The death of the private split: Expert's verdict on celebrity break-ups taking centre stage on social media

The bombshell break-up of AFL star Lachie Neale and wife Jules sent shockwaves through the Australian media quickly after it was announced.

A statement posted on Jules' Instagram this month to her 93.1k followers alluded to an "unimaginable betrayal" by her husband, a sentiment that was later met with a public apology from the former Brisbane Lions co-captain for "letting his family down."

But this intense public interest in the relationship breakdown highlights a modern shift in celebrity culture; social media now magnifies personal "betrayals" that would have remained behind closed doors just two decades ago.

Relationship expert Susie Kim tells nine.com.au a distinct pattern is emerging across the digital landscape. More than ever, celebrities and influencers are using their social media platforms as a tool to "air out" their private grievances.

This trend marks a significant shift in how public figures manage their personal lives.

Rather than seeking privacy, many are now choosing to broadcast their intense feelings directly to their followers in real-time.

"Posting about a break-up within the context of social media influencing is becoming normal, and it's a bit more accepted [as opposed to a private citizen doing it]," Kim says.

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"I imagine it would feel like it's just more of a natural extension of their lives."

Jules' statement was accompanied by a blunt comment underneath an Instagram post, shared by a person some media outlets have alleged to be involved in the situation.

"Take these down, you're embarrassing yourself," Jules commented under a gallery of photos from the Brisbane Lions' 2025 Grand Final with one of her friends in the shot.

Although direct and perhaps not to everyone's taste, Jules has dealt with the marriage breakdown very publicly.

She is not the only one.

In the days before social media, celebrities would announce a breakup in a carefully-worded statement written by a PR firm and released to a magazine.

They were vague and they left no room for speculation – even if one partner had strayed from the relationship, it was hardly confirmed by the couple.

Then came the emergence of Twitter, now referred to as X, in 2006, where celebrities could post their immediate thoughts up to 140 characters.

The shift accelerated in 2010 with the launch of Instagram, which provided a new visual stage for public figures.

The 2016 debut of Instagram Stories took this a step further, allowing users to share instant updates on their location or post thinly-veiled swipes at their exes.

Today, social media is quickly becoming the place for public figures to announce a messy break-up or divorce, and they often do not hold back.

Australian influencer Kath Ebbs took to social media to vent about their very public surprise break-up from singer Jojo Siwa after watching her "cross boundaries" with a housemate on Big Brother UK.

TikTok star Lize Dzjabrailova, known online as Wizard Liz, publicly accused her fiance Landon Nickerson of cheating on her while she was pregnant, sparking intense backlash for the entrepreneur.

Even Kim Kardashian confessed she had once been cheated on in an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast.

The relationship expert said talking or posting about the situation freely could give those dealing with a betrayal a sense of control or "empowerment".

"The whole way that we share and experience our private lives has changed with social media," Kim said.

"It's really a representation of their brand and them as a person.

"If their [personal life] has changed, they often want to change how they represent themselves and their brand, especially if you are in the public eye.

"It's really shifted what the break-up experience is like."

These blunt and public call-outs on social media are unique to today's media landscape.

They are also seemingly inspiring a new type of official media statement we haven't seen before.

After her divorce from Hugh Jackman, Deborra-lee Furness went the traditional route of releasing a statement through the media; however, it was anything but vague.

"My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal," she said at the time.

"It's a profound wound that cuts deep."

Of course, this openness leaves these women vulnerable to scrutiny.

In the words of Taylor Swift, "A man does something, it's strategic. A woman does the same thing, it's calculated".

So, is the noticeable shift in statements and break-up posts calculated revenge?

Kim believes it's less complicated than that.

"I don't know if it's necessarily revenge. I think it's almost like a blown-up version of telling your friend group what happened," she said.

"Sometimes it is just a reactive action, and it could feel very justified in the moment.

"When something so intense like that has happened, your whole system is full of these feelings of grief and sadness and anger... you're not always thinking about whether what you're doing is right or wrong. You're going through something so traumatic."

Because these stars are processed by the same feelings of grief and sadness as anyone else, they often act on impulse rather than a long-term strategy.

"You see this stuff playing out amongst friendship groups when you're not in the public eye ... it's not that different," she adds.

In her view, this digital drama is simply a high-stakes version of the same conflicts that play out in everyday friendship groups – just with a much larger audience.

And with social media advancing at such a rapid rate, it's only going to progress in the years to come.

As the boundary between celebrity and follower continues to dissolve, the public's role as a 'digital jury' is likely to become a permanent fixture of every high-profile split.

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