Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin will go down as one of the most annoying celebrity couples of all time. I don't know what it was about them, but there was something so smug and pretentious about the two of them together that they managed to get under the skin of a lot of people.
Whether it was their 'holistic' approach to life, the fact that they 'consciously uncoupled', or that they started the awful trend of celebrity baby names by calling their child "Apple", the Martin-Paltrow axis was hard to deal with.
So, due to the fact that they had an impeccable ability to grind people's gears, it will come as no surprise that Gwyneth Paltrow's baby name for Chris Martin is stomach-churning. The actress, singer, food writer and 'lifestyle guru' is one of the least relatable celebrities in the world, with her delivering iconic gems such as “When I pass a flowering zucchini plant in a garden, my heart skips a beat," and her latest act has done absolutely nothing to shed that tag.
Taking to her Instagram account the other day, Paltrow wished her ex-husband happy birthday. While this may seem like a nice thing to do, her choice of phrasing confused a lot of people. It appears that Paltrow refers to Martin as her 'Brother' - a term that is undoubtedly weird, but given the 'woke' nature of the couple, it's hardly surprising.
Not only does Paltrow refer to Martin as her brother in the post, but she also thanks him for giving her their two children. Understandably, fans of Paltrow were left perplexed by her nickname for her former-husband, with one user saying, "The choice words is as strange if not more so than 'conscious uncoupling.' Maybe you need someone to manage your social media for you? Just a suggestion. Your kids have to live with these posts... as does your 'brother'."
Another user added a new dimension to the relationship, asking that if Martin is Paltrow's brother, "that makes him their "uncle", right...?"
It wasn't just Instagram which was left in a state of confusion, Twitter users were also busy trying to get their heads around the terminology, with plenty of people thinking that it is just wrong to refer to the man you used to have sex with as your "brother."
It's not the first time that Gwyn has managed to put her foot in her mouth through some questionable terminology. In 2014, the actress caused a stir after saying that being an actress is harder than being a "regular" mom.
“I think it’s different when you have an office job, because it’s routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening,” she said.
“When you’re shooting a movie, they’re like, ‘We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks,’ and then you work 14 hours a day, and that part of it is very difficult. I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course, there are challenges, but it’s not like being on set.”
Obviously, Paltrow's reference to Martin as her 'brother' is nothing short of weird. But, despite the terminology, it's nice to see that the two stars have remained amicable for the sake of their children.