Judge Greg Mathis and his wife, Linda Yvette Mathis, are separating after nearly four decades together.
Linda Mathis filed for divorce from the “Judge Mathis” star on Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split, according to court documents reviewed by The Times.
In the filing, she said the separation occurred July 17 and noted that they have no minor children. She also requested alimony and asked that the court waive her husband's right to seek support from her. It's unclear whether the couple had a prenuptial agreement in place.
She also requested that Greg Mathis cover her legal fees.
Representatives for both parties did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment Friday.
The college sweethearts married in 1985, more than a decade before the premiere of “Judge Mathis,” which aired for 24 seasons from Sept. 13, 1999, to May 25, 2023. The arbitration-based reality courtroom show was recognized with the 2004 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News, Interview or Information Series, and won a 2018 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Legal/Court Program.
Mathis is the longest-serving African-American television host and the second-longest-serving arbitrator in court history (behind “Judge Judy”) and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022. Prior to his time in Hollywood, Mathis, 61, served as a judge on Michigan’s 36th District Court.
Just a few days after his eponymous program, cancelled last year by Warner Bros.Mathis announced that he will host a new courtroom show, “Mathis Court with Judge Mathis” led by Byron Allen's Allen Media Group.
In 2022, he also appeared alongside his wife and four children (and several grandchildren), all of whom reside in Los Angeles, in the documentary series “Mathis Family Matters.”
