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Dean McDermott and Tori Spelling have had a rocky marriage for many years. When I was looking through our archives I laughed when I saw stories with near-identical headlines, that they both wanted to divorce each other–but neither one could afford to. It’s not that funny for two people to be unhappily stuck together because of eye-watering debt. It’s just amusing to me that they each tried to run with that story in the press within six months of each other. Who can’t afford to divorce whom? Well, it looks like Dean was finally ready to pull the trigger, affordable or not. He posted an announcement of their split to Instagram and then deleted it hours later. Did he have it queued up in drafts and post it by accident?
Dean McDermott took to Instagram on Saturday to share that he and his wife of 17 years, Tori Spelling, are splitting up. However, hours later, the Canadian actor deleted the post.
McDermott, who has been married to the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum since 2006, announced their separation to his 138,000 followers in a post on his Instagram. The two share children Liam, 16, Stella, 15, Hattie, 11, Finn, 10, and Beau, 5.
“It’s with great sadness and a very very heavy heart that after 18 years together and 5 amazing children, that @torispelling and I have decided to go our separate ways, and start a new journey of our own,” McDermott’s statement read. “We will continue to work together as loving parents and guide and love our children through this difficult time. We ask that you all respect our privacy as we take this time to surround our family with love and work our way through this. Thank you all for your support and kindness.”
He concluded with a prayer hands emoji.
Spelling’s Instagram page has no indication of the duo’s split. Just one day ago, the actress shared a video of the family celebrating daughter Stella’s birthday at the Beverly Hilton, with McDermott in attendance. Set to the famed Weezer song “Beverly Hills,” the family can be seen celebrating poolside and in a penthouse suite with champagne and sweets. They family gathered together for a poolside video which was shared in Spelling’s reel.
Earlier this week, the family was all smiles as they appeared together at The Stand Up For Kids Gala at Universal Studios Hollywood. With the kids by their sides, Spelling and McDermott gave no indication that they would formally announce their split just 5 days later.
Okay, that statement is boilerplate and has “publicist” written all over it. This suggests to me that Dean has hired an attorney and is ready to file or has filed already. More interesting is why he deleted it so soon after posting it. A source (likely from Tori’s camp) ran to People to say the announcement was “out of the blue,” so Tori has apparently been blindsided. Although given how bad their relationship struggles have been, I don’t know what level of denial you’d have to be living in to not see something like this coming. That’s like, the ninth circle of denial. The same level of denial to continuously live beyond your means, maybe? Dean’s contributed to their money problems, too–I’m not laying the blame at only Tori’s feet here. They were both, to use one of my favorite words, feckless with their spending. Their marriage was beyond toxic and I think the writing’s been on the wall for years. It is weird that they’ve been hanging out as a family over the weekend and then Dean goes to post the Instagram on Monday morning. That’s not the usual “nothing to see here” play of the Friday afternoon breakup announcement. He knew, or his publicist knew, that it would get attention, and they wanted it that way–if it wasn’t an accidental post. But I don’t think it was, just a hunch. I think he wants to control the narrative for some reason. I have a feeling this is going to get messy.
I agree. It’s Tori and Dean, messy is their middle name. I wonder if her mom would help her with lawyer fees or if that well has been pumped dry.
They have tried so many different avenues for drumming up interest in themselves, so many different shows and endeavors, and no one ever bites. It feels like their divorce, if it happens, is going to be just as lackluster. I just don’t think people care about them. As always, I’m team kids.
It’s been ages since I saw any pics of their kids. They are really grown! Very photogenic too. I wonder if any of them are hoping to become actors like their parents.
Those poor kids. And I’m sure they’ll want to be actors/celebrities-it’s what they’ve grown up in. I don’t find them remotely “photogenic” but like nice, average kids.
Tori – is that you?!?
I agree it’s going to get real messy real fast and I do feel bad for those kids. They usually look pretty miserable when they are trotted out for photo ops, etc. so it’s nice to see some of them smiling here.
If I remember correctly, part of Candy Spelling’s beef with Tori was she dumped her first husband for Dean and Candy had strong objections to that. I wonder how much help Candy is willing to give Tori now that Dean is apparently out of the picture. If I were Candy, there would be trusts for the grandchildren and Tori would have very limited access to funds. Tori’s spending is out of control and it’s not going to change. It’s a symptom of a much larger problem IMO, and until she addresses what causes her to hoard so much stuff and spend so much money, she will continue to go through the same financial stuff.
Gossip wise, I have missed these two. Who can top their drama? Only LeAnn, Eddie, and Brandi.
I can only imagine the constant pestering for money that Cabdy has probably been subjected to through the years, every time a new financial crisis, another bill that must be paid, spin around their expenses etc.
I used to think like oh why doesnt she just give them an amount, like how can she be like that to her kid, but now I see why and I guess shes been shilling out millions and millions on them all throu the years.
Just my opinion.
Tori has had a spending problem for decades. I don’t understand how credit card companies keep issuing her cards. That woman will never learn. Candy has to let her sink, while helping the kids
I agree with both of you Zinjazin and StellainNH. At some point you become the enabler and you have to set firm boundaries. Tori isn’t getting better.You’d think there have been some tough lessons learned over the years with credit cards, etc. but it appears she never learns them. That’s because she always gets bailed out and starts over repeating the exact same pattern.
What’s going on with Miranda Lambert and her beau?
For some reason, I was under the impression that Candy already supported the kids by paying for school and such. I don’t know if that’s actually true. But I thought that she did give support, but paid directly for school or ballet lessons or whatever, rather than giving the money to Tori.
I do believe that is the case Danielle – Candy is wise to not give any large sums of money directly to Tori
Yep, there is no way that Candy isn’t making sure the kids are going to be okay, with her money. This family is so dysfunctional, it will be a miracle if any of Tori’s kids go on to live a real life.
I think it’s probably over and he accidentally released the news too soon, but these two are desperate for attention to turn into $$$$ so I won’t be surprised at all if this was a stunt for attention.
Her face…..
Yes, I was thinking the same thing.
I was searching for a post about this yesterday. I was surprised when it didn’t come. But thank you!
Also, this has been a long time coming. Just divorce already and maybe one of you can be somewhat happy.
Also, what the f*ck is he wearing on his feet in that first pic?!
The kids don’t look particularly joyful in these photos IMO. Stella looks tired and over it. It’s probably exhausting having Tori for a mother…
The kids never look very happy. They’ve been put on display for money their entire lives.
I’m so shocked they’re still together it’s like a Mandela effect. I could swear they divorced years ago.
I think that because they made many reports over the years about getting one and how they are too broke to get a divorce but hate each other.
Also them calling the police on each other and both saying; the other crazy with the kids in the middle of this mess witnessing it all.
Sad fact with them you never know what’s real and what’s a money grab.
First someone likely from Tori’s camp came out and said they’re not divorcing, they’re better than they’ve been in years, and they probably had just had a big fight the night before so Dean posted the announcement. However, Tori did not do any kind of Father’s Day post on Sunday and has otherwise been silent, except now people are saying it is a surprise that they’re splitting now, since they seemed to be doing better than a year ago. So I’m guessing the divorce is still on.
Tori has suffered from really low self esteem her whole life. I kind of want her to break free, realize she deserves better, that Dean is not the be all end all, and land on her feet.
I dream of this for her. I remember how McDermott love-bombed her at the start of their relationship — the original “wife guy” — and that it was Candy Spelling who really drove her daughter into his greedy arms. I’ve always had the awful impression that they had so many children so that he could keep Tori from fleeing. I’m sure that he was drinking when he posted the divorce announcement, but I do hope they actually go through with it.
Jenn, I remember Tori’s parents spending a million dollars on her wedding to another guy, only to have Tori leave him for Dean months later. If my memory serves, and it may not, Candi was furious at Tori, and at the waste of money. She wouldn’t give Tori any money for a long time.
I wonder what her life would have been like if she’d stayed married to the first husband (Charlie Something?) Sliding Doors style, lol.
@Jenn
Tori is the one that wanted so many kids and if she could she would have had more. She uses her pregnancies/kids to make money and get money out of her mother.
Candy doesn’t even like Dean from the being and Tori cheated on her husband no one is to blame but her.
@Coco & @Sunnyjyl – Thank you. I started reading blogs in 2006 (!), so I completely missed her first marriage. I do remember, however, that McDermott worshiped her publicly (god, and the tattoo?) at the same time her mother was very publicly badmouthing her. It seemed like she was lost without her father and, although McDermott seemed untrustworthy from the start, it made sense that she would look to him for unconditional love. (Even the reality-show pandering made sense to me at the time — did Candy Spelling not block Tori from her part of the inheritance? I’d thought she had.)
Sadly, even if Candy leaves trusts to the kids and not Tori, she will guilt them into supporting her. I have seen this happen to two friends of mine. (One is obligated as she control her dads trust and gets the “I need money” midmonth; the other is my friend’s exwife, who hits up their two kids, one has cut off contact, the other still slips her money.)
I don’t know anything about Tori and Dean’s overspending habits over the years, but I’ve always felt somewhat sorry for Tori Spelling. She struck me as one of these “nepo babies” in that she has always appeared in her father Aron Spelling’s many productions, like Fantasy Island, Hotel, The Love Boat, Hooker, and of course Beverly Hills 90210. Sadly, as she grew older and when her dad ran out of productions, she slowly ran out of parts. She apparently grew up very rich and was provided with all the acting lessons and roles she could take but it seems like no one taught her how to earn a living without depending on a parent. And she also reminds me of Khloe Kardashian in the numerous plastic surgeries to redo their natural looks which, while not bombshell, were just fine.
Despite growing up filthy rich, the core of Tori’s problems (hoarding, binge-spending, endless plastic surgeries) originated with her mother. As a young girl, Tori once asked her mother, “Am I pretty?” and Candy replied, “You will be when we get your nose fixed.” That comment must have hurt like hell, and has clearly stuck with Tori over the years. All her current financial / emotional woes probably spring from her lack of self-esteem.
There were no winners in that Spelling family, and I hate that those kids are stuck in the cycle. My best of luck to them, but “children who appeared on reality shows and social media without their consent” don’t have a great track record of success.
Her brother seems to be doing fine just living a quiet and private life.
Her brother had huge issues as well, but after going to rehab for drug addiction he was lucky to have gotten excellent counseling which seems to have helped him get his life in order
Is this just a pr stunt? I don’t see these two every divorcing. They do this every few years…put out rumors they are separating but never do. Did they get a new reality show offer and are going the Stallone route? Gotta get people interested somehow. I just hope they are done having kids. They have too many to begin with. I feel bad for those kids.
Yes you never know with these two and they have know problem using their kids as well.
I was positive they had five kids.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this was just pandering for another reality show. They got some good mileage out of Dean’s ‘cheating scandal’ in Canada years ago. Except the woman never actually existed. And their reality show during that time was just them screaming at each other for (bad) high drama.
Sometimes it’s not quite so straightforward w the problem spending. I would be curious to know if she was trying to solve some level of problems but there wasn’t any other avenue available to her.
There are some marriages / other relationships where one person can change all they want and it still doesn’t make a dent in the fundamental problem.
Aren’t they always about to divorce?