For a generous portion of her career, actress Julia Roberts was considered America’s sweetheart. She shot to fame in the early ’90s as the street-walking star of Pretty Woman. Her infectious, toothy grin and girl-next-door Southern charm won Hollywood’s heart, but there is also a shady and less polished side to Roberts that isn’t often discussed in the media. The actress herself has admitted to making mistakes in the past, telling Harper’s Bazaar in 2017 that “I was my priority, a selfish little brat running around making films.” And with that, here are some controversial moments that have tarnished Robert’s silver screen crown.
2Julia Roberts broke Lyle Lovett’s heart
Julia Roberts married oddly coifed country singer Lyle Lovett in 1993. They swapped vows after a three-week courtship, and she even went barefoot at their wedding. The odd couple seemed to share a sweet romance, or so it seemed on the surface. Imagine everyone’s surprise when, just 21 months later, the pair issued a brief statement to announce its separation: “We remain close and in great support of each other.”
The timing was terrible, and it seemed like Lovett got the short end of the stick. Roberts was in London shooting Mary Reilly, while Lovett was in Houston recovering from a motorcycle accident. (That doesn’t sound like “great support” on Roberts’ part.) Though the statement was a joint affair, fans felt like a doting Lovett had been put out to pasture as his wife’s fame soared. Not long before the breakup, he’d talked happily about trying to start a family when Roberts finished filming — an idea that seemed unrealistic considering he also told People they had never spent seven straight days together.
