13 Celebrities Who Admit They Gave Their Partners Ultimatums

Find out which celebrities issued an ultimatum to their partner ...

1. Chrissy Teigen & John Legend

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have now been married for over a decade but before they tied the knot in 2013, Chrissy issued an ultimatum. After getting engaged, the couple’s wedding date kept getting pushed back and Chrissy jokingly said that if it didn’t happen by the end of that year, she was leaving.

“We keep pushing the date...If it’s not this year, I’m out,” Chrissy told The New York Daily News before later clarifying that it had been a “joke.”

2. Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves had already welcomed two children when they decided to get married. Matthew explained that they had been considering it for some time but it came down to Camila drawing a line. After talking about it “spiritually” and connecting with other couples who were happily married and others who were divorced, Camila said it was now or never.

“I had to get to the point where I saw it as more than just the thing to do. I wanted to really want to. You know, I didn’t want it to be a destination; the fun is that we’re on the adventure together,” Matthew explained to GQ. “Some of it had to do with her putting it on me. It took her going, ‘C’mon, Big Boy, Mr. Easygoing-We’ll-Get-to-It-When-We-Get-to-It. Either s--t or get off the pot.’”

3. Katie Maloney & Tom Schwartz

Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz’s relationship played out on Vanderpump Rules, including the ultimatum Katie issued before they tied the knot. After dating for several years and moving in together, Katie said it was time for them to make things official or go their separate ways.

“Then I gave him an ultimatum, the famous ultimatum. I felt like he was always very commitment-phobic in ways, and I was wanting to take natural progressions…He was being naughty, and so I was like, ‘You know, it’s time for you to make the real commitment,’” Katie said on the We Met at Acme podcast.

The pair eventually divorced in 2022.

4. Jenna Dewan & Channing Tatum

When Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum first met on the set of Step Up, they were looking for different things. Jenna wanted a long term relationship while Channing wanted some freedom. After their romance started to blossom, Jenna told Channing she wanted to be serious about things or be nothing at all.

“He did this whole thing where he didn’t want to be in a relationship, so I did the whole, ‘Look, if you want to date other people and be free, that's totally fine, but we’re not going to ‘hang out’ and ‘watch movies’ and all this stuff. You’ve got to figure out what you want, because I know I want to be in a relationship,’” Jenna revealed on The Ellen Show.

After a wild night out with the film’s crew, Jenna says Channing showed up at her hotel room door in “underwear, a sombrero and Ugg boots,” and told her that after having the “chance to be free,” he couldn’t stop thinking about her and wanted to make it work. Although the couple did eventually tie the knot, they have since called it quits.

5. Dax Shepard & Kristen Bell

Early on in Dax Shepard’s relationship with Kristen Bell, they had to learn how to deal with conflict. Looking back, Kristen says that her way of arguing was storming off and making a dramatic exit when things got tough. Dax helped her realize how unhealthy it was and they had to come to the decision that she wouldn’t do that anymore if they were to continue their relationship.

“I realized how incredibly toxic it was only after he pointed it out,” Kristen said on a 2017 episode of Harry. “Three month into our relationship he was like, ‘Yeah, you can’t leave anymore during fights…I love you, but I’m not going to do that my whole life.’”

6. Cardi B & Offset

Long before Cardi B and Offset became parents, Offset predicted that Cardi was going to be the mother of his children. Reflecting on the moment, Cardi says she was on board but she wasn’t about to do it until she was married to the rapper.

“We were making out and he was like, ‘You’re going to have my baby one day,’ and I was like, ‘We ain’t having no baby. You have to marry me,’” Cardi told Essence. “And he was like, ‘Alright, let’s get married.’”

While the couple didn’t get married at the moment, Cardi later brought up the subject during an argument. That time, Offset was serious about the commitment and the couple ended up tying the knot in Offset’s bedroom in September 2017. They welcomed their daughter Kulture the following year.

7. Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner

Before Sophie Turner tied the knot with Joe Jonas, she issued a playful ultimatum to her then-boyfriend. If they were going to continue to date, Joe was going to have to watch all of the Harry Potter movies. He agreed to Sophie’s demand and years later, they ended up getting married.

“Sophie, she said, ‘Look, if we’re going to get married’ -- and it was actually, ‘If you’re going to date me, you have to watch the Harry Potters.’ Because every Christmas, for those of you that are watching that don’t know, every Christmas in the UK they just stream and play Harry Potter, all of them. So I watched them all, I fell in love with it,” Joe shared on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

The couple have since called it quits.

8. Natasha Richardson & Liam Neeson

In the ’90s, Liam Neeson says he was being considered for the role of James Bond. While he was interested in the opportunity, his then-girlfriend Natasha Richardson said she wouldn’t marry him if he took the role -- although he didn’t specify exactly why she made the ultimatum.

“I know they were looking at various actors and I apparently was among them,” Liam said on The Late Late Show With James Corden. “However, my dear, departed wife did say to me, ‘Darling, if you’re offered James Bond and you’re going to play it, you’re not going to marry me.’”

Liam was never officially offered the role and he went on to be married to Natasha until her death in 2009.

9. Vanessa Lachey and Nick Lachey

Vanessa Lachey says she thought that she was “gonna be that girl that would never give a man an ultimatum,” but that changed after dating Nick Lachey for five years. After moving in together, she realized she wanted to take the next step in their relationship, but they weren’t ready. They ended up splitting and dating other people, only to realize they were meant to be together.

“We dated for five years. So I finally said, ‘What are we doing?’” Vanessa said on an episode of The Ultimatum. “We realized that if we got out of our own way, we could be amazing together but it took me seeing somebody else and me realizing I don’t mind the things that bugged me or were holding me back. I don’t mind all that, the bigger picture is how I feel about that person and their values of wanting to be with me and knowing everything about me.”

10. Idris Elba & Sabrina Dhowre

When Idris Elba first started dating Sabrina Dhowre, he admits he had trouble controlling his emotions and didn’t address conflict the correct way. Instead of talking through things, he often gave her an ultimatum to either continue their relationship the way it was or to get out.

“Sabrina and I, very early in our relationship, I was very stressed, so I had these massive anger tantrums that were like explosions. I was always the first to say, ‘Hey, if you're not happy, leave. Move.’ It was kind of like a male instinct,” Idris said on their podcast, Coupledom.

Eventually, Idris realized the error of his ways and after working through their issues, the couple went on to get married.

11. Diane Keaton & Al Pacino

Diane Keaton and Al Pacino first met on the set of The Godfather in 1971 and went on to date for five years. During that time, Diane admits she was “mad for him” and tried to convince him to settle down. When she didn’t think Al felt the same, she issued an ultimatum which unfortunately ended the relationship.

“I worked hard on that one. I went about it in not a perfect way,” Diane shared with People.

12. Faith Hill & Tim McGraw

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were already married with children when she had to sit down with him for a serious conversation. Looking back, Tim says he was partying a little too hard at the time and if he didn’t slow down, it could be the end of their marriage.

“She told me, ‘Look, you’re not living up to what you need to be living up to with your family…You’re not respecting your career; you’re not respecting yourself; you’re not respecting the life that you have. And you just need to take a long look in the mirror and figure out what you want to do.’ And she was right,” Tim told Extra.

13. Rod Stewart & Penny Lancaster

When Rod Stewart first met Penny Lancaster, he was recently divorced and wanted to be free to play the field. The couple began dating and Penny quickly knew she wanted to be the only woman in his life. She eventually decided to tell him that if he didn’t settle down, she was going to walk away.

“So when I became a girlfriend of his, I didn’t want to be a girlfriend, I wanted to be the girlfriend or else it wasn’t good enough for me. I didn’t want to play the games so I remember right from the very beginning I said ‘If you mess it up -- look, I understand if you want to go out with other girlfriends, tell me and I’ll find someone else -- but please don’t do that to me,” she said on Loose Women. “I made the rules pretty clear and if you’re happy to live under the terms I want to have a relationship in, then great.”