From Cardi B to Molly-Mae: Celebrity Couples Make It Instagram Un-Official
Are Instagram stories the new “Split Statement?”
From Cardi B to Maya Jama and Molly-Mae Hague, making it Instagram un-official vs. private, seems to be the hype for celebrity couples.
When Molly-Mae posted to her Instagram Story on August 14, fans admittedly lost it. ”Never in a million years did I think I’d ever have to write this,” Molly-Mae wrote. “After five years… I am extremely upset to announce that mine and Tommy’s relationship has come to an end. I will forever be grateful for the most important thing to me now and always, my beautiful daughter. Without us there would be no her, she will always be my priority.”
Considering they had just welcomed their first child, the news was jarring – aside from her ex Fury enjoying Dubai with the likes Chris Brown and random women a few months prior. It urged viewers to follow Hague, and keep an eye out for further explanation. Although a surprise, it wasn’t the first time a celebrity couple laid it all out on social media.
Longtime beaus Maya Jama and Stormzy also released a statement after attempting to rekindle. “We’ve been laughing while drafting this because we never thought we’d be the couple announcing a breakup,” but “We tried, and it didn’t work and that’s okay.”
In March of 2024, Cardi B announced her split on Instagram Live and later, posted subliminal captions hinting that she was better off without her husband, Offset. By Summer 2024, she filed for divorce –while pregnant. On the same day, she released a love letter to her newborn via Instagram. Other celeb couples like GOT star Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas, Chance the Rapper and Kirsten Corley, Isla Fischer and Sasha Baron Cohen and Love Island’s Ekin Su and Davide have made it Instagram Un-Official, too.
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The rise of IG Statements causes us to question: when did Instagram become the new press statement?
In the early 2000s, at the height of paparazzi culture, PR statements were everything. From politicians to celebs, it was the norm and usually closed with a request to respect the privacy of all parties involved. Now, privacy requests remain but the method to the madness is different.
It may have something to do with just how accessible celebs and influencers are. During the Y2K era, celebs were only accessible via tabloids and your favorite pop culture moments like new music, shows, or their scheduled appearance at a local mall.
Now, celebs and influencers are meeting their viewers where they’re already at: social media. They can quickly control the narrative with an IG statement — we love a low lift — appearing more vulnerable and of course, driving traffic to their platforms. This directly increases their monthly views and following, placing them in an ideal position to grow their fanbase and bring in those brand deals they love.
However, in the case of cheating there’s an added layer to the madness. Where cheating is suspected, for example, Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury, IG statements can benefit one, and harm the other. Here, Fury lost over 20k followers, leaving people to suspect that he bought followers to keep the hype up. Hague on the other hand, is set to have her most successful year yet as the news develops for the public.
On TikTok, the same effect applies. As seen with Brooke Schofield – before the racist tweets – and her ex, musician Clinton Kane, him dragging her didn’t shake the table per say. But what did, was her reclaiming the narrative by sharing her truth in a multiple-part story time. The result? Again, woman gains thousands of followers, while the alleged cheater or abuser loses thousands of followers, allegedly resulting in the buying of followers.
Are these splits surprising? Not so much. But it is interesting to see how our favorite pop culture moments have pivoted in the age of social media — also how they benefit women.
While you’re here, Cardi B’s divorce inspires a Princess Diana revenge-coded era.
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