Kim Kardashian's Divorce
Apparently even a celebrity-obsessed public can take only so much. After the media circus that was reality-TV star Kim Kardashian's whirlwind romance with and engagement to NBA player Kris Humphries, Americans were treated to an extravagant and televised "fairy-tale" wedding. The couple's nuptials were featured in a two-part television special on the E! network that drew 4.4 million viewers and reportedly netted the couple $18 million in media rights, gifts and donated items. Just 72 days later, Kardashian announced that she was filing for divorce, and a backlash erupted. Critics blasted Kardashian for her seemingly blasé view of marriage, and some accused her of using the wedding to make money. Others demanded to know what the couple would do with their lavish wedding gifts and exorbitant profits from the big day. And more than 100,000 people signed an online petition to E! Online, requesting that her family's show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, be canceled.