31 Celebrity Couples from the '80s You've Totally Forgotten About

1 | Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.

Carrie Bradshaw and Iron Man? Yep, it's true! Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.'s romance began after they met while filming Firstborn in 1984. Downey quickly became a leading man with roles in Weird Science, Back to School, The Pick-Up Artist, and Less Than Zero. Parker stood by Downey through his meteoric rise, and his accompanying battle with drugs and alcohol. Ultimately though, Downey’s demons were a huge factor in their uncoupling in 1991.

In 2012, Downey told Parade, “I was so selfish. I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn’t jibe with Sarah Jessica, because it is the furthest thing from what she is. She provided me a home and understanding. She tried to help me. ... She is a force of nature!”

2 | Madonna and Sean Penn

Pop icon Madonna and Oscar winner Sean Penn wed during a top-secret ceremony in Malibu, California in 1985. The couple earned the moniker the “Poison Penns” because of their volatile relationship, which included allegations of abuse that both parties have denied. While they were together, the couple made the box office flop Shanghai Surprise in 1986, and Madonna dedicated her album from that same year, True Blue, to her then-hubby. Three years later, she filed for a divorce, but in her 1991 film Madonna: Truth or Dare, when asked the identity of the love of her life, the singer responded: “My whole? Sean.”

In 2000, Madonna married Guy Richie and in 1996, Penn married Robin Wright. However, both are now divorced.

3 | Tom Cruise and Cher

Tom Cruise met Cher at Sean Penn and Madonna’s wedding in 1985. At the time, the Risky Business star was 22 years old, 16 years younger than the Moonstruck actress. Sparks didn’t really fly until the two reunited at a White House event benefiting people with dyslexia, which both Cruise and Cher battled with.

In 2013, Cher told Andy Cohen on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live! she was crazy for Cruise for a “little minute” and she called him one of her top five best lovers. She was actually with Cruise when she helped come up with the barely-there look she wore in 1988 when she took home the Academy Award for Best Actress for Moonstruck. 

4 | Brad Pitt and Christina Applegate

This one is really more of a fling, but it's just too good not to share. Before Brad Pitt was a mega superstar, he was simply arm candy for Christina Applegate, who was a household name, thanks to her starring role on the hit sitcom Married … with Children and the teen movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.

Applegate and Pitt attended the MTV Movie Awards together in 1989, but Applegate blew Pitt off for another man in the middle of their date. And that man was Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach. Yes, it's alright if your head just exploded.

5 | Brooke Shields and Michael Jackson

Like all of Michael Jackson's personal relationships, his connection to Brooke Shields wasn’t conventional. The two met at the 1981 Oscars and though he seemed very into her, it was more of a friendship in Shield's eyes.

In 2009, she revealed to Rolling Stone that the "King of Pop" proposed to her on multiple occasions. “I would say, ‘You have me for the rest of your life, you don’t need to marry me, I’m going to go on and do my own life and have my own marriage and my own kids, and you’ll always have me,'” Shields said. “I think it made him relax. He didn’t want to lose things that meant something to him.”

6 | Prince and Kim Basinger

According to Page Six, Kim Basinger was so crazy for Prince in 1989 that she relocated to his hometown of Minneapolis to be with him. Rumor has it the two made an album titled Hollywood Affair that was never released.

In 2015, Basinger discussed her relationship with Prince with the Daily Beast. “I don’t really have boundaries, so I enjoyed that time of my life," she said. "It was a really special moment in time, and I have great memories. I don’t put a lot of restrictions on myself, let’s just put it that way. If there’s someone I connect with, we’ll go on these rides together." Wild, indeed!

7 | Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez

These two illustrious members of the “Brat Pack” met while filming St. Elmo’s Fire in 1984. Although briefly engaged, Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez never made it down the aisle, amicably calling it quits in 1986. Moore, of course, went on to marry Bruce Willis a year later, and Estevez would tie the knot with choreographer-dancer-singer Paula Abdul in 1992.

But they did stay friends. Moore and Estevez even starred as a married couple in Estevez's 2006 movie Bobby, about Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Alongside them was Ashton Kutcher, Moore's real-life husband at the time.

8 | Paula Abdul and Arsenio Hall

Former talk show host Arsenio Hall met Paula Abdul, who was working as a choreographer, on the set of the 1988 movie Coming to America. The two dated from 1988 to 1989, and he has nothing but praise for his famous ex.

In 2009, the same year rumors circulated the two might be rekindling their romance, Hall told Parade, “The most fun I’ve ever had in any phase of my life with a woman was with Paula. We were together because we wanted to be.” Despite their apparent compatibility, those crazy kids couldn’t make it work, and the former Lakers girl cozied up with Full House’sJohn Stamos before marrying Estevez in 1992. Hall, meanwhile, has never been married.

9 | Kelly Preston and George Clooney

Before George Clooney was one of the world’s biggest movie stars and most eligible bachelors, his biggest professional accomplishment was a recurring role on the adored 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life. And around that time, Clooney was seriously involved with actress Kelly Preston. The couple, who got together in 1987, eventually lived together. Clooney even gave Preston a potbellied pig named Max. But Clooney's relationship with Max outlasted his fling with Preston—they split in 1989 and Clooney cared for Max until his death in 2006.

Clooney is now happily hitched to human rights attorney Amal Alamuddin and the father of twins. Meanwhile, Preston has been married to John Travolta since 1991.

10 | Drew Barrymore and Corey Feldman

Though they were both using drugs and alcohol at the time, Drew Barrymore and Corey Feldman met on the set of an after-school special ironically titled 15 and Getting Straight in 1989. The young lovers even attended the 1988 Oscars together. But they split up after nine months of dating. In Feldman’s 2013 memoir, Coreyography, he said the relationship ended because he was heavily into drugs and she was trying to stay sober.

Though Feldman is no longer in the public eye, Barrymore has had a number of high-profile romances with actors like Ed Norton, Luke Wilson, and Justin Long. She has two daughters with ex-husband Wil Kopelman.

11 | Rob Lowe and Janice Dickinson

Janice Dickinson is known to a younger generation as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, a star of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, and an outspoken accuser of Bill Cosby.

But in the simpler times of the '80s, she was linked to Mick Jagger, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Bruce Willis, and Rob Lowe. Dickinson has no problem kissing and telling and in 2010, she revealed to Howard Stern that she had a threesome with Lowe and an unidentified male in 1988.

12 | Brigitte Nielsen and Sylvester Stallone

Rocky star Sylvester Stallone became smitten with then-22-year-old Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen shortly after she made her feature film debut in Red Sonja in 1985. According to People, it was Nielsen who made the first move, sending Stallone a provocative photo, asking to meet him while they were both staying at the same hotel in New York City. They got married in December of 1985, only 10 months after Stallone's divorce from his first wife was finalized. The marriage only lasted 19 months and tabloids swarmed the story, with rumors of cheating and scheming.

Though things got ugly, Nielsen reunited with her ex while shooting 2018's Creed II, stepping back into her role as Ludmilla Drago from Rocky IV. But all was well between her and Stallone. "We buried the hatchet a long time ago," Nielsen told USA Today. "When we are together, we are two professionals. And we keep it that."

13 | Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey

Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick may have played siblings in the ‘80s classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but the feelings they developed for each other were anything but familial. The couple kept their romance a secret until a tragic event thrust them into the spotlight. During a vacation in Ireland in 1987, Grey and Broderick were involved in a head-on collision that left the passengers of the other car dead.

Dirty Dancing was released days later and Grey suffered from serious survivor's guilt. "I became America’s sweetheart within five days of the accident," she told The San Francisco Chronicle in 2010. "The juxtaposition of that deep sorrow, the survivor’s guilt, and then being celebrated as the new big thing just didn’t jibe. It didn’t feel good to be the toast of the town.” The accident was eventually deemed Broderick's fault, and the couple split in 1988.

14 | Lea Thompson and Dennis Quaid

Shortly after Dennis Quaid divorced actress P. J. Soles in 1983, he began dating Lea Thompson of Back to the Future fame. The two met on the set of Jaws 3 and Quaid popped the question on Valentine’s Day 1986.

Sadly, Thompson and Quaid's romance ended in 1987 after almost a year-long engagement. Two years later, Thompson married film director Howard Deutch, whom she met on the set of Some Kind of Wonderful the year she and Quaid split up. And of course, Quaid famously began dating Meg Ryan, whom he was with until 2000.

15 | Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder

Before the stars of Stranger Things were even born, Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp were the "it" couple of the late '80s and early '90s.

They first spotted each other at the premiere of Great Balls of Fire! in 1989. Soon thereafter, the two began officially dating and became tabloid fodder, especially because Ryder was just 18 years old at the time, while Depp was 27. After a whirlwind five-month courtship, the couple got engaged and Depp got “Winona Forever” tattooed on his arm.

The couple split in 1993, and Depp quickly began a long-term and turbulent relationship with supermodel Kate Moss. He also changed his tattoo to read "Wino Forever."

Years later, in 2016, when Depp was accused of abusing his now ex-wife Amber Heard, Ryder came to his defense. She told Time, "I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves.” And if you want to know Ryder’s real name, check out These Are the Real Names of Your Favorite Mega-Stars.

16 | Rob Lowe and Melissa Gilbert

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gillbert began dating Rob Lowe when she was just 17 years old. In her 2010 memoir Prairie Tale, Gilbert discussed her former flame. “I fell instantly, hopelessly and stupidly in love,” she wrote.

But their romance was hardly a fairytale. While together, Lowe reportedly romanced Princess Stephanie and Nastassja Kinski, and Gilbert allegedly hooked up with Scott Baio and Tom Cruise. Nevertheless, Lowe popped the question in 1986, but according to Gilbert, they broke up when she became pregnant. She later suffered a miscarriage. "I had lost my baby and my relationship with Rob ... and it hurt like hell," she wrote.

17 | Rob Lowe and Winona Ryder

This relationship could just be an ‘80s urban legend, but the rumor has maintained traction for three decades, so there must be something to it, right? Ryder and Lowe co-starred in the 1987 move Square Dance. She was 16 at the time, while he was 23. The two attended the Golden Globes together the following year, and supposedly were an item for two years. But both have stayed mum regarding the rumored romance.

18 | Christian Slater and Winona Ryder

This blink-and-you-missed-it fling lasted just a few weeks in 1988 after the two finished filming the 1989 cult classic Heathers.

Christian Slater may have been secretly crushing on Winona Ryder on set, but he actually dated Kim Walker, who played the vicious head of the movie’s namesake clique. When asked if he told Ryder about his feelings, Slater later told The Guardian, "I mean, I definitely… let her know. Sure I did! I was 17, just hormones and ego. And the sense of invincibility that comes with that." For her part, Ryder has nothing but good things to say about her former leading man, telling E! News at the 2017 Golden Globes, "I love him so much… He’s the best."

19 | Anthony Michael Hall andMolly Ringwald

In 1984, Sixteen Candles launched the careers of Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. Their beauty-and-the-geek personas carried over into their next film, 1985's The Breakfast Club. In the movie, Ringwald's character wound up with Judd Nelson's, but it was Hall who captured her heart behind-the-scenes. The ‘80s romance didn’t last nearly as long as their movies’ popularity, but their friendship did. "I’ve seen Michael [Anthony Michael Hall] the most and have stayed in contact with him," she told Time in 2015.

20 | Corey Haim and Alyssa Milano

In 2013, Alyssa Milano joked about her long list of celebrity exes, telling Access Hollywood, “[My dating history] is longer than my IMDB [profile].” When she was still just a teenager—and a household name thanks to her role on the hit sitcom Who’s the Boss?—she dated teen heartthrob Corey Haim from 1987 to 1990.

After his star power started to fade, Haim spent years battling addiction before dying of a drug overdose in 2010. In response to her ex’s untimely passing, Milano tweeted, “Just woke up to the sad, sad news that Corey Haim passed away. RIP sweet boy.”

21 | Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith

Miami Vice star Don Johnson and Oscar-nominated actress Melanie Griffith were the Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor of their time. When the two first met, she was just 14 and he was 23. They moved in together before Griffith could drive, and married in 1976, just a few months after her 18th birthday. They divorced seven months later.

The couple remarried in 1989 and had one daughter, Dakota Johnson, of Fifty Shades of Grey fame. In 2018, Griffith told InStyle, “It was sort of a natural karmic thing for us to get back together and have Dakota. She was meant to come into the world, if you think about it.”

After divorcing Johnson for a second time in 1996, Griffith moved on with Antonio Banderas. They were married for 18 years before filing for divorce in 2014. As for Johnson, he continued to have scandalous relationships. He was briefly engaged to Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, who played his daughter on the TV show Nash Bridges in the mid-'90s. Then, in 1999, he married nursery school teacher Kelley Phleger. She was 30 and she was 50 at the time.

22 | Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz

You all know this couple, but you probably didn't realize that their romance started in the 1980s. Lisa Bonet, who starred as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show and its spin-off A Different World, met singer Lenny Kravitz in 1986 at a concert. The two eloped on November 16, 1987, which also happened to be Bonet’s 20th birthday.

A year later, Bonet gave birth to their daughter—current Big Little Lies star Zoe Kravitz—and it wasn't long before things fell apart for the couple. Bonet publicly accused Kravitz of infidelity and they divorced in 1993. But now, Bonet, Kravitz, and Bonet's current husband, Aquaman himself Jason Momoa, get along great.

23 | Charlie Sheen and Kelly Preston

The three-year relationship between Kelly Preston and Charlie Sheen literally ended with a bang. In 1991, a gunshot was fired at the couple's home, creating a flurry of tabloid fodder. It took 25 years for the former fiancées to get their stories straight.

According to Sheen, Preston was tidying up when a loaded revolver he happened to keep in the pocket of his pants fell out, hit the floor, and discharged. Preston was hit by shrapnel from the shattered toilet seat. As outrageous as this explanation seems, Preston hasn’t contradicted the gruesome end to this fairytale romance.

24 | Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear

It may be difficult to uncover a love story more ‘80s than Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear's. According to People, the Dynasty actress met the Motley Crue drummer backstage at an REO Speedwagon concert.

Lee began bombarding Locklear’s manager with phone calls, and she eventually caved. Three months after their first date, Lee proposed. The two wed in 1986 in front of a crowd of 500. But Lee’s wild ways and infidelity led to their divorce in 1993. Locklear married Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in 1994. Lee married Baywatch bombshell Pamela Anderson in 1995, just four days after meeting her.

25 | Diane Lane and Jon Bon Jovi

It turns out Diane Lane was a party girl in the mid- ‘80s, which is what attracted Jon Bon Jovi to the actress. According to the 2010 book Sex, Drugs and Bon Jovi—written by the band’s former tour manager, Rich Bozzett—Lane’s increasing closeness to Richie Sambora allegedly stopped the romance dead in its tracks.

Though the details haven't been confirmed, Lane did say on Watch What Happens Live! that she and Bon Jovi dated when she was 20 for a whopping five months. "I think every girl should have such a wonderful experience when she's that young," she said.

26 | Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere

Actor Richard Gere met supermodel Cindy Crawford at a backyard barbecue in 1987. She was 21, and he was 16 years her senior. The two married in 1991, but the relationship had run its course by 1995.

"I just think your 20s, for women, is such a time when you're starting to come into your own and feel your own power and connect to your inner strength," Crawford said during an episode of Oprah's Master Class. "And it's hard to do that, it's hard to change in a relationship, because what one person might have signed up for, all of a sudden, you're not that anymore."

Crawford remarried in 1999 to businessman Rande Gerber, while Gere wed model Carey Lowell in 2002.

27 | Rebecca De Mornay and Tom Cruise

The onscreen chemistry between Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay in the 1983 film Risky Business was likely fueled by their affair behind the scenes. The 21-year-old twosome continued their relationship long distance while Cruise was in London filming Legend. But by the time he began shooting Top Gun, the romance was over.

De Mornay told People in 1983, "Whenever I’ve been with somebody, I’ve done everything humanly possible in the relationship to make it work. It hasn’t worked, but I haven’t been a flake. I don’t have time for dating and I don’t have time for games."

It wouldn’t be the last time Cruise got involved with a female co-star. He met Nicole Kidman while filming 1990's Days of Thunder, and the couple married in 1991. After filing for divorce from Kidman in 2001, he dated his Vanilla Sky leading lady, Penelope Cruz.

28 | Billy Joel and Elle Macpherson

Billy Joel was practically drowning in Sports Illustrated swimsuit models in the ‘80s. The “Piano Man” met Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson on a trip to St. Barths, following his divorce from his first wife, Elizabeth Weber.

Joel dated both women, and there was some overlap. According to Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography, the first time Joel brought Brinkley back to his apartment, Macpherson was waiting. But Brinkley ultimately won Joel’s heart, and the two got hitched in 1985. During a 2018 appearance on Watch What Happens Live!, Macpherson said, "I got ousted, what can I say?"

29 | Val Kilmer and Cher

Tom Cruise wasn't the only 1980s heartthrob Cher hooked up with. She also had a fling with his Top Gun co-star, Val Kilmer. They met at a party Meryl Streep had thrown and their romance lasted from 1982 to 1984, according to Cher. “When we kissed, I thought my head would shoot off my body,” she told The Daily Mail.

30 | John McEnroe and Tatum O’Neal

When John McEnroe met Tatum O’Neal, he was a top-ranked tennis player who was famous for his explosive tantrums on the court and she had also been dealing with a lengthy cocaine addiction. The couple married in 1986 and divorced in 1994. What followed was a vicious custody battle over their three children and an assortment of unsavory allegations on both sides.

31 | John Cusack and …

John Cusack, whose boom box gesture in 1989's Say Anything... set the bar high for men everywhere, was reportedly linked to many women in the ’80s. But separating fact from fiction when it comes to the dalliances of this tight-lipped star is a Herculean feat. So, let’s just assume where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Cusack supposedly has a history with fellow "Brat Pack" member Jami Gertz, Melissa Gilbert (who allegedly used Cusack to get back at Rob Lowe), Janice Dickinson (who also claims to have hooked up with Lowe), and his Say Anything... co-star Lili Taylor. Congrats to Cusack for keeping his private life so infuriatingly private! And for more celebrities who were once hot and heavy, check out 30 Celebrity Couples from the 90's You've Totally Forgotten About.

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