After 11 years of marriage, Johnny Knoxville and Naomi Nelson have decided to go their separate ways.
The Jackass star filed for divorce from his wife of over a decade, submitting court documents in Los Angeles on Tuesday that cited irreconcilable differences, per People. The paperwork also stated that the pair have been separated since September 24, 2021, the date of their eleventh wedding anniversary. Knoxville, whose real name is Philip John Clapp, is requesting joint legal and joint physical custody of their two children, 12-year-old son Rocko and 10-year-old daughter Arlo. In the documents, the stuntman also claims that he believes he owns property separate from Nelson, but he is “unaware of the full nature and extent of said separate property,” and so has requested that it be sorted out at a later date.
Knoxville has traditionally kept his private life out of the public eye, however, last year he did write a sweet note to his estranged wife on Instagram in honor of Mother’s Day. Alongside photos of Nelson with their two kids, he wrote, “Happy Mother’s Day to my one true love and the most wonderful mother our kids could ever hope for. You bless us every day and I and we love you very much.” Nelson is Knoxville’s second wife. He was previously married to fashion designer Melanie Cates from 1995 to 2008, with whom he shares a 26-year-old daughter, Madison Clapp.
Knoxville and the documentary filmmaker dated for a few years before they announced they were expecting their first child together. In a post on the Jackass website at the time, he wrote, “It was reported today that my girlfriend Naomi Nelson and I are having a baby and I gotta say that’s true. Woohoo!!! We have been together a few years now and felt it was time to start reproducing (if you know what I mean). Anyway, we are excited as all hell, and can’t wait ’til the little booger gets here. My daughter Madison has already started becoming a big sister, too, and is helping pick out clothes, strollers, and beds for her new little sister or brother. Okay then, I just thought you should hear it from me that it is official. We got us one on the way!”