A Brief history
On June 13, 1525, former Roman Catholic friar Martin Luther broke church rules and married Katharina von Bora, a nun. Obviously, this marriage was a great scandal and was part of the schism that resulted in the formation of the Protestant portion of the Christian religious groups. Weddings can sometimes be scandalous, notorious, infamous, or just downright weird, and the marriage that comes after the wedding can be just as goofy. Here we list 10 of those. (On April 9 we have a list of “10 Unpopular and Weird Weddings.” Please see that list to check if your favorite scandalous marriage is on it.)
Digging Deeper
10. Bruce Jenner and Kris Kardashian, 1991.
The 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Decathlon, making him the “World’s Greatest Athlete” and former college football player married a rich widow and ended up on a campy reality television show. Viewers started remarking about what seemed to be cosmetic surgery gone bad, and Bruce’s increasing feminine look. Not your imagination! The pair split up and Bruce came out as Caitlin, a transgender person, and appeared on Vanity Fair as its oldest cover model in the magazine’s history. Jenner has six children.
9. Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, 1958.
Arrested for violation of Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws after their wedding, the case went to the Supreme Court (Loving vs. Virginia) in 1967 which upheld their marriage and struck down the archaic and racist Virginia law (Racial Integrity Act of 1924). Of course, Virginia was not the only state where it was actually illegal (17 other states!) for Caucasians to marry people of African descent, so this decision finally brought the US into the 20th Century. White Americans once thought so strongly about the subject, that Petula Clark merely holding Harry Belafonte’s arm on a television special sent shock waves through the public! This case is often cited in cases overturning laws against Gay Marriage. June 12 is “Loving Day” celebrating interracial marriage. Note: Richard was Caucasian and Mildred was mixed African and Native American.
8. Robert Blake and Bonnie Blakely, 2000.
The bad boy Hollywood actor and the flim flam artist made a sleazy enough pair, and Bonnie ended up shot to death in Robert’s car in 2001. Blake’s alibi was strangely that he was not present when she was shot because he had gone back into a restaurant where he had allegedly left his own pistol. The bizarre couple did not live together and Bonnie continued running scams while they were married. Robert had her followed around by private investigators, and was later charged with her murder and soliciting for her murder. Blake was acquitted in criminal court, but was found liable for her death in a civil proceeding. The sleazy Blakely had been accused of using her own daughter as a prostitute while still married to Blake.
7. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, 1940.
America’s first family of television, CBS initially did not want to cast Desi as Lucy’s television husband because they feared racist American audiences would disapprove of the red haired Caucasian Lucy being married to a Cuban man. America was apparently ok with that, but unfortunately Lucy was not and the couple divorced in 1960, after divorce proceedings in 1944 were stopped before the marriage was ended. Because Lucy was six years older than Desi, a situation believed to be unpopular with the public, the couple falsely presented their year of birth to be 1914 for both of them. The ruse was later uncovered. Lucy’s real life pregnancy became a hot issue for television executives and censors who debated whether it was proper to show a pregnant woman on TV! Even the word “pregnancy” was not permitted, and was replaced by “expecting.” (Holy censorship, Batman!) During divorce proceedings Lucy claimed that Desi’s drinking contributed to life with him being a “nightmare” and nothing like the idyllic marriage portrayed on television.
6. Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, 1992.
The lead singer of the grunge band, Nirvana, married his grungy bride only to kill himself two years later. Perhaps the fact Kurt wore green pajamas at his wedding instead of a tuxedo or suit was a clue. When their baby was born later the same year, it was taken away by Children’s Services due to the drug use of both parents (including Love’s while pregnant), although the couple won back custody later. The ill starred marriage ended with Cobain shooting himself in the head after leaving a note to his imaginary childhood friend. Critics of Love point out that Cobain would rather be dead than married to her. Either way, killing himself was one hell of an insult to his wife and their child.
5. OJ Simpson and Nicole Brown, 1985.
The magnificent (African-American) running back married the hot blonde (Caucasian) nightclub waitress that he began dating even before he got divorced. Unfortunately, the marriage was marred by spousal abuse by Simpson, and they divorced in 1992. Only two years later, Nicole was murdered by having her throat cut, with Simpson seeming to be a slam dunk as the perpetrator. In a bizarre trial with mega-publicity, Simpson was acquitted of murder, but was later found by a civil jury to be responsible for the killing of Nicole and her friend. Simpson now sits in prison for another incident (armed robbery and kidnapping) with a 33 year prison sentence. He also was involved in stealing satellite television and speeding a boat through a manatee protection zone, and was implicated but not charged in a drug dealing ring. (By the way, Simpson ran for 171 yards in the 1969 Rose Bowl against Ohio State, and Ohio State still beat Simpson’s USC team for the National Championship!)
4. Britney Spears and Jason Alexander, 2004.
Celebrity marriages often do not last long, but this one takes the prize by ending only 55 hours later! Later that same year, Spears married Kevin Federline (2004-2007). The two of them together turned marriage into a freak show of “white trash” parenting.
3. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, 2011.
The bride, famous for her video having sex going viral on the internet, and the groom, an NBA basketball player, had a marriage that lasted just 72 days before Kim filed for divorce. Oddly enough, the divorce was somewhat acrimonious, with Humphries asking the court for an annulment and Kardashian insisting he pay his own legal bills. Speculation was rampant that the marriage was a fraud conducted for publicity. Of course, Kim later married “singer” Kanye West, a living faux pas himself.
2. Liza Minnelli and David Gest, 2002.
The singer and actress thought of mainly as the daughter of Judy Garland married the concert promoter. When they divorced five years later, Gest claimed the marriage was full of physical abuse, with his wife doing the abusing. Minnelli’s first husband, Peter Allen, turned out to be gay.
1. Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora, 1525.
The 41 year old ex-communicated priest married a 26 year old Nun that had escaped from the convent, claiming “The Lord has plunged me into marriage.” This act cemented the Protestant ethic that clergy are allowed to marry. The Catholic Church, however, has not yet jumped on that bandwagon.
Bonus: May-December Unions: Marriages where one spouse is of markedly older age than the other often creates a sort of scandal, especially when the older person is wealthy. Some of the notable cases involving huge disparity in age include the Prophet Muhammad (founder of Islam) and a 6 year old girl, and yes the wedding was consummated when he was 53 and she was 9 years old (it is in the Haddiths). Latter Day Saints Prophet and leader Brigham Young scandalized the US by continuing the tradition of “plural marriage” in the Mormon religion, marrying 55 wives, with some notable age differences such as Emily at age 15 (with Young at 43), Elizabeth at age 16 (with Young at 43) and Ann Eliza at age 24 (with Young at 66). I guess their husband was not ‘ young!’ Another is Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones (both actors), with a 25 year age difference. Anna Nicole Smith (age 26), Playboy bombshell hooked up with feeble and elderly JH Marshall II (age 89) and inherited his millions of dollars until the old man’s irate children sued and got a court to put the skids on that inheritance. The case actually went to the Supreme Court! Speaking of Playboy, the magazine’s founder, Hugh Hefner, is well known for hooking up with much younger Playmates, including his current spouse, Crystal Harris, who married the old man despite his being 60 years her senior!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What historic marriages do you wish never occurred?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Scheib, Asta. Children of Disobedience: The Love Story of Martin Luther and Katharina of Bora. The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2000.
