Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Who's Really Behind The Prevent Celebrity Divorce Billboards
It turns out that the mysterious billboards that starting popping up around L.A. with messages directed at celebrities asking them to stop divorcing are all part of a marketing ploy—for a reality TV show.
The billboards, which were made to look as if they were coming from the Society For The Prevention of Celebrity Divorce (a fake organization which already had a ridiculous name to begin with), were part of an advertising campaign for the show, Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars, according to a WE tv press release. It's the type of show that helps "celebrities" (from reality shows like Jersey Shore and The Bachelor) repair their marriages.
The signs now have a new message over them that direct Angelenos to check out the new TV show that premieres this week on the network.
Originally, the billboards read like open letters to Hollywood stars, asking them to stop "consciously uncoupling" (a jab at Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's recent separation) to save the relationships of common folk who looked up to celebs and followed in their footsteps. They had a very authoritative-looking guy (who could have been a stand-in for a lawyer who advertises his services on late-night TV commercials), J. Robert Butler, as the spokesman for the billboards. The marketing folks even created a detailed website with a back story on Butler's fake crusade to save celebrity marriages; he wrote on the website that it stemmed from how he was saddened when his daughter got divorced.
This feels like the WE tv folks may have followed in the footsteps of comedian Nathan Fielder, who was the mastermind behind the Dumb Starbucks store that popped up in Los Feliz in February and turned out to be a stunt. We'll dub this one as "Dumb Billboards."
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
