Iconic celebrity stylist and reality TV pioneer Rachel Zoe shocked Bravo fans by disclosing that her equally iconic marriage to Rodger Berman is ending.
Rachel Zoe has long been famous in her own right, putting the “celebrity” in “celebrity stylist,” and her name was constantly in the news in the 2000s, due to her prominence in Hollywood and her close association with the era’s “it girls,” like Nicole Richie.
Like Nicole and her then-BFF Paris Hilton, Rachel was the star of a hugely popular reality show which debuted on Bravo in 2008, The Rachel Zoe Project.
Unlike many reality stars of the day, Rachel didn’t fade into obscurity — she parlayed her success into a massive lifestyle brand.
Rachel’s relationship with Rodger has been a huge part of her public persona, and fans were genuinely saddened after she disclosed their split on Instagram:
Comments were turned off – a wise decision – but fans raced over to Reddit to discuss Rachel and Rodger’s divorce.
Most were not just “bummed” by the news, they were sincerely saddened, commenting:
“Why am I so shocked by this? Why do I have feelings rn?”
“I am genuinely shocked because they seemed so in love. I hope nothing horrible happened like cheating, and it’s just two people who drifted apart.”
“I am so sad! People talk about Couple Goals, but they were actually it. I hope they are both ok. Gosh I’ve seen them together since I started my career 20 years ago. It’s a sad day.”
“This shook me.”
Although The Cut described Rachel and Rodger’s split as part of the “summer of divorce,” this particular breakup really hit fans hard — in part because the couple had been together “forever,” and seemed to be “made for each other.”
Rachel Zoe And Rodger Berman’s Relationship Timeline
They Really Have Been ‘Together Forever’
Back in August 2022, People profiled Rachel and Rodger’s then-happy marriage in a piece titled “Rachel Zoe Celebrates 31-Year Anniversary with Rodger Berman, Jokes ‘We Met in Kindergarten.'”
People quoted Zoe’s 2021 comments about her podcast with Rodger, Works For Us, which focused on relationships.
At the time, she’d said:
“We do not pretend to be any kind of trained relationship experts, but we do really understand people and relationships. Everyone, no matter who they are, is in a relationship. It doesn’t matter what kind: it’s a marriage, it’s dating, it’s best friends, it’s a mother-daughter, it’s a coworker.
“Relationships are something we’re all faced with every minute of our lives, so we felt it would be great to not only share our ‘recipe,’ but more importantly, what’s the secret sauce for everybody else? Why does it work for them?”
At that point, Rachel and Rodger had been together for three decades, having met at George Washington University in 1991.
In 1998, Rachel married Rodger, and she looked back on their wedding at Manhattan’s legendary Rainbow Room in a 2023 blog post:
“I woke up remembering this girl 25 years ago, about to walk down the aisle, wearing Isaac Mizrahi, at The Rainbow Room in New York City, and make the biggest commitment of my life! Yes, I cut bangs (bad idea) and got a henna tattoo that covered my entire arm to my finger tips that wouldn’t come off just two days before my wedding (bad idea ) …
“But, I will say that saying ‘I do’ to Rodger was the beginning of a life journey I wouldn’t change for anything … I was the one that said I would probably never get married because forever with one person seemed unfathomable. Well, here we are 25 years later and life has most definitely never been boring. Looking forward to the next 25 years of love and adventure.”
Ten years after they tied the knot, Rodger was by Rachel’s side as The Rachel Zoe Project came to fruition, appearing alongside her as her partner in love and business, and fans always saw them as “couple goals.”
During the third season of The Rachel Zoe Project, Bravo aired an episode about their “honeymoon” at New York Fashion Week.
In 2011, they had a son, Skyler, followed by son Kaius in 2013, and their relationship continued to appear strong from the outside.
In September 2021, Rodger shared an Instagram post with a carousel of images of their life together to mark Rachel’s birthday, writing:
“A true beauty inside and out. My wife and best friend. Together we are one. Happy Birthday. ❤️ @rachelzoe”
Rachel and Rodger co-signed the Instagram post announcing their split, describing it as a “mutual decision” and requesting privacy.