The New York Times has been flamed for publishing a story centered around a non-binary violinist who dumped their husband before spending the night with his 'mistress' amid their unconventional divorce.
Critics slammed the September article for portraying Gen Z's stance on divorce as nonchalant and shameless.
In a Daily Caller op-ed, author Mary Rooke pointed out what she saw as a fatal flaw with the NY Times piece - that the leading divorce story was hardly a divorce at all.
'What Does Gen Z Divorce Look Like?' opens with an anecdote from Seattle-based violinist Kira Benson, who uses they/them pronouns.
They had been a part of a lavender marriage - which has historically referred to partners who are concealing their true sexual orientation - for two years and decided it was time to call it quits in 2021.
Benson and their husband were not technically married, but in a domestic partnership.
In this arrangement, Benson said their husband had a 'mistress,' who they 'co-dumped' their husband with.
Post-break-up, Benson and the 'mistress' spent the night together, 'eating a lot of junk food, playing a lot of Animal Crossing,' she told the NY Times.
Critics slammed the September article for portraying Gen Z's stance on divorce as nonchalant and shameless.
Divorce has also been de-stigmatized in the mainstream, with stars including Emily Ratajkowski flaunting 'divorce rings.'
'The New York Times featured a divorce story that wasn't actually a divorce because the couple (or couples?) weren't legally married, but were simply living together,' Rooke wrote.
'The story is enough to make your head spin.'
Rooke also pointed to a recent Cosmopolitan piece titled 'Gen Z Is Getting Divorced, With the Help of AI,' which details how young divorcees have turned to tools like ChatGPT to draft legal agreements for their splits.
Rooke claimed that neither the NY Times nor the Cosmo story featured a 'normal working person working a traditional' job.
She suggested that those members of the generation 'are either not married or happily married to their normal husbands, living quiet lives together.'
Beyond the articles themselves, Rooke expressed frustration with what she sees as the general mindset carried by Gen Z that prioritizes mental health.
She said that children are now taught to prioritize emotional wellness, but this results in young people being more likely to cut people from their lives instead of working through issues.
Jackie Combs, a family law and divorce lawyer, told the NY Times that the 'taboo of getting divorces is long gone.'
Another lawyer, Grant Moher, said traditionally common reasons for divorce, such as infidelity, have been cited less and less in recent years.
'I definitely have seen people divorcing for reasons that are more mental-health-focused,' Moher told the NY Times.
In a Daily Caller op-ed, author Mary Rooke pointed out what she saw as a fatal flaw with the NY Times piece - that the leading divorce story was hardly a divorce at all.
Critics vocalized their thoughts on the NY Times piece on X.
Divorce has also been de-stigmatized in the mainstream, with stars including Sophie Turner and Emily Ratajkowski flaunting 'divorce rings,' made out of what were originally their engagement rings.
Ratajkowski finalized her three-year-long divorce from Sebastian Bear-McClard over the summer.
After the model actress filed for divorce in 2022 - four years after they tied the knot - she appeared carefree as she was seen in the Hamptons celebrating the Gucci obsession campaign.
Joe Jonas and Turner solidified their divorce last September, marking the official end to the five-year marriage that the judge ruled was 'irretrievably damaged.'
But the NY Times article caught backlash beyond the Daily Caller, with readers saying they were left confused rather than with a newfound understanding of Gen Z divorces.
'Reading this NYT article about divorce in Gen Z and the lead example is almost too much for me to bear lmao,' one man wrote on X.
'What in the absolute Gen Z did I just read?' another chimed in. Someone else remarked: 'Today's edition of 'Is it satire or is it just 2025?"'
'Why on Gods green earth do you torture your brain reading NYT?' one man bluntly asked.