9 Celebs Who Gave Their Partners an Ultimatum Regarding Their Relationships and How It's Going for Them

Relationships are undoubtedly one of the most complicated parts of life. When you're in a relationship, you're not just considering your own needs and wants; you also have to take the other person's needs and wants into account.

Many of the plans and decisions you make will no longer involve just you. That's probably why a lot of people advise others to take relationships slowly to get to know the other person better.

Indeed, giving yourself enough time to grow accustomed to each other and to the quirks of the other person has its benefits. One of those benefits may be having enough time to address the significant differences you both have.

In every relationship, those differences can pose challenges. Whether it's when to have a child, when to get married, or what things are exclusive to whom, these issues can drastically change the course of a relationship, and many celebs know that dilemma all too well.

Some celebs just go with the flow, but others—oh no. Others set an ultimatum.

They wanted that crystal-clear answer, and we can't blame them for it. Here are 9 celebs who set an ultimatum in their relationships and how it's going for them so far.

1. Cardi B and Offset

Before Cardi B and Offset had their first child, Cardi set an ultimatum for the Migos rapper. She explained that while they were still in the dating stage, Offset told her that he was sure she would have his baby one day, but Cardi didn't want to do that until she had a ring on his finger.

"We were making out, and he was like, ‘You’re going to have my baby one day,’ and I was like, ‘We aren’t having any baby. You have to marry me,’ and he was like, ‘Alright, let’s get married,’” Cardi told Essence.

While Cardi laid out the conditions, the couple still didn't get married until she brought it up in the middle of an argument. She reminded him that he said he was going to marry her, and guess what?

He did! The couple finally tied the knot in September 2017 in the bedroom of Offset's Atlanta home and welcomed their daughter Kulture the following year.

Cbs Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images

2. Nick and Vanessa Lachey

The couple had been together for five years when Vanessa decided they were ready to take the next step in their relationship. In an episode of The Ultimatum, she explained that they had already moved in together and she was ready to settle down.

"We dated for five years. So I finally said, 'What are we doing?' I had moved in with him, I had renovated his entire bachelor pad, there was a bar in the pool, I was like, 'Whatever you want,' and now I'm like, 'Okay, I want to put kids in the pool,'" Vanessa shared.

At that time, however, they weren't on the same page, so they decided to take a break. They each dated one other person but realized that "if we got out of our own way, we could be amazing together."

"It took me seeing somebody else and realizing I don't mind the things that bugged me or were holding me back. I don't mind all that; the bigger picture is how I feel about that person and their values of wanting to be with me and knowing everything about me," Vanessa concluded. Jim Spellman / Getty Images

3. Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner

Joe Jonas says that Sophie issued an ultimatum before they started dating, and it was actually quite a fun one. It was all about Harry Potter.

Joe explained that she told him that if they were going to be together, he had to agree to watch all the Harry Potter movies, and, of course, he obliged.

"Sophie said, 'Look, if we're going to get married' — and it was actually, 'If you're going to date me, you have to watch the Harry Potters.' Because every Christmas, for those of you who don't know, every Christmas in the UK, they just stream and play Harry Potter, all of them. So I watched them all, and I fell in love with it," Joe said on The Late Late Show with James Corden.Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images For Louis Vuitton

4. Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum

After meeting on the set of Step Up, Jenna decided that she had to be frank about what she wanted out of the relationship.

"I did the whole, 'Look, if you want to date other people and be free, that's fine, but we're not going to 'hang out' and 'watch movies' and all this other stuff. You've got to figure out what you want, because I want to be in a relationship,'" she recalled on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

She didn't get an answer right away, but after Channing had a wild night out with the rest of the crew, he realized that no matter how much freedom he had, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He ended up showing up at her hotel room in his underwear at 2 a.m. to tell her he was ready to be in a relationship with her.

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5. Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves

Before they got married, the couple had a lot of serious discussions about their marriage. They engaged in many spiritual conversations and consulted their pastor and people who had been married and divorced.

The actor also admitted that it took him a while to reach the point where he saw it as "more than just the thing to do." He said it got to the point where Camila had to issue an ultimatum.

"It took her going, 'C’mon, Big Boy, Mr. Easygoing-We’ll-Get-to-It-When-We-Get-to-It. Either shit or get off the pot,'" Matthew told GQ.Rick Kern / WireImage

6. Diane Keaton and Al Pacino

After connecting on the set of The Godfather, the two dated for five years before calling it quits. During the relationship, Diane said that she was madly in love with him, but she couldn't convince him to settle down.

When Al wouldn't commit to marriage, she gave him an ultimatum, which sadly ended the relationship.

"I worked hard on that one. I went about it in not a perfect way," Diane told People.Robin Platzer / Getty Images

7. Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre

Early in their relationship, Idris admitted that he had trouble controlling his emotions. Instead of working through their issues, the actor often gave Sabrina an ultimatum to leave if she didn't like his behavior.

"Sabrina and I, very early in our relationship, I was very stressed, so I had these massive anger tantrums that were like explosions. She was like, 'Who are you?' I was always the first to say, 'Hey, if you're not happy, leave. Move.' It was kind of like a male instinct," Idris said on their Audible podcast Coupledom. 

Thankfully, Idris realized his mistakes and that they should work together to resolve their problems instead of just calling it quits. He says that after that challenging year, they're now stronger than ever.

David M. Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images for Annabel's

8. Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster

When the two got together, Rod had just gotten out of a marriage and was playing the field, but Penny didn't want that. She didn't want to put up with his games and told him that if she was going to be his girlfriend, she had to be the only girlfriend.

“So when I became his girlfriend, I didn't want to be just a girlfriend; I wanted to be the girlfriend, or else it wasn’t good enough for me. I didn’t want to play games, so I remember right from the very beginning I said, ‘If you mess it up — look, I understand if you want to go out with other girlfriends, tell me and I’ll find someone else — but please don’t do that to me.' I made the rules pretty clear, and if you’re happy to live under the terms I want to have a relationship in, then great," Penny recalled on Loose Women. David M. Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images

9. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend

Before they got married, Chrissy actually issued a public ultimatum to John, but it was all done in good humor, of course. Back then, their wedding date kept getting pushed back more and more, and in an interview at that time, Chrissy said that if it didn't happen by the end of the year, she was leaving.

"We keep pushing the date... If it's not this year, I'm out," Chrissy told The New York Daily News. 

Soon after, however, Chrissy revealed that the ultimatum was just a joke and that she didn't even care about getting married.

Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

When you're in a relationship, clear answers and clear expectations are very important. They can help you and your partner determine if you are on the same page or if you're completely off tangent from each other.

While an ultimatum might not work for everyone, it might be worth a try in some cases; however, use it with caution. It's a serious matter to issue an ultimatum, so use it sparingly.