The blockbuster Barbie movie and world tours from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé might be inspiring an uptick in divorces, according to a divorce attorney to the stars.
Laura Wasser — whose A-list celebrity clients include Ariana Grande, Kevin Costner and Britney Spears, to name a few — told Cosmopolitan she thinks those pop culture behemoths could be linked to many recent breakups.
The ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes have also played a part, she said.
“Something going on with a lot of my clients and what I’m seeing here in Southern California is that we’re in the middle of one of the worst strikes in history for the writers and the actors,” said Wasser, 55. “So you’ve also got people who have more time on their hands.”
Laura Wasser. CINDY ORD/GETTY
“They’re angry about our reproductive rights getting rolled back, they’re feeling their power by going to see Barbie and Taylor and Beyoncé,” she continued.
Wasser added, “A lot of people have said, ‘I’m out.’ So it’s compounded by what’s going on here economically.”
According to Forbes Advisor, about 7 in 10 heterosexual divorces are initiated by the woman. A viral article in August compiled by Huffington Post showed Barbie viewers claiming they broke up with their boyfriends after seeing the movie.
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in “Barbie”. WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Swift, 33, is bringing her Eras Tour concert film to movie theaters next month, and Beyoncé, 42, continues to perform her Renaissance World Tour to fans far and wide.
After becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year with over $1 billion at the global box office, Barbie is now dominating the streaming charts at home.
The film stars Margot Robbie, who produced the film with her husband Tom Ackerley, and it’s directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote it with her partner Noah Baumbach.
Wasser represented Baumbach’s now-ex-wife Jennifer Jason Leigh in their divorce — and the attorney is believed to be the basis for Laura Dern’s Oscar-winning performance as a divorce lawyer in Baumbach’s 2019 movie Marriage Story. Some of Dern’s scenes were filmed at Wasser’s offices.
In her Cosmopolitan interview, Wasser shared her advice for people going through divorce.