Liam Hemsworth found out he and Miley Cyrus were separating through Instagram: report

News of Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus' separation came as a shock to fans — and, apparently, to Liam himself.

The actor learned in August that he and his wife were formally separating after seeing it on social media, according to insiders speaking to Page Six.

Although Hemsworth and Cyrus were both well aware that their marriage was disintegrating, Hemsworth had been "trying to save the marriage and wasn't ready to publicly announce" that they were moving toward divorce. He was allegedly out of the loop (and was across the world in Australia) when Cyrus' team released a statement revealing the separation.

"Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time," the statement reads. It repeatedly refers to "they," as opposed to "she" or "he," implying that it was a joint announcement.

Contrasting that narrative is a version of events from a Cyrus source, who claims that Hemsworth wasn't taken by surprise by the statement.

What's indisputable is that hours after the statement was released, photos emerged of Cyrus kissing rumored girlfriend Kaitlynn Carter. It's unclear whether Hemsworth knew that the women had struck up a physical relationship, but Cyrus has maintained that she didn't cheat on her husband.

Both Cyrus and Hemsworth, who shared a Malibu home, were out of the country at the time of the announcement; Cyrus was in Italy with Carter, and Hemsworth was in his home country of Australia.

The former couple wed in late December 2018 after a decade-long on-and-off relationship, and there were few public indicators of marital strife: They attended the Met Gala together in May and a Saint Laurent fashion show in June, and few noticed the occasional paparazzi photos that showed them without rings.