Since their breakup, fans have had questions over why Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin divorced and the real reason for their split.
Flavin filed for divorce from Stallone after 25 years of marriage at a court in Palm Beach County, Florida, on August 19, 2022. The former couple, who married in 1997 after nine years of dating, share three daughters: Scarlet, 20, Sistine, 24, and Sophia, 25. Stallone also shares a son named Seargeoh with his first wife, Sasha Czack, whom he was married to 1974 to 1985. He also had a son named Sage, who died in 2012. He shared Sage with ex Starlin Wright. “I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues,” Stallone said in a statement to People after news of his divorce from Flavin.
Flavin, for her part, told People about how “sad” she is to divorce Stallone after more two decades of marriage. “I’m sad to announce that after 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone. While we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30-year relationship that we shared, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters. I ask for privacy for our family as we amicably move forward,” she said.
Stallone and Flavin’s divorce comes three months after they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in May 2022. “Happy 25th anniversary to my amazing wife,” Stallone captioned a series of Instagram photos of him and his then-wife. “There is not enough words to describe what this incredibly selfless dedicated, patient, woman has meant to our lives and I only wish they could be another 25! Thank you sweetheart!”
Flavin captioned her own post, “Happy 25th wedding anniversary to us! 🥰❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for always keeping me laughing, loving and protecting our beautiful family! Our marriage keeps getting better every year! I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together! 🥰❤️❤️❤️” Flavin’s post has since been deleted.
So why did Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin divorce? Read on for what we know about Stallone and Flavin’s split and why they decided to end their marriage.
Image: Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic.
Why did Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin divorce?
Why did Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin divorce? Flavin filed for “for dissolution of marriage and other relief” from Stallone at a court in Palm Beach County, Florida, on August 19, 2022, according to documents obtained by TMZ. The site also reported that Flavin—who requested exclusive domain over her and Stallone’s Palm Beach, Florida, house throughout the divorce proceedings—accused Stallone of the “waste of marital assets” throughout their relationship. Under Florida divorce law, the allegation relates to excessive spending or borrowing by a spouse.
“Upon information and belief, the Husband has engaged in the intentional dissipation, depletion and/or waste of marital assets which has had an adverse economic impact on the marital estate. Pursuant to Section 61.075, Florida Statues, equity dictates that the Wife be compensated and made whole by receiving an unequal distribution of the marital assets in her favor. Moreover, the Husband should be enjoined from, selling, transferring, assigning, encumbering, or dissipating any assets during the pendency of proceedings,” the documents state, according to TMZ, which reported that Stallone denies any financial wrongdoing in his marriage.
TMZ also reported that Flavin asked the judge to prohibit Stallone from moving assets from their shared marital accounts, as well as requested that her last name be restored to her maiden name. So why did Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin divorce? TMZ reported on August 24, 2022, that Flavin filed for divorce after an argument with Stallone over whether he could get a new dog. Sources told the site that Stallone wanted to get a Rottweiler for protection for their family but Flavin wanted another dog. TMZ reported that the argument over the dog led to the discussion of other issues in Stallone and Flavin’s marriage. Stallone, however, denied to TMZ in August 2022 that he and Flavin split over a dog. “We did not end the relationship on such a trivial argument,” he said. “We just went in different direction. I have the highest respect for Jennifer. I will always love her. She’s an amazing woman. She’s the nicest human being I’ve ever met.”
Stallone and Flavin’s divorce also came after the Rocky actor covered a tattoo of his estranged wife on his arm with an image of his late dog, Butkus. Stallone’s representative denied to The Daily Mail that tattoo cover-up was a jab toward Flavin. “Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer; however, the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable,” the representative said. Stallone also confirmed in an Instagram post on August 8, 2022, that he had gotten a new dog, which he named Dwight. “‘DWIGHT’ Definitely a true friend! KeepPunching And Keep barking!” he captioned a series of photos of him and his new dog.
A source also told People on August 25, 2022, that Stallone and Flavin had “issues for years” before their divorce. “It really wasn’t just one issue that made her file for divorce,” the insider said. “They have had lots of issues for years and she just had enough.” The insider added that Flavin and Stallone “keep having disagreements that Jen feels will never resolve,” and that Flavin “got sick of spinning in a circle.”
Another source also told People about how Flavin and Stallone had been “unhappy” in their marriage for a while before they decided to call it quits.”They’ve been unhappy for quite some time and had had discussions about waiting for their kids to be older to officially split,” the insider said. As for how Flavin is doing now, the source added, “Jen is doing okay,” says the first source. “A divorce is never an easy choice and not fun to deal with, but she feels it’s for the best.”
Sources also told TMZ that Stallone was “shocked” when Flavin filed for divorce and he believed the two could work out their differences. The site also reported that Stallone, Flavin and their three daughters were filming a 10-episode reality show when Flavin filed for divorce and had already recorded nine episodes. After she filed for divorce, Flavin also posted an Instagram photo of her and her daughters—Sistine, Scarlet and Sophia—with the caption: “These girls are my priority ❤️ nothing else matters. The 4 of us forever🤍🙏🏻 #truth #family #forever.”
Image: Getty Images. Design: Sasha Purdy/STYLECASTER.