Diva smackdown: Madonna vs. Mariah

Bad marriages

Madonna’s marriage to hot-tempered actor Sean Penn lasted only four years, from 1985 to 1989, before ending in divorce. Mariah’s marriage lasted a similar length of time, but was much more influential in shaping her early career: she got hitched to the man credited with discovering her, Sony Music mogul Tommy Mottola, in 1993. Madonna eventually remarried, to British filmmaker Guy Ritchie; Mariah remains single, although she is now reportedly engaged to actor Nick Cannon.

Advantage: Madonna. Sean Penn may be a jerk, but at least he didn’t try to orchestrate his wife’s entire career, as Mottola apparently did with Mariah.