Divorce-tok: Creators find community and healing by sharing heartbreak online
Social media creators are openly documenting their divorces, building supportive communities and challenging stigma around marital breakdowns.
On feeds often filled with polished, picture-perfect content, a growing number of creators are choosing raw honesty. They are turning their divorces into digital diaries, sharing the emotional and practical upheavals in real time. This trend, dubbed "divorce-tok" on TikTok, has become a space for both healing and connection.
Monette Wagner, a 36-year-old mother of three and professional photographer in Indianapolis, is among them. In one video she says, "Divorce can feel like a death." Her posts cover learning to manage finances independently, navigating co-parenting, and rebuilding her identity. She also shares lighter moments, like rediscovering teenage passions such as skateboarding and DJing. "I wanted to show my kids that you can still be strong even through these hard days," she says, adding that she now feels more confident and resilient.
Jen Hamilton, a labor and delivery nurse with over 5 million TikTok followers, has shared the "nitty-gritty" of her divorce, including her husband's "double life." She mixes tears and jokes, and marked what would have been her 14th anniversary with a "Jendependence Day" party, burning her bedsheets with friends. "If I share my pain with you, I don't feel so alone," she explains.
Alex Daly, a 41-year-old creator in Philadelphia, started posting three years after her divorce to reach those "still in the thick of it." She says followers often thank her for making them feel "normal."
Experts note that while divorce can be hard to discuss with family, online communities offer accessible support. Tasha R. Dunn, a professor at the University of Toledo, points out that few local support groups exist, but online, "you can find people who've literally shared your same experience."
However, lawyers warn of risks. Jackie Combs, a family law attorney in Los Angeles, advises against sharing personal grievances publicly, as content can be used as evidence. Still, she sees social media as key to destigmatizing divorce, showing it's "not the end, it's just a pivot."
Creators also face trolling. Daly has been accused of "ruining people's lives," but she stays motivated, saying the negativity "just proves that there is still a stigma," and she wants to show that divorce "can actually be an amazing beginning."