It's easy to look at celebrity couples on the red carpet, all smiles and glam, and think, "wow, talk about couples goals." In reality, celebrity couples really are just like us in that their relationships have ups and downs too. There are times when they work, and times when keeping the love and connection strong takes work — or the help of a trained professional. One of the really beautiful things about quotes from celebrity couples about couples therapy is that they can help reduce some of the stigma and fear around seeking out counseling in your relationship. After all, if Chrissy Teigan and John Legend or Michelle and Barack Obama sometimes need a little counseling boost, then maybe it's normal that your relationship might benefit from a little maintenance too.
When you think about it like that, the idea of celebrity couples goals takes on a whole new meaning. The thing to hope for and emulate is a partnership where both parties are willing to do challenging and sometimes really difficult work to keep their connection healthy. Besides, many celebrity couple success stories are so vulnerable and encouraging.
With that in mind, here's what some of your favorite celeb couples have said about going through couples therapy.
“Our relationship wasn’t perfect ... We had a couple years of fighting and of growing pains and hating each other, then loving each other and going to couples therapy and we worked it out … We earned each other.”
— Kristen Bell to Entertainment Tonight in November 2015
“It sounds obvious but being with someone you really care about, respect and enjoy being around. I think that’s the crucial foundation. Then communicating, being considerate, listening to your partner and making sure their needs are met. And we go to therapy sometimes. I think every couple who has been together for a long time could use time to talk with a third party to help with whatever concerns they have.”
— John Legend to Cosmopolitan UK in September 2020
“We are couples-therapy people. We do it for maintenance, not problems, We fight nicer. There is no yelling in front of [our daughter] Willow, ever. We can argue, just no yelling.”
— Pink to Redbook magazine in 2013
“I got a lot of s–t for telling people that Carey and I have been in couples counseling with Vanessa [Inn]. It’s the only reason that we’re still together because you know, I think partners after a long time, we just speak — I can’t say it’s a man and woman thing, I think it’s a partner thing, a spouse thing — that you just speak two different languages.”
— Pink on her Instagram Live in June 2020
“What happens in a marriage once you do counseling, the truth comes out. When the truth comes out and people have to say who they are and what they think, you get to know who they are. And you sit across from your wife and you’ve said all of your truth and she has said all of her truth. You look at each other and you can’t imagine you could ever possibly love each other again now the truth is out. It creates a dark moment. But for me it’s the dark before the dawn. When the truth comes out and people have to say who they are and what they think, you get to know who they are. I think that’s the cleansing before you get to the other side that is understanding and moving forward in our relationship.”
— Will Smith to The Sun in August 2016
“Not that there’s anything wrong, but it’s nice to sort of just talk to someone who is a mediator. That’s helped our relationship.”
— David Burtka to Life & Style in 2017
“I was one of those wives who thought, ‘I’m taking you to marriage counseling so you can be fixed, Barack Obama. Because I was like, ‘I’m perfect.’ I was like, ‘Dr. X, please fix him.’ And then, our counselor looked over at me. I was like, ‘What are you looking at? I’m perfect.’ But marriage counseling was a turning point for me, understanding that it wasn’t up to my husband to make me happy, that I had to learn how to fill myself up and how to put myself higher on my priority list.”
— Michelle Obama on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in December 2018
"Counseling was a tremendous blessing to our marriage. It made us think and see each other’s baggage. What can you live with?”
— Megan Good to Essence magazine in February 2016
“There’s a process to happy. People are like ‘goals.’ Me and D are like, ‘WTF?’ We kind of figured it out now, but I guess maybe we should tweet live from couples therapy.”
— Gabrielle Union to Complex in 2017
“Couples therapy has been great for me and April, and it’s been great for me and Paula in coparenting. We’ve had a few sessions and it’s really helped for us, so I am a total believer in therapy.”
— Robin Thicke on an episode of the Black Girls Texting podcast in February 2021
"I miss being creative and running on 150. But Alex, of all people, was like, 'I love it. I love being at home. I love doing my Zooms. I love knowing the kids are there, and you're there all the time.' It has been actually really good. We got to work on ourselves. We did therapy. I think it was really helpful for us in our relationship."
— Jennifer Lopez to Allure in March 2021
The takeaway here is that relationships can be challenging for everyone, but coupes therapy can be a great way to work through the tough times and strengthen your bond, no matter who you are.
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