The 19-Day Marriage of a Teenage Hollywood Star
Married at 19, divorced at 19
Key Facts
What Happened
Drew Barrymore was 19 years old when she married 31-year-old Los Angeles bar owner Jeremy Thomas on March 20, 1994. The couple had met at Thomas's bar, The Room, where Barrymore was a regular customer. After approximately six weeks of dating, they decided to get married. At that point in her life, Barrymore had already survived childhood stardom, addiction, and emancipation from her parents at age 15.
The marriage lasted just 19 days before the couple separated. Barrymore formally filed for divorce in May 1994, and the dissolution was finalized in 1995. In interviews, Barrymore later called Thomas 'the devil' and suggested he had been interested primarily in her money and celebrity status.
According to the unauthorized 2000 biography Happily Ever After: The Drew Barrymore Story, the marriage was partly motivated by a desire to help Thomas secure a green card, though this claim was never officially confirmed. Thomas virtually disappeared from public life after the divorce, surfacing only for a Radar Online interview in 2018.
Barrymore went on to marry twice more: to comedian Tom Green in 2001, lasting five months, and to Will Kopelman in 2012, lasting four years. She has since publicly stated she will never marry again, describing the 'shame around divorce' as something she had to work through over many years. Her first marriage at 19 remains one of the shortest celebrity marriages on record.
Legal Breakdown: Impulsive marriages by young adults and the importance of prenuptial agreements
Youth and Impulsive Marriage
While 19 is legally old enough to marry without parental consent in all U.S. states, the brain's prefrontal cortex, responsible for long-term decision-making, does not fully develop until approximately age 25. Courts see a disproportionate number of divorces from marriages entered into by very young adults, and short marriage duration is a factor in property division and support calculations.
Prenuptial Agreements for High-Net-Worth Individuals
Barrymore, already a Hollywood star with significant earnings, entered the marriage without a prenuptial agreement after only six weeks of dating. For individuals with substantial assets or earning potential, prenuptial agreements provide essential protection against claims by a spouse in the event of a short marriage.
Immigration-Related Marriage Claims
Allegations that the marriage was partly motivated by immigration considerations raise serious legal issues. Marriage fraud for immigration purposes is a federal crime carrying penalties of up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. However, these claims were never substantiated in the Barrymore-Thomas case.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →A brief dating period before marriage significantly increases the risk of rapid divorce
- →Prenuptial agreements are essential for individuals with substantial assets, especially when marrying quickly
- →Young age at marriage is one of the strongest predictors of divorce, regardless of celebrity status
- →The emotional aftermath of divorce, including shame, can persist for years and influence future relationship decisions
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.