9 couples who had to work on TV shows and films together after splitting up

How these stars handled their break-ups while still working together 

Romances are lovely while happening - especially when you see that person all of the time, say, on the set of a popular TV show - but of course, this can all go very wrong when the relationship ends and you’re still working with that other person. Eek. 

Several stars have had to deal with continuing to work with their former partners following a breakup, and it sounds like they all had their own unique ways of dealing with it. From One Tree Hill to Gossip Girl co-stars, here are the former couples who managed to make it work… 

Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush 

Chad and Sophia played occasional love interests Lucas and Brooke respectively on One Tree Hill - and tied the knot in real life back in 2005. Five months later, the pair ended their relationship which Sophia has since said was down to being "22 and stupid", adding that the producers were  "deeply inappropriate to both of us" following their split. 

WATCH: Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray were married while filming the show

The pair worked together following their break, with a scene even depicting Lucas proposing to Brooke in an imagined scenario. Speaking on the Drama Queens podcast about the unique situation, Sophia explained: "People can call it whatever they want. 

"They can say its strength, they can say its pride, they can say its professionalism. You can put a positive or a negative skew on it. But I was always going to put Brooke Davis ahead of everybody and everything else. Nothing mattered to me but being honest for her."

Joey King and Jacob Elordi 

Joey and Jacob dated while making the movies, and continued to work together following their split in 2019. Speaking about the situation while chatting on the podcast Mood with Lauren Elizabeth, she called it a "wild experience", adding: "It was a really beautiful time. Because I learned a lot about myself and I grew as an actor. I grew as a person on this." 

Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse

Lili and Cole dating while filming the hit show Riverdale since 2017, finally ending their relationship in August 2020. Speaking about working together following the split on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Cole explained: "It was really hard. It was really hard for both of us. And that’s okay."

He continued: "The work thing got difficult because it was hard to suspend all of the ways we felt about each other, and it didn’t afford us the luxury of distance to overcome that. I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each other." 

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Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence

Nicholas and Jennifer dated for several years after meeting on the set of the X-Men films, eventually calling it quits with an amicable break-up in 2014. Speaking about their working relationship, Nicholas told the Evening Standard back in 2019: "We're a big family. We've been doing those movies since we were 20 years old. As much as the Skins crowd grew up together, the X-Men crowd really grew up together. 

"It’s been a good eight, nine years making those movies. We've all got to get along. We've all got to have fun." 

Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia

The pair got together while working together on the set of Heroes, where Milo’s character Peter Petrelli was told he had to save a cheerleader to save the world (the cheerleader being Hayden’s character, Claire). After their split, Milo revealed that he would "never again" embark on a relationship with a co-star. He told Mr Porter: "There are things that happen to you in your life that shape who you are. Everything I've been through from jobs to friendships to partnerships — everything has built me to who I am. You learn from it. You learn a better way of doing things." 

Penn Badgley and Blake Lively 

Penn and Blake AKA Dan and Serena dated for three years while filming Gossip Girl together, with Penn speaking highly of his co-star and their working relationship after they called it quits. Chatting to Elle back in 2013, he said: "We were very much caught up in the show, which itself was a six-year endurance test. Our relationship was a part of that and helped us through it. I mean, like anything valuable, it was good and it was bad and it was a learning experience."

He later joked about having to kiss Blake on set following their split while appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. When asked who he liked kissing onscreen the most, he said: "I’ll say it was Blake, because we actually had a relationship at the time. [My worst kiss is] maybe Blake after we broke up." 

Michael C Hall and Jennifer Carpenter

While playing adoptive brother and sister on the show, the pair got together and tied the knot in real life, and were married for two years before divorcing in 2011 - all while the show was still filming. Speaking about their split at a PaleyFest event in 2013, Jennifer said: "Our marriage didn't look like anyone else's, and our divorce didn't either. I said it before — just because the marriage ended doesn't mean the love did."

Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes

The Outer Banks co-stars dated during seasons one and two of the show but called it quits before making season three. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the split, Chase said: "Mads and I have been working together now for 30 episodes, and we made a promise to each other before we even started dating that the work was always going to come first. And that no matter what happens in our personal lives, and the ways that life sometimes takes you in different directions, we're always going to honour the work. That stayed 100 per cent truthful this season."

Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried 

Although the couple were dating during the 2008 film the pair parted way ahead of the sequel and Amanda revealed that her husband Thomas Sadoski was not best pleased. She explained: "I'd guess he assumed Dominic is in love with me the way he's in love with me. And it's just not the case, it's sweet. I’d rather he be jealous than completely fine with it." 

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