Divorce with Sarah Jessica Parker: Why the Internet Keeps Thinking It Happened

Divorce with Sarah Jessica Parker: Why the Internet Keeps Thinking It Happened

If you just typed divorce with Sarah Jessica Parker into a search bar, you’re probably looking for a confirmation that doesn't actually exist. It’s one of those weird internet glitches. You’d swear you saw a headline about it. Maybe you remember a grainy tabloid cover at the CVS checkout line showing her and Matthew Broderick looking "stony-faced" in Manhattan.

Here is the reality: They are still married.

In fact, as of early 2026, they’ve been married for nearly 29 years. In Hollywood time, that’s basically three centuries. So why does everyone think they’re calling it quits?

The "Divorce" Show Confusion

Honestly, the biggest culprit is HBO. Back in 2016, Parker returned to television in a lead role for a show literally titled Divorce. She played Frances Dufresne, a woman going through a brutal, messy, and often hilarious split from her husband.

People saw the posters. They saw the trailers of a miserable Sarah Jessica Parker.

The marketing was everywhere. If you weren’t paying close attention, your brain just filed "SJP" and "Divorce" in the same folder. It’s a classic case of a role bleeding into a real person's identity. It didn't help that the show ran for three seasons, keeping that specific keyword attached to her name for years.

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The Mandela Effect and Tabloid Persistence

There’s a whole corner of Reddit dedicated to the "Mandela Effect" regarding this. Thousands of people are convinced they remember an official announcement from 2012 or 2013. They remember the settlement details. They remember the "other woman" rumors.

But it never happened.

The couple has definitely faced the "tabloid gauntlet." In 2019, Parker famously took to Instagram to blast the National Enquirer for trying to manufacture a "screaming match" story right before her wedding anniversary. She called it "disgraceful nonsense."

They’ve dealt with affair rumors too, specifically a major one in 2008 involving Broderick. Most couples would have crumbled. They didn't. Instead, they just... stopped talking to the press about it.

Why They Haven't Split (The 20-Minute Rule)

Parker has been pretty candid about the fact that marriage isn't a fairy tale. She once told Bang Showbiz that she gives herself 20 minutes a day to "hate" her husband.

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It’s a joke, but it’s also real.

"You can hate somebody for 20 minutes or two days," she basically said, "but it’s still a treat to be in a relationship if that’s the person you want to be with." That kind of pragmatic, "un-Hollywood" attitude is probably why there has been no actual divorce with Sarah Jessica Parker.

They also live surprisingly normal lives in the West Village. They take the subway. They walk their kids to school. They don't do the "bodyguard and black SUV" thing unless they absolutely have to for a premiere.

The Ghosts of Relationships Past

Maybe you’re thinking of her breakup with Robert Downey Jr.? That was a big one. They were the "it" couple of the 80s, but his struggles with addiction ended things in 1991.

Parker has described that time as feeling like a "parent" to him when she was only 22. It was heavy. It was traumatic. But it wasn't a divorce because they never actually made it to the altar, despite talking about having a "Jewish wedding with flamenco dancers."

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She also briefly dated JFK Jr. and Nicolas Cage. But since 1997, it’s only been Broderick.

What to Take Away from the Rumors

If you're following the divorce with Sarah Jessica Parker trail because you're interested in how long-term relationships survive the spotlight, the "SJP method" is actually a decent blueprint.

  1. Keep it private: They rarely "dangle their couplehood" in public.
  2. Accept the change: She’s often said that people change, and you have to be okay with your partner becoming someone new over 30 years.
  3. Separate work and life: They don't even talk about their acting projects at home much.

The next time you see a "Breaking News" alert about their split, check the source. It’s usually just the annual cycle of tabloid fiction designed to trigger a click. As of right now, the only place you'll find a divorce involving her is on Max's streaming archives.

If you’re looking to protect your own relationship from the kind of stress the public eye brings, start by setting boundaries on how much of your "private business" you share on social media. Privacy is often the greatest luxury for a long-lasting marriage.