April 15, 2010 | 2:57 pm

Larry King, Melissa Etheridge, and Mel Gibson Head to Splitsville

Posted by Ilana Angel

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Larry King

They say celebrity news happens in three’s, and it was certainly true today.  Larry King, Mel Gibson and Melissa Etheridge have all announced that they are splitting with their spouse/partner/baby mamma.  They all have children, and regardless of what you think of them all, it’s a sad situation.

Larry King has been married 8 times.  Word on the street, and by the street, of course I mean TMZ, is that he does not have a pre-nup.  Mr. King’s net worth is estimated to be around 144 million dollars. That decision is going to really hurt Larry.  Your wallet, and lawyers, are crying right now.

Larry and his wife, Shawn Southwick King, have been married for 13 years and in California, she will get half of what he earned while they were married.  Wowzer!  The question becomes, is it worth spending 13 years with a man who is 400 years old, for a 40 million dollar pay out?

I’m not sure I could do it.  Granted, he is charming, and smart, but let’s get real, he is an old man.  He was an old man when she married him.  They have 2 young sons and a divorce is always sad, but this one was clearly just a matter of time.  After 8 failures, he is clearly just not that good at marriage.

Rumor has it that Larry had an affair with Shawn’s sister Shannon.  That is a Lifetime made for TV movie, just waiting to be written.  Larry filed in the morning, and Shawn filed herself soon after.  This one could get messy, and by could, of course I mean let the games begin.

Rock Star Melissa Etheridge, and her partner, “actress” Tammy Lynn Michaels Etheridge, announced today that they are also separating.  They released a statement that requested, “consideration and respect for our family as we go through this difficult period.”

Married in 2003, they have twins who were born in 2006.  Melissa has two kids from a previous relationship.  In 2004 she battled and beat breast cancer.  I love Melissa Etheridge.  I think she lives her life out loud, and I respect, and admire that.

I wish Melissa, Tammy, and all the kids well, as they go through this.  No matter what you think about gay marriage, the end of a relationship, particularly when there are children involved, is heartbreaking.  I imagine there will be a heartfelt, and spectacular album from Etheridge in the future.

Hollywood’s great train wreck conductor, Mel Gibson, also announced that he is splitting with his girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, just five months after she gave birth to his eighth child, Lucia. Is it just me, or does this girl not look exactly like the Octomom?

The rumor mill is saying that they simply “drifted apart”.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there is a large age difference between all three of these couples.  At some point, a span of over 10 years is going to come into play within a relationship.

Relationships are hard.  Marriage is even harder.  I hear every day about people who are ending their relationships, and whether they are in the public eye, or neighbors up the street, it’s very sad.  Heartbreaking when there are children involved

Even with all the failures, I hope to be married again.  There is no rush, and it may never happen, but that does not mean I don’t want it, hope for it, and on some level, plan for it.  To everyone who is ending a relationship, and for those, who like me,  are looking for one, keep the faith.