He said that reason for their divorce is simply due to the couple just going “in different directions.”
After 25 years of marriage, Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin are getting divorced.
Flavin, 54, filed a petition "for dissolution of marriage and other relief" from the Rocky actor, 76, on August 19, 2022, at a court in Palm Beach County, Florida, reports PEOPLE.
"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," Flavin said, in a statement.
"I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues," stated Stallone.
While the reason for their separation hasn't been made public, a source close to the couple shared that a massive fight between them over a dog is what led to Flavin filing for divorce, per TMZ.
Stallone, 76, apparently got a Rottweiler, named Dwight, for “protection for their family.” However, Flavin wasn't too keen on having another dog. The couple couldn't come to a compromise because they “fiercely stuck to their positions.”
This caused “an extremely heated argument that brought up other issues” in their marriage, but it didn’t seem to be “marriage-enders” at the time, the source added.
However, Stallone denied the rumors, claiming that their disagreement over Dwight is not what caused the marriage to end. “We did not end the relationship on such a trivial argument,” Stallone told TMZ. He then said that reason for their divorce is simply due to the couple just going “in different directions.”
“I have the highest respect for Jennifer,” he added. “I will always love her. She’s an amazing woman. She’s the nicest human being I’ve ever met.”
Meanwhile, the Cobra star reportedly got his tattoo of Flavin covered, replacing it with a portrait of his late dog Butkus, according to PEOPLE. "Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer; however, the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable," Stallone's publicist Michelle Bega told the Daily Mail after the outlet posted photos showing the actor's tattoo coverup.
Sylvester Stallone got a tattoo of his dog Butkus to cover up the tattoo of his wife Jennifer Flavin. Oh, and also he gettin' a divorce. pic.twitter.com/XTeUGSUmi0
— Jimmy Goodson (@JG41187) August 24, 2022
"Mr. Stallone loves his family. The Stallones are presently filming a reality show together which will debut on Paramount+," added Bega.
Stallone also echoed Bega's statement and said that his original intention was to “freshen” up his Flavin inking but “it got messed up and the dog was just a fix will no ill intention,” before adding that he still has a tattoo of his estranged wife on his back.
But, despite the statement, it was the image of the coverup that ignited rumors of their split.
The couple first started dating in 1988, when Flavin was a 19-year-old model and Stallone was 42 and twice divorced. The couple, who had an on-again, off-again relationship, wed in 1997 and have three kids together: Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet.
References:
https://www.tmz.com/2022/08/24/sylvester-stallone-divorce-jennifer-flavin-dog-dwight-fight/
https://www.tmz.com/2022/08/24/sylvester-stallone-dog-jennifer-flavin-divorce/
https://people.com/style/sylvester-stallone-covers-up-tattoo-of-his-wife-with-ink-of-his-late-dog/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Frazer Harrison
