Debra Messing, the star of hit TV shows Smash and Will & Grace, recently filed for divorce from her husband of nearly 10 years. The couple announced their separation about six months ago.
In fact, according to the divorce filing, their official date of separation was listed as February 15, 2010, which is more than two years ago. In any event, since that time, they have remained living in the same residence. That most likely will change since they decided to take the next step and officially file for divorce.
The couple originally met while attending graduate school together in New York in the mid-1990s. They married in 2000 and had a son, who is now eight-years-old.
In her divorce filing Messing cited irreconcilable differences. She is seeking joint physical custody of their son. She is also seeking child support to help care for his needs. In addition, Messing is asking for alimony, also commonly referred to as spousal support.
In the meantime, Messing appears to have moved on emotionally already. She has been seen with her former Smash costar, Will Chase. He is also in the process of a divorce from Broadway actress Stephanie Gibson, with whom he has two children. These two couples are good examples of the different ways that divorces can happen, many of which are not acrimonious.
It has not been reported whether any of these parties has in place a prenuptial agreement which could affect the outcome of a divorce proceeding. A validly executed prenup can help to protect assets by predetermining such issues as child support, child custody and spousal support, leaving fewer open issues that must be resolved during a divorce from a family law standpoint.
Source: Eonline.com, “Debra Messing Files for Divorce,” Natalie Finn, June 5, 2012
