Kim Kardashian To Zooey Deschanel: Anatomy Of A Celebrity Breakup

It was a big week for celebrity news. It was an even bigger week for those who follow the life of Kim Kardashian. When news broke that she had filed for divorce from her hubby of 72 days, Kris Humphries, it seemed like the world stopped for all things Kardashian.

As the news cycle works to keep up with Kardashian and her bombshell announcement, the way in which it all shook out — from the rumors to the revelation about the dissolution of her relationship — seems to fit some sort of celebrity breakup template.

First there was the tabloid chatter, then the announcement, then Kim addressed it in a blog statement, then her mom/manager spoke out on her behalf and Kim touched on it in an Australian radio interview before elaborating just a bit more on a morning news program.

While it all seems very much in the vein of some celebrity PR handbook, Howard Bragman, vice chairman of Reputation.com, noted that it's actually not that contrived. "They are all different. There is no one particular [plan]. That's not the way it works," he explained to MTV News. "Every relationship is different and everyone has to announce it and handle it differently for different reasons."

He did say, however, that "there's usually a trigger." For Kim and Kris, it was several sightings of the pair separated and ringless that sparked the debate. "It may be a report to a media outlet; it may be the divorce option; it may be seeing somebody without their wedding ring; it may be dating somebody else," Bragman said. "But every couple has a different DNA."

Once those reports did surface, the Kardashian camp was already working toward the next step, according to David Caplan, former editor at People and Star magazines. "When that seed was planted, I'm sure Kim's camp was already on alert that the stories were going to increase," he explained. "At the time, it was unclear that the stories were true. When these stories come out that appear to be true, it actually puts the PR team in a bit of a crisis to a certain degree because you never want to give validity to tabloid stories."

Believe it or not, Kim isn't the only celebrity who announced her divorce this week. "New Girl" star Zooey Deschanel and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard also announced their breakup. So, was it a good week to bury their bad news?

"I feel Zooey occupies such a different world in the celebrity realm that I don't know if that would even be intentional, even if there was no Kim announcement this week," Caplan noted.

"It's a similar story, but they don't occupy the same celebrity realm. But I think someone who got the short end of the stick and maybe she did that intentionally, but I don't think so, is Jessica Simpson announcing her pregnancy the same day. But it seems like Jessica was going to do it regardless on Halloween, just given how she did it. It's not so much the story, but the celebrity in question."

How much PR planning do you think is involved in celebrity breakup announcements? Tell us in the comments.