.

They got back together in 2017 but broke up again in 2018. Bieber got married to his ex-girlfriend Hailey, with whom he welcomed a child in 2024. Gomez got engaged to boyfriend Benny Blanco in 2024. This relationship is an example of how when you're young, you should be enjoying yourself and figuring out who you are, and love will come when it's meant to.