Most people would probably agree that cheating is one of the biggest mistakes someone can make in a relationship. Cutting the person who betrayed you so badly out of your life is painful enough, but sometimes, they refuse to make a clean break, begging for forgiveness or for you to take them back.
Here are 13 times cheating celebs publicly begged for forgiveness:
1.
THE CHEATING: Before heading to the 2026 Olympics, Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid‘s six-month relationship ended when he informed his ex-girlfriend he’d been unfaithful.
THE CONFESSION: After winning the bronze medal at the men’s 20km biathlon, he told NRK (translated by the Guardian), “There is something I want to share with someone who may not be watching today. Half a year ago, I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful and nicest person. Three months ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her, and I told her about that a week ago. This has been the worst week of my life. I had the gold medal in life, and I am sure there are many people who will see things differently, but I only have eyes for her. Sport has come second these last few days. Yes, I wish I could share this with her.”
THE OUTCOME: However, his ex was having none of it. In an anonymous interview, she told Norway’s VG, “It’s hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world. I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it. We have had contact, and he is aware of my opinions on this.” She also gave her thanks “to my family and friends who have embraced me and supported me during this time. Also to everyone else who has thought of me and sympathized, without knowing who I am.”
2.
THE CHEATING: Cardi B and Offset started dating in early 2017 and said “I do” that September. They briefly broke up in October when she mistakenly thought he’d taken her purple blanket, but at the end of the year, their relationship took an even bigger blow — allegations that he cheated on her (which they both denied). Cardi addressed rumors of Offset’s infidelity several times throughout 2018, and she also gave birth to their first child. However, that December, Cardi officially announced their separation on Instagram.
THE CONFESSION: On his birthday (Dec. 14), Offset attended the Rolling Loud Festival, where 21 Savage got the audience to chant, “Cardi, take Offset back!” Offset also posted an apology video on his social media. He said, “I only have one birthday wish, and that’s to get my wife back. … We’re going through a lot of things right now, a lot of things in the media. I want to apologize to you, Cardi. I embarrassed you. I made you go crazy. I was partaking in activity that I shouldn’t have been partaking in, and I apologize. You know what I’m saying? For breaking your heart, for breaking our promise, for breaking God’s promise, and being a selfish, messed-up husband. I’m trying to be a better person.”
He also crashed Cardi’s headlining Rolling Loud set. He brought a floral arrangement that said, “TAKE ME BACK, CARDI,” but both Offset and his flowers were taken off the stage.
THE OUTCOME: In an Instagram video, Cardi addressed criticism of Offset’s grand gesture. She said, “Violating my baby father is not going to make me feel any better, because at the end of the day, that’s still family. I’m not saying that I’m gonna get back together with him. I just don’t like that bashing online thing.”
At the beginning of 2019, they reconciled their relationship. She told Vogue, “When me and my husband got into our issues — you know, he cheated and everything — and I decided to stay with him and work together with him, a lot of people were so mad at me; a lot of women felt disappointed in me. But it’s real-life shit. If you love somebody and you stop being with them, and you’re depressed and social media is telling you not to talk to that person because he cheated, you’re not really happy on the inside until you have the conversation. Then, if you get back with them, it’s like, how could you? You let all of us down. People that be in marriages for years, when they say till death do us part, they not talking about little arguments, like if you leave the fridge open. That’s including everything.”
3.
THE CHEATING: Kristen Stewart and her Twilight costar Robert Pattinson reportedly started dating in 2009, two years after they first met in the audition room. In 2012, photos emerged of Kristen kissing Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, who was married to Liberty Ross (who played Kristen’s mom in the movie!).
THE CONFESSION: Kristen confirmed they’d had a “fling,” telling People, “I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I’ve caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I’m so sorry.”
THE OUTCOME: Robert moved out of their shared home shortly after, but the couple reconnected in the fall. They rekindled their relationship and stayed together until mid-2013.
4.
THE CONFESSION PT. 2: Rupert Sanders also issued a public apology for cheating on Liberty Ross. He told People, “I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together.”
THE OUTCOME: In the wake of the scandals, Liberty and the kids moved into a house belonging to her brother’s friend to protect their privacy. In 2013, she told Vanity Fair, “I was able to be there completely secluded. I just visualized [being] this sort of Masai warrior. I was just going to stand very still and very strong, and just let it all roll past me. I tried to keep as far away from it as I could and to understand that this is my family, and it’s the most precious thing to me…. It was horrible. It was really the worst, really the worst… I just didn’t have any more to give, you know?” In 2014, they divorced.
5.
THE CHEATING: In 2023, Vanderpump Rules costars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix’s nine-year relationship came crashing down after she allegedly found a sexual video of Tom and their fellow costar, Raquel Leviss, on his phone during his concert. She also read their texts. At the time, a source told People, “This [affair] has been going on for upwards of 6 months — all the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed. She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn’t even scratch the surface of how she feels.” The scandal blew up into a massive pop culture moment dubbed “Scandoval.”
THE CONFESSION: Initially, Tom responded to the backlash by asking fans not to boycott the restaurant he co-owns, as his three partners and employees “did nothing wrong.” Then, a few days later, he released a full apology on Instagram, writing, “I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
Raquel also publicly apologized. In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, she said, “I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships. There is no excuse, I am not a victim, and I must own my actions, and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”
THE OUTCOME: It seems fairly safe to say these two are never, ever getting back together. At the Season 10 reunion, Tom admitted that he was “still in love” with Raquel. Ariana told him, “Honestly, that’s the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard. This is a joke.”
6.
THE CHEATING: Tristan Thompson and Khloé Kardashian’s long-term on-and-off relationship began in 2016. They welcomed their first child in 2018. Throughout their relationship, Tristan was at the center of multiple cheating rumors, but one of the biggest allegations came in 2021. He and Khloé reportedly split in June, but then in December, his former personal trainer, Maralee Nichols, alleged that he was the father of her baby and sued him for child support. It was later confirmed that, on Tristan’s birthday in March — the very day he and Khloé debuted their rekindled romance in public — he left the lavish party she threw him, flew to Texas, and had sex with Maralee, resulting in her pregnancy.
THE CONFESSION: After a paternity test proved Tristan was the father of Maralee’s child, he released this statement on his Instagram story: “I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that a paternity test has been established I look forward to amicably raising our son. I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately. Khloé, you don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don’t deserve the way I have treated you over the years. My actions certainly have not lined up with the way I view you. I have the utmost respect and love for you. Regardless of what you may think. Again, I am so incredibly sorry.”
THE OUTCOME: Khloé and Tristan were secretly engaged the month before he cheated, and they were reportedly still engaged until December 2021, when his paternity scandal came to light. Khloé found out about his affair through the tabloids. At the time, she and Tristan were already planning to have another child together through surrogacy, and their surrogate’s embryo transfer was done a few days before Khloé learned he had another child on the way. Their son was born in 2022.
7.
THE CHEATING: Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo got married in 2014. In 2022, she announced that she was pregnant with their third child, but only four days later, Instagram model Sumner Stroh claimed that she and Adam had been “seeing each other for about a year.” In a since-deleted TikTok, she said, “I was having an affair with a man who’s married to a Victoria’s Secret model. At the time, I was young, I was naive, and, I mean, quite frankly, I feel exploited. I wasn’t in ‘the scene’ like I am now, so I was definitely very easily manipulated.” Sumner even leaked several of her and Adam’s alleged DMs, which quickly became a meme.
And in the most egregious message, he allegedly asked if he and Behati could name their new baby after her.
THE CONFESSION: On his Instagram story, Adam said, “A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air. I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair; nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life. In certain instances it became inappropriate. I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family. My wife and my family is all I care about in this world. To be this naïve and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again. I take full responsibility. We will get through it. And we will get through it together.”
THE OUTCOME: At the time, a source told People, “Their focus right now is just on being the best parents possible. [Behati] is hurt and upset, but she is holding back because of the kids. … She isn’t happy with Adam, but she is very much about being positive. She just doesn’t believe in drama. Adam keeps being very apologetic. He puts no blame on her and admits that he enjoyed the attention. He’ll be the first one to say that he acted like a moron. They are working on their marriage and plan on staying together.”
8.
THE CHEATING: Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish got together in 2009, then they got married in 2016. In 2017, when Eniko was expecting their first child together, Kevin was the target of an alleged extortion over a “sexually suggestive” video of him with another woman (though it was not a sex tape). At the time, his reps told People, “Someone tried to set Kevin up in a failed extortion attempt. As law enforcement is involved, we cannot comment further as it could affect the investigation.”
THE CONFESSION: Kevin addressed the situation and released a public apology to his family. In an Instagram video, he said, “I’m at a place in my life where I feel like I have a target on my back. And because of that, I should make smart decisions. And recently, I didn’t. You know, I’m not perfect. I’m not going to sit up here and say that I am or claim to be in any way, shape, or form. And I made a bad error in judgment, and I put myself in a bad environment where only bad things can happen, and they did. And in doing that, I know that I’m going to hurt the people closest to me, who I’ve talked to and apologized to, being my wife and my kids.”
The woman in the video, Montia Sabbag, denied being the person behind the extortion and claimed that they were recorded illegally. At a press conference, she said, “I was involved with Kevin Hart a month ago. Since then, my pictures and my name have been released with lies written about me. I am not an extortionist. I am not a stripper. I am a recording artist and an actress, and I have not broken any laws.”
THE OUTCOME: In Kevin’s 2019 Netflix docuseries Don’t F**k This Up, Eniko said, “How I found out was a DM. I don’t know who it was. They sent me an edited video of Kevin, and you know, another woman. I was about seven or eight months pregnant. I was having breakfast. I opened my phone, and immediately, I just lost it. I called him. I’m crying. I’m, like, pissed. Right then and there, I kept saying, ‘How the fuck did you let that happen? Your whole everything’s on Instagram. Everything’s on social media.’ It was an ongoing fight all the time. Every single day. I kept questioning him, like, ‘If this is what you’re gonna do, I don’t want to be part of that.'”
However, they stayed together and welcomed another child in 2020. She said, “I wasn’t ready at the time to just give up on my family. I wanted Kenzo to be able to know his dad and grow up. It was a lot for me, but we’ve gone through it, we passed it, and he’s a better man now because of it.”
9.
THE CHEATING: Alfie costars Jude Law and Sienna Miller started dating in 2003 and got engaged a year later. However, in 2005, his affair with Daisy Wright — his kids’ nanny — became public. Daisy published her diary pages about the affair. She claimed that, after attending a concert with Jude and one of his kids, she and the actor drank wine and talked for a long time. After she said goodnight, he kissed her, which stretched into 10 minutes of kissing. She wrote, “The next thing I know, we are dragging each other upstairs to his bedroom, kissing and then, in the bedroom, ripping off each other’s clothes. We threw ourselves onto the giant bed and ripped off our remaining clothes. … It was mind-blowing rampant sex.”
THE CONFESSION: In a statement to the British Press Association, Jude said, “Following the reports in today’s papers, I just want to say I am deeply ashamed and upset that I’ve hurt Sienna and the people most close to us. I want to publicly apologize to Sienna and our respective families for the pain that I have caused. There is no defense for my actions which I sincerely regret and I ask that you respect our privacy at this very difficult time.”
THE OUTCOME: Jude and Sienna broke up at the time, but they later reconciled. However, they called it quits for good in 2011. In 2014, she told Esquire UK, “I had to [reconcile with him because the relationship was] a huge part of my life and his life, and it ended in a way that was awful. When something ends in a way like that, it’s important if you can, in a way, go back and revisit it and either shut that door or create a new room. So it was a very healthy, cathartic experience.”
10.
THE CHEATING: Trippie Redd and Skye Morales were together from 2021 to 2023. Their relationship ended when he cheated on her.
THE CONFESSION: Posting a picture of Skye to his Instagram, Trippie Red said, “Just wanted to publicly apologize to Skye do not be mad at her I cheated she not have had the best attitude with me but she was the most loyal partner I ever had and I lost her. I just want u guys to be better than me 💯 so if u find someone that makes u feel special think before u do wen ur mad I will never forgive myself for this shit ever 💔 I’m sorry Skye I don’t even want u to forgive me I just want u to know I understand I feel it I’m a fucking idiot I promise u nun of it was worth wat I had wats done in the dark always comes to light and yea I hate myself fuck all the people that have been waiting for this to happen I hate u 💯not as much as I hate myself tho.”
THE OUTCOME: Skye did not publicly respond, but she shared this quote on her Instagram story: “Never regret the love you gave anyone, even if it wasn’t reciprocated, love always comes back full circle, that love will come back in some shape or form. Keep putting love out into the universe, cause it’s coming back with interest.” They are no longer together.
11.
THE CHEATING: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver tied the knot in 1986. However, in 2011, Maria filed for divorce after Arnold finally admitted that her suspicions were correct — he’d had an affair with Mildred Baena, their longtime housekeeper, who gave birth to his son a few days after Maria gave birth to her and Arnold’s fourth child. He didn’t realize the son was his for about seven or eight years, then he hid the truth from his family for another five or six years. Maria confronted her husband about her suspicions during marriage counseling, and a few months later, their relationship was over.
THE CONFESSION: In 2012, Arnold told 60 Minutes, “[It was] the stupidest thing I’ve done in the whole relationship… I inflicted tremendous pain on Maria and unbelievable pain on the kids.”
THE OUTCOME: For unknown reasons, the divorce took 10 years. In her 2025 memoir I Am Maria, Maria recalled the pain of losing her marriage shortly after both her parents died. She wrote, “Then came another devastating, life-altering blow: my twenty-five-year-long marriage blew up. It broke my heart, it broke my spirit, it broke what was left of me. Without my marriage, my parents, a job — the dam of my lifelong capital-D Denial just blew apart. Now, much has been written about the end of my marriage, and frankly I don’t feel like I need or want to discuss it here, or anywhere.”
12.
THE CHEATING: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel got together around 2007, briefly split in 2011, then got married in 2012. Then, in 2019, footage of Justin holding hands with his Palmer costar Alisha Wainwright at a bar went viral. He was reportedly not wearing his wedding ring. However, in a statement to People, Alisha’s reps said, “There is no validity to this speculation. They are currently working on a project together. Members of the cast and crew were all together.”
THE CONFESSION: A few days later, Justin addressed the situation on Instagram, writing, “A few weeks ago, I displayed a strong lapse in judgement — but let me be clear — nothing happened between me and my costar. I drank way too much that night and I regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son. I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be. This was not that. I am incredibly proud to be working on Palmer. Looking forward to continuing to make this movie and excited for people to see it.”
THE OUTCOME: A source told People, “[Justin and Jessica will] work through this. It was good that he apologized publicly, but obviously, the real work he is doing is in private, and hopefully, this was just a bad drunken night of this type of behavior.” The couple remained together, welcoming their second child in 2020.
13.
And finally, THE CHEATING: Jay-Z and Beyoncé started dating in 2001 then got married in 2008. He’s faced cheating rumors over the years, and after Beyoncé released Lemonade in 2016, fans speculated that one lyric in particular pointed to his alleged cheating. In “Sorry,” she sings, “He only want me when I’m not there / He better call Becky with the good hair.”
THE CONFESSION: Jay-Z seemingly addressed his alleged cheating on his 2017 album 4:44. For example, in “Family Feud” — which Beyoncé co-wrote — he raps, “I’ll fuck up a good thing if you let me / Let me alone, Becky! / A man who don’t take care of his family can’t be rich.”
THE OUTCOME: Beyoncé and Jay-Z are still going strong! In 2018, they released a joint album titled Everything Is Love. On the closing track “LOVEHAPPY,” telling lyrics include, “He went to Jared, I went to Chaumet out in Paris / Yeah, you fucked up the first stone, we had to get remarried” and “But love is deeper than your pain, and I believe you can change / Baby, the ups and downs are worth it / Long way to go, but we’re workin’.”
Have you ever had an ex who publicly begged for your forgiveness? What happened? Tell us in the comments or in the anonymous comments box below!
