A Resurfaced Report Shows Just How Hesitant Donald Trump's Pals Were About His Marriage to Marla Maples
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If Donald Trump and Marla Maples’ marriage had succeeded, they would be celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. It’s hard to believe that the Dec. 20, 1993, ceremony at New York City’s Plaza Hotel was three decades ago, but many of the guests at the wedding seemed a bit hesitant that this union was a good idea in the first place.
Maples had already given birth to daughter Tiffany just two months before, and their family was officially complete once she and Donald Trump walked down the aisle. But the shadow of his first wife, Ivana Trump, and his affair with Maples loomed in the background, and even in the couple’s New York Times wedding article. The media outlet couldn’t help but take a dig at the situation, noting back in 1993, “The bride is taking her husband’s name. The bridegroom is keeping his name, The Donald, a legacy from his former wife, Ivana. Ivana Trump is keeping her cool on the ski slopes of Aspen.”
There were A-List Manhattan celebrities in attendance, including Rosie O’Donnell, O.J. Simpson, and Howard Stern — people he no longer counts as friends in 2023. The guests seemed to have no problem giving their opinions to a national newspaper on how long this marriage would last, and the comments were surprisingly snarky. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous TV host Robin Leach remarked, “This is the equivalent of Westminster Abbey tonight. It’s Charles and Diana all over again. You know what happened with that.” And Stern frankly shared, “It’s probably in bad taste, but I give it four months.”
The bride looked stunning, and the groom dressed in his black-tie finest, but even the average New Yorker was stunned by the nuptials. Passerby Doris Weinstein said incredulously, “They’re getting married?” When she was told by The New York Times that Maples had already given birth to Tiffany and was now Mrs. Trump, Weinstein said not so enthusiastically, “Oh. Well, give them my best.” The dynamic duo would have a tumultuous time together, including her rumored affair with his bodyguard in 1996, and their eventual split in 1997. They were officially divorced by 1999, which was far longer than Stern ever predicted.
Before you go, click here to see the longest celebrity divorces that took years to get finalized.