Getty ImagesWhile many celebrity couples never make it to "death do us part," they do experience the often ugly waters of a Hollywood divorce.
Combine a disintegrating couple with extreme financial stakes, high emotions and tabloids and you have the makings of a front-page combustion. The world's most recent example of such formula is Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, two members of one of the most celebrated couples in Tinseltown.
The Oscar winners, who had just celebrated their second wedding anniversary a few weeks prior, sent shock waves through the Internet when news broke this week of Jolie filing for divorce from her partner of more than a decade.
While it initially seemed like a separation that would unfold civilly, the red flags began to pop up first with Jolie's request for sole physical custody of their six children.
In a matter of just days, a handful of allegations have already arisen, including claims that Pitt had been cheating on his wife with his Allied co-star Marion Cotillard.
However, the French Oscar winner addressed the fodder herself when she wrote on Instagram, "To those who have indicated that I am devastated, I am very well thank you. This crafted conversation isn't distressing. And to all the media and the haters who are quick to pass judgment, I sincerely wish you a swift recovery."
Then, news arose of the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles County conducting an inquiry into allegations that Pitt was involved in an incident with a child aboard a private plane, as NBC News reported.
"This comes down to the kind of disagreements that sometimes occur between teenage boys and their father," a source told E! News. "This is where this situation has spiraled from, and Angelina as a mother can be very protective."
"Things got heated but they were never in physical danger," the source added.
A second source explained to E! News that Pitt "takes the matter very seriously and says he did not commit any abuse of his children."
"It's unfortunate that people involved are continuing to present him in the worst possible light," the source added.
While this divorce-in-progress continues to play out, here are several examples of how a celebrity split can turn ugly quick.
Before there was the breakup of Brangelina, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp had dominated the summer headlines with their tumultuous divorce proceedings after just over a year of marriage.
Days after Heard unexpectedly filed, she subsequently requested a temporary restraining order against the actor, alleging that she needed protection from him after presenting a photo of herself with a bruised eye.
After violent video footage of Depp leaked to the press, Heard's deposition was continually delayed and her request for spousal support denied, the two ultimately settled the divorce out of court for $7 million, which Heard said she will donate to charity.
"Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love," they said in a joint statement upon settling. "Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."
Who could forget the scandalous fall of Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, a couple once madly in love and now fully disintegrated.
Soon after Bullock's 2010 Academy Award win for The Blind Side, rumors surfaced that her husband of five years had been having affairs with multiple women over the course of their marriage. James addressed the accusations with a public apology to his wife.
"There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me," he said in a statement years ago, subsequently checking into a rehab facility.
Meanwhile, Bullock, who had publicly thanked him for having her back during her 2010 Golden Globe acceptance speech, filed for divorce by April right on the heels of the news that she had adopted a son name Louis as a single mother.
After three years of marriage and in the middle of their second pregnancy, Denise Richards filed for divorce from the former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen.
Despite briefly reconciling and trying marriage counseling, Richards continued with the divorce. The split got even more heated when Richards was granted a restraining order against the star after alleging that he had threatened her life.
"[It's] up and down," Richards said during an interview on Allegedly With Theo Von and Matthew Cole Weiss of her relationship with Sheen nowadays. "For better or worse, he's going to be in my life for the rest of my life so I personally like to keep the peace."