Of all ways to announce the end of a relationship is to put up a prayer on Instagram one choice. When “The Bachelor” Alun Matt James used this method to announce his division with Rachael Kirkconnell to the world, it was a very different attitude from the usual gently designed celebrity divisions that usually seen on social media.
There was no common message or vague language about the love that was shared and “the integrity needed right now.” It was simply James who went Rogue, reportedly blind -on both Kirkconnell and fans. “This division message was made extremely poorly from Matts,” says Nabeela Aysen, a crisis communication expert. “He did not think about the immediate repercussions, and this is every agent and the public’s nightmare.”
As messy as high -profile divisions can be behind closed doors, how they are announced on social media is normally down to a science. Every word, platform and time decision is carefully planned and often passes through layers by publishers, managers, strategists and lawyers before it ever reaches the public.
Of course, it is up to the people involved in the division to stick to the script. But as James throws some strategy all out through the window – and when this happens, the fall can be messy. “A less than perfect division message can potentially have long -term career consequences such as sponsorship and network opportunities,” says Aysen. That is why she “always” advises celebrities and influencers to work with their teams to deal with the division.
So what does the scenes behind the process look like? And how is a celebrity division message designed? Aysen and Ulysses Osuna, a crisis management expert, explains the complicated process for the celebrity division.
Experts displayed in this article
Nabela AyenMS, is a crisis communication expert for a variety of organizations, politicians and athletes. She is also a founder and publicist at Nbella pr.
Ulysses Osuna Is a crisis management expert who specializes in high -profile stories, including celebrity divisions on social media. He is also the founder of Influencing press.
How a celebrity -split post is created
Before the couple creates a celebrity divide, the couple must decide whether they want to notify the division to the public in the first place. According to Aysen, however, they often do not have much choice. “I have never experienced a situation where a celebrity or influencer pair was urged not to announce their division on social media,” says Aysen. “We have found that more and more fans actually require an explanation because of their investments in the life of the celebrity or influence.”
The only rare exception: Taylor Swift’s division with Joe Alwyn. Both Swift and Alwyn avoided making some statements about their division, as Aysen says may have been a strategic feature on Swift’s part. “This allowed her to maintain control of the story (or the lack of it),” says Aysen. “All public statements would have given the media something that is evident to dissect, interpret and spin, which often happens in the celebrity world. However, silence kept the focus on her art and upcoming projects, instead of letting the division dominate the headings.”
In most cases, however, posting a mutual statement with an ex -partner may be the best way forward. But depending on celebrities, they may not constitute the statement at all. According to Aysen, the publicist and agent or talent manager for the star in question works together to write the statement on social media. “Depending on how bad the division is, we also work with their ex significant others’ team to ensure that they are satisfied with our messages,” she says.
When it comes to what goes into the statement, Osuna says that there are three unspoken rules that must be included in each announcement about the division: Request privacy for both parties, avoid the debt and keep it short. This is the cookie template most celebrities join. According to Osuna, the ultimate goal of the announcement is to avoid being the topic of conversation. “You want the news to wash with another news cycle,” he says.
Aysen says the statement should create a balance between grace, integrity and respect for both parties. This means that most division messages will use “we” language, to show a united front, and they will also avoid dive into the cause of the division. “It is best to avoid overdue or statements that can drive gossip. A simple line such as:” This is a private issue, and we will not comment further, “can help set clear boundaries,” she adds.
“You want the news to wash with another news cycle.”
When the statement has been written, it then goes to the client for approval. “If they have any edits, we work through them together so that all parties are satisfied with the statement,” says Aysen. Once the statement has been agreed, depending on the celebrity, it can be transferred to legal teams to log out as well.
Next step: Decide where the division statement will be published. Of course, there are many options, everything from Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, X and more. A 52-part TikTok series entitled “Who TF did I get married?“Maybe not the move.) Osuna says that celebrities or influencers usually publish where their audience is.” Their primary platform should be where the celebrities have the most committed followers. For many celebrities this is Instagram, but for others it may be X, TikTok or even Youtube, depending on their demographic and interaction levels. ”
In other cases, it may be better for the team to release a statement for a news socket or – in Kirkconnell’s case – book a popular podcast. Blindsided by James’ Post about their division on Instagram, Kirkconnell shared its page on the 28th section “Call her dad.“And according to Aysen, this was a smart decision.” This approach enabled the public to form their own views on her perspective, while minimizing any misunderstandings that a straight static postal statement may have brought, ”says Aysen.
When the statement and the medium have agreed by everyone involved, the announcement is made. Sometimes this only happens hours after the division. Other times it can take up to a month. “Many times the statement occurs weeks or months after the division because we either want to come up with a larger division plan or a division trip where we set up interviews with media in advance so everything comes out at once,” says Aysen.
Unfortunately, the exact nature of fan reactions and potentially backlash can never be expected. For this reason, teams can encourage their client to turn off comments or not participate in anyone back and forth, says Aysen. But in the end, the split statement should not arouse gossip and should be low enough key to quickly lose interest.
In the end, at the age of parasocial relationships, where fans feel right to every detail in a celebrity personal life, the division item has become a dreaded (but also necessary) by -product of a relationship. When done correctly, it can maintain control of the story. But when it is performed poorly or without the help of a team, it can create backlash and confusion.
In the celebrity world, there can only be one thing that is worse than going through a bad division: letting everyone on the internet know that you are going through a bad division.
Taylor Andrews (She/her) is Balance Editor on PS, specializing in subjects relating to sex, relationships, dating, sexual health, mental health, travel and more. With seven years of editorial experience, Taylor has a strong background in content creation and story. Before she came to PS 2021, she worked at Cosmopolitan.
