Divorce lawyers in Pasadena have seen several long-term Hollywood couples bite the dust this year. Many of the divorces have shocked celebrity couple watchers, while others have been a long time coming. The breakup of Roseanne star Laurie Metcalf and actor Matt Roth falls in the latter category. The couple has been separated for three years, but only this week did Roth make it official by serving Metcalf with divorce papers.
Metcalf rose to stardom (and won three Emmys) playing Roseanne's loveably neurotic sister Jackie on the hit show Roseanne. Metcalf met Roth on the set of Roseanne where he played Jackie's abusive boyfriend Fisher in 1992. The pair welcomed their first child, son Will, in 1993. Metcalf and Roth rounded out their family with son Donovan and daughter Mae. The two finally tied the knot in 2005 after years of being together.
But after getting married, things seemed to fall apart for the couple. According to court papers, Metcalf and Roth separated in November 2008. Since the separation, the pair - which also worked together on the film Blink and television show Desperate Housewives - have rarely been seen together. Roth has appeared on a variety of TV programs in small roles in Los Angeles while Metcalf has spent the last few years in New York appearing in plays on and off-Broadway.
Roth is requesting joint legal and physical custody of the children. He has also requested Metcalf be denied spousal support. The court documents cite "irreconcilable differences" as the cause for divorce. This was Metcalf's second marriage. She was married to Steppenwolf co-founding member Jeff Perry. Their daughter Zoë was born in 1984. This was Roth's first marriage; he has no other children from previous relationships.