It seems as if spring fever has given way to an endless stream of engagement posts, pregnancy proclamations and now … breakup announcements.
This past Monday, “Magic Mike” star Channing Tatum and his wife Jenna Dewan issued a statement that left fans in complete disbelief. On Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the couple announced the end to their eight-year marriage in just 220 words.
After explaining that they had “lovingly chose to separate as a couple,” they said they wanted everyone to know the truth because of how easily facts could be distorted. Tatum went on further, explaining there were no “secrets or salacious events” that motivated this, and they simply just wanted some privacy during this time.
It’s one thing to go through a divorce or breakup, but it’s another thing entirely to have the guts to publicly announce such a personal event for the whole world to see. The only thing the couple asked for in return was some privacy during such a life-changing event.
However, this is an impossible request. There are dozens of headlines from celebrity gossip websites such as “Inside Channing Tatum’s love story gone wrong” or articles claiming they had the “secrets” behind the couple’s split. I even found a video on YouTube where someone already made a video compilation labeled “Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan in happier times through the years,” a video reminiscing on their marriage just days after the two split up.
This is not the first time Hollywood has seen this kind of “mutual breakup” announcement posted on social media. Couples such as Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux, Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid and Usher and Grace Miguel had all made announcements this year claiming that their breakups were “mutual and loving decisions.”
Though I must admit that the suspicion is intriguing, it is not our place to know. Even if these aren’t mutual breakups, you can’t blame them for saying they are. Going through a breakup is hard enough, the last thing that you need is for everyone and their brother to know about the emotional, heated details of your personal relationships.
Rather than using their personal lives as a form of entertainment or gossip, the least we can do is respect their wishes and give them some much-needed privacy.
