Have you heard of the “Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx?” Basically, it’s a belief that an appearance on the magazine’s cover is the kiss of death. In fact, over the years it has been noted that bad things have happened to people soon after they appeared on the cover. Well, move over “Sports Illustrated,” it seems MTV is joining the jinx club.
Less than 24 hours ago, yet another MTV reality show couple filed for divorce. PEOPLE magazine is reporting that drummer Travis Barker has filed for divorce from his wife Shanna Moakler. MTV cameras documented the couple’s extravagant wedding and subsequent daily activities for the reality show “Meet the Barkers.”
I confess I did catch a couple episodes when the show premiered in 2005. They were a very… let’s just say they were an “interesting” family. Travis Barker is a well-known drummer for the band blink-182 (which is on hiatus) and Moakler is a former Miss USA turned actress. Both shared a love for tattoos and Gothic furniture. In fact, they married in a “Nightmare Before Christmas”-inspired ceremony on Halloween eve in 2004. They have a 2-year-old son and a 7-month-old daughter (who was conceived during filming of the show’s first season). Moakler also has a 7-year-old daughter with her ex-fiancé, boxer Oscar de la Hoya. By all accounts it seemed as though they loved each other very much. They were very affectionate with each other, though I did notice that Travis would get very upset when his wife nagged him about not spending much time with the family.
The Barker’s divorce filing comes on the heels of a recent announcement from Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro about the demise of their marriage. Their lavish nuptials were documented on the 2004 MTV reality show “‘Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave.” And, of course, the granddaddy of all reality show breakups–Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. The superstar pair paved the way for other reality shows based on love and marriage… and now (it seems) divorce. Could an appearance on MTV be the cause of a these failed marriages?