Soon after actor couple Anna Faris and Chris Pratt announced that they would be separating, many people began to blame Jennifer Lawrence for the split.
CNN, Mid-Day and several other outlets reported that celebrity couple Chris Pratt and Anna Faris were splitting up after an eight-year long marriage. They first met on the sets of Take Me Home Tonight, and even though Anna was then married, Chris said he’d fallen for her.
In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Chris announced the separation, and said,
Many speculated over the reasons for the split, with some outlets claiming that the biggest dispute was over how many children the couple wanted.
However, some people knew exactly what the reason was. And took great pains to tell the world everything they knew.
Within a few hours of the couple announcing their separation, some people on Twitter began blaming Jennifer Lawrence for it.
I don’t know why but I blame Jennifer Lawrence for Chris and Anna getting divorced pic.twitter.com/5bPxEmecNe
— Matthew Paul (@TheMattHart2007) August 7, 2017
Chris Pratt and Anna Farris are filing for divorce. I feel like Jennifer Lawrence has a role in this. Bitch has a role in everything.
— Jumah ?? (@WokeMutant) August 7, 2017
This is not new.
In cases of a celebrity couple’s divorce or separation, it isn’t uncommon for many to blame it all on another woman.
When the biggest celebrity couple of them all – Brangelina (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) – decided to separate, many blamed Marion Cortillard. The rumours became so intense, and so vile, that Marion was forced to issue a public statement.
“I am not used to commenting on things like this nor taking them seriously but as this situation is spiraling and affecting people I love, I have to speak up. Firstly, many years ago, I met the man of my life, father of our son and of the baby we are expecting. He is my love, my best friend, the only one that I need. Secondly 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. Finally, I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both whom I deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment,” she posted on her Instagram.
But it didn’t stop there.
Many outlets and fans focused on Friends star and Pitt’s previous wife, Jennifer Aniston. People either attributed malicious glee, or disappointment, or envy, to Jennifer Aniston, even as the very public divorce was going on.
And to those people, it didn’t matter what Aniston herself thought or said. There just had to be a focus on the reactions and complicity of the “other woman”.
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Closer home, every time a couple from the world of cinema separates, many are quick to latch on to the figure of the “other woman”.
When Dileep and Manju Warrier broke up, the Malayalam media, and some people on Twitter, went on a rampage against Kavya Madhavan. Trolls hounded Kavya so much that she had to request police protection.
On the other side, Manju Warrier had to issue statements to the press, asking them to stop blaming her friends and other Malayalam cinema actresses for the divorce. Actress Bhavana was also targetted for allegedly instigating the split.
Earlier, actress Amala was blamed for Nagarjuna’s separation from Lakshmi Naidu. And Nayanthara was blamed for the troubles in Prabhu Deva’s marriage.
Pop queen Beyonce in her song Lemonade sings about Jay Z’s infidelity and betrayal. But many focused on the identity of the person named as ‘Becky’ – the “other woman”. Not the man who had cheated, Jay Z.
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Infidelity is a serious thing. It’s also a personal matter that should concern only the couple. But if there is a public discussion on it (as is always the case when it involves celebrities), why are so many unwilling to place the blame at the door of the man?
By his own admission, Chris Pratt had feelings for Anna Faris, despite knowing she was married. However, when her then-marriage to actor Ben Indra broke up, no one blamed Chris, or called him a home-wrecker.
If, in the future, Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence do get into a relationship, would we question Chris’ infidelity, and his role in breaking a marriage of either years?
Or will we all be happy to blame a convenient “other woman”?
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