Why did Mandy Moore get divorced?

Mandy Moore is now happily married to singer-songwriter Taylor Goldsmith of the band Dawes. By all accounts, the 41-year-old is enjoying a dream domestic life, raising her two sons and young daughter, enjoying the fruits of her fame, and keeping her career going.

But her personal life wasn’t always so dreamy. Moore began dating musician Ryan Adams in 2008. By Feb. 2009, they were engaged and, weeks later, got married on Mar. 10, 2009. Their marriage lasted six years until Jan. 2015 when Moore filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences”.

At first, this appeared to be a textbook celebrity divorce, with the two releasing a joint statement describing the split as “respectful, amicable parting of ways.” But, by 2019, Moore was telling a very different story.

The reality is less than amicable

In interviews (notably with The New York Times in 2019), she accused Adams of abusive and controlling behavior. She says he belittled her career and talent, telling her she wasn’t a “real musician” because she didn’t play an instrument. She says he discouraged her from working with producers or managers, which she said stifled her music career during key years in her mid-to-late 20s.

In general, being married to Adams left her miserable. Moore said she felt “lonely,” “drowning,” isolated, and like she was living her life for him rather than herself. She’s since described her marriage to Adams as emotionally damaging.

Adams initially claimed this didn’t reflect how he remembered their marriage. But, a year after the allegations broke, published an open letter apologizing for how he’d treated others without specifically confirming or denying any of Moore’s allegations (or indeed, mentioning her at all):

“Having truly realized the harm that I’ve caused, it wrecked me, and I’m still reeling from the ripples of devastating effects that my actions triggered. There is no way to convince people that this time is truly different, but this is the albatross that I deserve to carry with me as a result of my actions.”

Moore later reflected that she stayed in the marriage partly due to myths she was told that marriages are supposed to be hard work and that you should try everything to make it succeed. That’s not necessarily untrue, but if you’re faced with a partner as unpleasant as she says Adams was, then you should probably start making plans to get the heck out of there.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending, and Moore’s second marriage is a lot happier than her first. As for Adams? Well, he’s now proudly sober and continues to tour. He has not remarried.