“A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message.”
Ending a relationship is never easy and sitting down for that difficult conversation can be awkward and uncomfortable. While it’s important to give a relationship closure, some people take the easy way out by unceremoniously calling it quits via text message. Even though getting dumped by text can be brutal, it actually happens pretty frequently — and even celebrities have been through it. Stars like Britney Spears and Katy Perry all say they’ve been broken up with over text, and although it may have been hard at the moment, those relationships definitely weren’t meant to last.
Read on to find out which couples broke up via text…
1. Justin Timberlake & Britney Spears
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were the “it” couple of the early 2000s but their relationship ended in drama. Years later in her memoir, The Woman In Me, Britney revealed that Justin broke up with her via a two word text message while she was on the set of her “Overprotected” remix music video. Director Chris Applebaum later shared that he had seen the text which simply said, “It’s over!”
“After seeing the message as I sat in my trailer in between takes. I had to go back out and dance,” Britney wrote in her memoir. “For as much as Justin hurt me, there was a huge foundation of love and when he left me, I was devastated. When I say devastated, I mean I could barely speak for months. Whenever anyone asked me about him, all I could do is cry.”
2. Russell Brand & Katy Perry
Katy Perry was married to Russell Brand for a little over a year when he sent her a text to end things. At the time, Katy was filming a documentary and the aftermath of Russell’s message was all captured on camera. Just moments after receiving the message, an emotional Katy had to take the stage at a major concert.
“He’s a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him,” Katy told Vogue a few years later. “Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011.”
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3. Pete Davidson & Cazzie David
Right before Pete Davidson began dating Ariana Grande, he broke up with Cazzie David, his girlfriend of two years, over text message. Cazzie recounted the experience in her book of essays, No One Asked For This, explaining that a few days before their split she asked to take a short break. When she realized she made a mistake a couple of days later, Pete let her know he was “the happiest he had ever been.” Two days later, he permanently dumped her via text and shortly after, she learned he was dating Ariana through social media.
“I scrolled through Twitter and saw that my ex of one day had a new girlfriend,” she wrote in the book. “I think I probably left my human body. My dad held me as I shook uncontrollably in his arms for the entire flight.”
4. Justin Hartley & Chrishell Stause
Justin Hartley and Chrishell Stause had been married for two years when the actor decided that the pair needed to divorce. Chrishell later revealed that Justin completely blindsided her and texted her that he had filed the divorce papers less than an hour before the news became public.
“Um, I found out because he text[ed] me that we filed. Forty-five minutes later, the world knew,” she shared on an episode of Selling Sunset. “If that’s really what you wanted, there are better ways to go about [it]. I talked to him right after ’cause I thought that must be a joke, but that was kind of the end of the communication. What am I supposed to say? What do you say after that? It’s like, now I have to find a place to live. Now I have to scramble and figure this out, you know?”
5. Zayn Malik & Perrie Edwards
Zayn Malik was engaged to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards when he reportedly ended their relationship via text message. In Little Mix’s book, Our World, Perrie wrote it was a “horrible” situation and the “worst time” of her life.
“A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that,” Perrie wrote in the book.
Meanwhile, Zayn denied the claims, telling The Fader that he had “more respect for Perrie than to end anything over text message,” adding, “I would never end our relationship over four years like that. She knows that, I know that, and the public should know that as well.”
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6. Carrie Underwood & Chase Crawford
Carrie Underwood is now happily married but she once briefly dated Chase Crawford. When the relationship came to an end, Carrie says it was mutual and they actually decided to part ways over text message.
“It was completely mutual. We’re both fine…We broke up over text so…It’s like ‘peace out,'” Carrie told Extra at the time. “It just didn’t work…And we both knew it didn’t work and no hard feelings at all whatsoever… I haven’t talked to him in awhile but, I mean, I don’t dislike him… So it’s no big deal.”
7. Britney Spears & Kevin Federline
Back in 2008, Spears reportedly split with her husband Kevin Federline via text. At the time, Kevin was filming MuchMusic documentary show Exposed, and cameras captured his reaction to receiving the message about the end of the couple’s marriage.
“He talked about Britney throughout the day and never said anything and never let on in any way,” MuchMusic VJ Matte Babel told CBS. “Everything seemed to be fine from what I gathered from his demeanor and how he acted. But then at dinner, it was really weird because we were in conversation and everything was good and then all of a sudden … He had just ordered a big steak, and an expensive one at that. Then he said he didn’t want to eat it, pushed it away [and said] he wasn’t hungry. Then went out and when he came back he looked like he’d seen a ghost.”
8. Ariana Grande & Jai Brooks
Grande admits she once got broken up with by partner over text message — right before she was about to step on stage. While she didn’t confirm who split with her, many fans have speculated that it was her former boyfriend Jai Brooks.
“The worst way I’ve been broken up with would probably be over a text message the opening night of my tour right before I was about to go on stage,” Ariana told Complex.
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9. Rebel Wilson & Jacob Busch
Rebel Wilson allegedly dumped her former boyfriend Jacob Busch over text message. A source close to the former couple explained that the pair had just returned from a holiday together and while Jacob was spending time with his family, Rebel decided to end things.
“They went to Aspen right before the holidays and had a blast. Then, he left for Florida to be with his family, and he invited her because he really wanted her to meet [them] but she never committed to doing that,” a source told Us Weekly. “They talked all throughout the holidays and had excellent communication, but then, all of a sudden, she got really quiet and broke up with him via text message.”
