Trashy Divorces

Country star Jason Aldean has a list of things that Americans wouldn't want to try in a small town, but how about trying a high profile affair, a reputation-tarnishing divorce, marrying your mistress, and living the highest of the high life while singing hollow anthems about a lifestyle you never lived? Well that's perfectly fine to try in a small town, apparently. Want early, ad-free episodes, bo...

TV's Leeza Gibbons has been many things: a talk show host, an Emmy Winner, a best-selling author, and a generous philanthropist, so you may be wondering where she's found the time for four marriages and three divorces. While her first marriage sounds like a fairly classic no-hard-feelings starter marriage, hubby #2 certainly trashed the place up in their short marriage. Alicia has high hopes for h...

Not everyone goes into their field dreaming of fame and fortune, but for O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark, fame hit her like a ton of bricks. Three days after filing for divorce from her second husband, the accomplished lawyer in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office got a call about a double murder in Brentwood the night before. Her life would never be the same, in part because of the ve...

Movie stars have always had to weigh the facts of their authentic lives against the cost that revelations about those might inflict. This was the bind that screen legend Mary Astor was in back in 1936. Her unfaithful husband had been abusive, but his addiction to her money, and the reputational cost she would face for divorcing him, meant he was going nowhere. Until he found her diary, and realize...

Nighttime talker Jimmy Kimmel's divorce wasn't particularly trashy, but in a career that's now spanned decades, he's had his trashy moments. From an unclear beginning with fellow comedian Sarah Silverman to his baby son's medical crisis (see his moving monologue about it on YouTube here) to a fairly obscene feud with Sean Hannity and Marjorie Taylor Greene (watch Jimmy file a report with Batman ab...

For those of us growing up in the 1980s, and our parents as well, The Facts of Life was simply must-see TV. The coming of age story of four girls at a boarding school, under the care of watchful housemother Mrs. Garrett, warmed our hearts and our television screens. Who can forget preppy, glamorous Blair Warner, brought to life for nine seasons by actress Lisa Whelchel? Lisa, a committed Christian...

Atlanta's Bishop Eddie Long made himself a prominent voice in the fertile world of Prosperity Gospel preachers in the early 2000s. His charismatic preaching style and internationally broadcast sermons grew his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to more than 25,000 members, and landed Bishop Long behind the wheel of luxury Bentleys and enjoying time aboard private jets. But there was a dark side t...

And we're back! Alicia kicks off Season 19 with the life and times - and trashy divorces and breakups - of fashion icon Calvin Klein. Yes, he pioneered designer jeans and scandalized the world with a racy Brooke Shields ad campaign in the 80s, but his real triumph seems to be forcing everyone in his orbit to see his name on underwear when a man disrobes! Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorce...

When news broke that former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had died earlier this month, he went from a name on our list of potential subjects to a subject ripe for exploration. And what a ride it is - from his numerous affairs, to his scandalous (and criminal) "bunga bunga" parties, to his nearly flawless success in avoiding consequences for all manner of criminal conduct - his story is...

We've covered our fair share of Real Housewives on this show, but we're pretty sure you'll agree that even at their trashiest, none can hold a candle to the Real Housewives of Orange County's Kelly Dodd. From rampant allegations of domestic violence to taking her feuds - real and imagined - onto social media, Kelly's outrageous behavior was even too much for Bravo. Want early, ad-free episodes, bo...

In honor of Father's Day, Stacie has the very human story of actor Gavin MacLeod, best known as Captain Stubing on TV's The Love Boat. His story - including two arguably trashy divorces - is about as relatable as it gets, and without giving away the ending, the man only gets halos. Ahoy! Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/t...

It's Pride Month, and to celebrate, we have the story of Bravolebrity and California real estate mega-broker Josh Flagg, whose 2022 divorce from ex-husband Bobby Boyd led to some notably sharp exchanges on Bravo's Million Dollar Listing. Even better, this one has the awesome tale of Josh's grandmother, Edith, who legit fought the Nazis as part of the Dutch Resistance during WWII. Want early, ad-fr...

Alicia brings the Classic Hollywood heat this week with the trashy marital misadventure of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, the original golden couple of the 1950s. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces! Sponsors HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/trashy16 and use code trashy16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! Th...

Since the mid-80s, Americans have puzzled over the enduring question: Who's The Boss? It turns out that the star of that much loved television show, Tony Danza, is a decidedly untrashy fellow, even with three divorces under his belt. Stacie has all the details, which amount to a heaping helping of wholesome Gen X nostalgia. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangout...

We've covered a lot of eccentric personalities on this show, we've covered a lot of people with anger management problems, and we've covered plenty of out of control egos. Somehow, Empire star Terrence Howard has transmuted all of those traits into a basically off-the-charts life story. Seriously, all our scales for trashiness are having to be recalibrated after this one. Alicia has the deets. Con...

This week, we want to share a little something we've been cooking up here at Hemlock Creatives! Over the course of creating Trashy Divorces, we've come to realize that trashbaggery is a permanent part of the human experience, and few figures in our history has been ostentatiously trashy as any given period's elites. Enter: Trashy Royals, a new podcast dropping every Thursday that explores the endu...

It turns out that not all divorces are trashy, and for Gilmore Girls actress Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore) her recent split from ex-husband Vincent Kartheiser was handled as discretely as all the other parts of their relationship. But sometimes on a long holiday weekend, you just have to dive into your Gilmore Girls fandom, which we do here with great abandon. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus di...

We often talk about a "starter marriage," believing that maybe the second go-round will go better, but for actress Kaley Cuoco, that's not how it happened. The Big Bang Theory star walked down the aisle - and then into divorce court - twice, and while she seems to have sworn off marriage as a result, that doesn't mean she hasn't found true love. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limite...

It's probably not quite right to describe comedian and actor Tracy Morgan as "lucky," but it's also sort of a miracle that he's survived the things he's survived. Alicia has his story, from tragic losses early in life to his death-defying comebacks - as well as a couple of a trashy divorces. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.c...

We especially love stories where things seemingly go right off the rails, and that's certainly a big piece of the two divorces of country star Sara Evans. A hit maker in her field, her matrimonial situations have been a lot more complicated - and a lot more litigious - than her down home persona might suggest. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? J...

All the way back in 2019, we were thrilled to be joined by Erica Kelley of the Southern Fried True Crime podcast to discuss the incredible life - and many, many divorces - of the legendary Elizabeth Taylor. In this Trashy Divorces Classics episode, Alicia sat down with astrologer extraordinaire and friend of the show Andy Bellatti to take a look at the astrological elements that helped make Elizab...

It's not often that we get to break out the word "adorkable" on Trashy Divorces, but Alicia isn't missing her chance this week with the story of everybody's favorite New Girl, actress, musician, and entrepreneur Zooey Deschanel. While her career has been one highlight after another, her two marriages did not fare as well. Maybe now she's content to enjoy unmarried bliss with a Property Brother. Wa...

This week, we're cooking up the story of America's first female Iron Chef - chef, restaurateur, and cook book author Cat Cora. From humble origins in Jackson, Mississippi, Cat has built an enormously successful career, but unfortunately, her love life has been rockier. In particular, her first divorce has now dragged on for years - and it's not clear the end is in sight yet. Want early, ad-free ep...

Our Coronation Countdown continues with a scion of House Windsor who has never held a title, but has still made some waves for the Palace. Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, was set up to live a "normal" life in spite of being Queen Elizabeth II's first grandchild. It sort of worked! His future first wife only learned of his family ties when, months into their relation...

For all the current disorientation around gender, it's easy to forget that these questions - and the ways individuals will answer them - aren't exactly new. Alicia has the story of the UK's Lady Colin Campbell, a best-selling Royals biographer who married into the aristocracy - only to see a caricatured version of her private medical history splashed across tabloid headlines back in the 1970s. Wan...