First Britney's Parents, Now Beyoncé's—Are They Getting Back Together?

Two sets of famous stage parents have put their splits on hold, but don't make any assumptions

What's with celeb parents reconciling? First Britney's, then Beyoncé's. Will Miley's be next? Am I cynical to think that this is about something other than love?
—D.J., via the inbox

Yes, Britney Spears' parents, Lynn and Jamie, have announced that they are again lovey dovey—after about eight years of divorced bliss. Beyoncé Knowles' parents' situation is a little more iffy. The estranged couple simply didn't show up in divorce court this week.

But is it really about love for any of these people?

First let's look at the people who spawned Britney. Per People, they are actually in love again.

"They are back together and are doing well and happy," a source told the magazine. "[They're] not remarried but back together."

And even the most cynical of Hollywood attorneys—the divorce kind—tell me they believe it.

"It's fairly unusual to have reconciliation after a divorce hits the lawyers' desks," divorce lawyer Joe Langlois tells me. "In Hollywood, if it's a reconciliation, it's usually not finances that put them back together. It's something else. Love, usually."

Yes. Really. Celebrity marriage counselor Donna Estes Antebi tells me she sees it "all the time."

"Often an incident will happen to trigger a divorce filing," says the author of The Real Secrets Women Only Whisper.

"Initially the humiliation is big, especially if you're reading it in the paper and the rest of the world is too. But after a cooling off period, they often reevaluate the decision they are making, and if there is love, and a family, they really have the reason to try harder in their marriage."

On to Beyoncé's parents. There are no reports this hour of being "back together" or of anyone "doing well and happy." But there was supposed to be a divorce hearing in Texas Monday. None of the relevant parties showed. So a judge dismissed the case.

That may signal a rapprochement. But more likely, the divorce is still on; the divorcing couple is probably just taking its fight to a more private arena.

"As far as putting litigation on hold that happens a lot," Langlois tells me. "They may just be working through the mediation behind the scenes, and no longer need a judge to work things out for them. They've probably decided to work out the details on their own."

What else? Oh: Miley Cyrus' people. Do we really have to bring them into this? Let's not.