Marriage proposals don’t always end in an enthusiastic “YES!” Sometimes — no matter how long you’ve been together or how great your partner may appear — there are circumstances that might lead you to say no.
With that in mind, here are some celebrities who declined their partner’s marriage proposal and why.
1.
HGTV star Christina Haack got engaged to Josh Hall in September 2021 after six months of dating — but it turned out that wasn’t the first time he proposed. As Christina recently told People, Josh popped the question earlier in their relationship, but she said no. “The first time he proposed, I said no, and he threw the ring in the pool,” Christina shared. “That was probably red flag number one.”
2.
After their 2013 breakup, Lewis Hamilton reportedly made one final attempt to salvage his relationship with Nicole Scherzinger — by proposing. At that point, the racecar driver and former Pussycat Dolls singer had been together for five years. According to a source, Lewis “proposed to Nicole on the beach in Malibu” with a Cartier ring “to win her back” — but Nicole said no. “Just after their 5-year anniversary [in June 2013], something happened,” the source said. “Nicole called it quits—saying she would never get back with Lewis.”
4.
In 2009, Britney Spears reportedly asked her then-boyfriend, manager Jason Trawick, to marry her, but Jason declined. According to Marie Claire, Jason took marriage “very seriously,” and at that point, they had only recently begun dating. Britney had also already been married twice.
5.
In a 2024 interview with People, Usher revealed that he once proposed to Chilli — and was turned down. “I wanted to marry her,” he said. “I proposed, and she told me no.” The two were together from 2001 to 2004, and while Chilli hasn’t gone into detail about that particular moment, she has been open about the issues that ultimately led to their breakup. She told People, “We definitely had some chemistry. But working chemistry does not mean it works in your personal life. If we were working, it was great. But outside of that, we’re so different.”
6.
Halle Berry technically didn’t decline Van Hunt’s proposal — but she didn’t exactly say yes, either. As Van put it, “It’s just out there floating.”
7.
Denzel Washington proposed to his wife, Pauletta, three times before she eventually said yes. “You heard it here first,” he told Access Hollywood in 2013 (via HuffPost). “She turned me down, she said ‘no’. And since it was three times, that means she turned me down twice.” The pair eventually married in 1983 and are still going strong today with four children: Katia, Olivia, Malcolm, and John David.
8.
According to the biography Sinatra: The Chairman, Frank Sinatra once “wanted to marry” Marilyn Monroe. His longtime aide, Jilly Rizzo, claimed Frank hoped he could help Marilyn through the personal struggles she was battling at the time, but she reportedly said no — apparently because she had privately reconciled with her second husband, Joe DiMaggio.
9.
Jenna Bush Hager once drunkenly proposed to Henry Hager after just three months of dating. “I might’ve had a Christmas cocktail,” she told Hoda Kotb, “and we were dancing, and I said, ‘This is it, I know it, let’s just get married, what are we waiting for?’ He smiled and was like, ‘I’m crazy about you, but you’re young.'” Henry eventually proposed in 2007. They got married in 2008 and now have three kids together.
10.
According to reports, soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović once proposed to his longtime partner, Helena Seger — and was gently turned down. In 2023, he told Piers Morgan, “This was a couple of years ago, because I said, ‘After 20 years, you deserve to be married with me.'” But Helena didn’t see it that way. “She said, ‘I don’t need to be married with you, to be with you,'” he recalled. “She is strong, she is very strong.” The couple continues to live a happy, committed life with their two kids, Maximilian, 19, and Vincent, 17.
11.
And finally, singer Chynna Phillips Baldwin was “so in love” and “certain” about Billy Baldwin that she proposed to him within a year of dating — but it didn’t go the way she planned. “I literally proposed to Billy and he said no,” she said on her California Preachin’ YouTube channel. “Well, he didn’t say no, he just said, ‘Oh, you’re so sweet. That is so sweet of you.'” Chynna said she felt “heartbroken and livid and disgusted” over his reaction, but they were able to work through those challenges and went on to marry in 1995. They’ve now been married for over 30 years and have three children together: Jameson, Brooke, and Vance.
Know of any other celebrities who declined their partner’s marriage proposal? Tell me in the comments!
