Celebrity Couples Embrace Separate Bedrooms to Strengthen Marriages

Celebrity couples have long shared one secret to sustaining their marriages: sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Alex Cooper, host of "Call Her Daddy," and her husband, Matt Kaplan, have slept separately this week as tension builds in their two-year marriage. Reports tie the strain to rumors of employee mistreatment at their production company, Unwell Network. Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Cooper for comment.

Experts say separate bedrooms can fortify relationships when couples choose them deliberately, countering old ideas that the setup signals problems.

"The assumption that separate bedrooms mean trouble is rooted in outdated beliefs and social conditioning around intimacy," said Xanet Pailet, a certified sexologist and author of "The Sex & Intimacy Repair Kit." "In reality, context is everything. If sleeping separately happens because of conflict or avoidance, it can definitely be a red flag. But when it’s a mutual, intentional choice, it’s often a sign of self-awareness and respect for your partner."

Country star Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy also sleep in separate bedrooms. Other couples include Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden, Bette Midler and Martin von Haselberg, Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey, and Barbara Corcoran and Bill Higgins.

"We should normalize separate bedrooms," Diaz said on Molly Sims' podcast "Lipstick on the Rim" in 2023. "To me, I would literally – I have my house, you have yours. We have the family house in the middle. I will go and sleep in my room. You go sleep in your room. I’m fine."

Midler said in 2024 that she and her husband of 41 years have slept in separate rooms since the start since he snores. "It's been a fabulous ride," she added.

Billy Baldwin and wife Chynna Phillips live separately during their 30-year marriage.

"Separate beds have existed in couples' relationships for centuries, although they haven't been considered a relationship trend yet," said Brie Temple, COO and chief matchmaker at Tawkify. "What has changed today is the public discussion of sleeping alone, with people rethinking what is a 'healthy' relationship. While the trend is becoming increasingly popular due to an evolving understanding of a modern romantic partnership, it is not a new phenomenon."

"In contemporary society, couples tend to design their relationships to accommodate the individuals' unique needs, which may include separate bedrooms. Therefore, the practice is indeed rising in popularity while receiving positive feedback and becoming increasingly accepted."

"I’m seeing this more and more, and I view it as a positive shift toward de-stigmatizing how relationships 'should' look," Pailet said.

The approach can deepen intimacy, experts note.

"What I actually see is that couples who sleep apart tend to be more intentional about intimacy," Pailet said. "When you’re not relying on your bed partner's proximity, you have to choose connection, and that often leads to better communication, deeper emotional closeness, and more satisfying physical intimacy. Sleeping separately doesn’t create disconnection; but lack of intention does. Done well, it can improve sleep, reduce resentment, and strengthen the relationship overall."

Corcoran said in March 2024 on "Today With Hoda & Jenna" that she and her husband have slept separately since their relationship began. "I have to invite him in — he invites me in occasionally," she said. Their separate spaces add to the "sexiness" of their bond.

Cuoco cited schedules on the "Armchair Expert" podcast in February. "Tom is a night owl. Goes to bed very late," she said. "I go to bed earlier because I’m the one who gets up [with our daughter, Matilda,] in the morning. … We’re totally on different sleeping schedules."

She called it a "game-changer." "He sleeps great. No dogs in his way," Cuoco said. "I’m up with Matilda at 7 a.m., she comes in bed with me, I can turn things on. We don’t have to worry about waking him up. … It just works for us."

"Sleeping in different rooms enables couples to maintain good health, avoid conflicts related to sleep, and be emotionally and physically ready for the day ahead," Temple said. "Thus, the decision positively impacts a romantic relationship by reducing stress associated with sleeping at night."