Sylvester Stallone is said to have been “blindsided” by wife Jennifer Flavin’s divorce filing on Aug. 19, as friends told Vidak For Congress how they looked “so happy” together weeks ago.
The “Rambo” star filmed his upcoming Paramount Plus series “Tulsa King” in Oklahoma City and friends said Flavin – his wife of 25 – has been on set constantly.
Sly was in Oklahoma when the papers were filed on Aug. 18, and sources said he was shocked to hear the news.
“You can’t think of a nicer couple . . . she visited him in Oklahoma City, where he’s filming. It sounded like everything was great. I have no idea what happened,” a source told Vidak For Congress.
In her divorce petition, filed in Palm Beach, Florida, where the couple owns a home, Flavin, 54, alleged that her husband “has been guilty of the willful waste, depletion and/or squandering of marital assets” — and demanded that Stallone not be allowed to sell or transfer assets during divorce proceedings.
But a source familiar with the case said: “It’s so ridiculous, I have no idea why Jennifer’s lawyers put this in the divorce petition, it’s just a pure lie. Sly hasn’t sold as much as a T-shirt yet!”
A Stallone representative gave Vidak For Congress a statement on his behalf: “I love my family. We are addressing these personal issues amicably and privately.”
According to a friend, ‘Sylvester was planning to work it out with Jennifer. Now I don’t know [what will happen] because she decided to make everything public.”
TMZ, meanwhile, reported that the couple broke up after a big fight over a dog.
Stallone, 76, would have wanted a new Rottweiler as “protection for their family,” but Flavin reportedly declined to add another pet.
This reportedly sparked “an extremely heated discussion that brought up other issues” in their marriage, although those issues were reportedly not seen as things they couldn’t get through.
Stallone eventually got the dog anyway, naming him Dwight after the actor’s character “Tulsa King.” He promoted the show on Instagram earlier this month with a photo of himself and Dwight the dog.
Meanwhile, it was revealed Tuesday that tattoo artist Zach Perez had posted a now-deleted photo to Instagram showing Stallone getting an arm tattoo of Flavin covered in one of Butkus – the bullmastiff from the “Rocky” movies.
Stallone and Flavin’s daughters – Sophia, 26; Sistine, 24; and Scarlet, 20 – filmed a reality show together, which their father reportedly helped get, and which was set to debut on Paramount+. But a Hollywood source told Vidak For Congress, “Sly gave them a reality show, but I don’t know what’s going to happen to it now.”
Other industry insiders said Flavin isn’t a fan of Sly’s longtime publicist, Michelle Bega.
Flavin has asked for exclusive ownership of the $35 million Palm Beach mansion the couple bought in 2020, putting down $5 million as a down payment.
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Stallone is worth $400 million.
“I am sad to announce that after 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone. Although we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30 years of relationship we shared, and I know that we are both committed to our beautiful daughters,” Flavin told People in a statement.
Her representative did not respond to a request for comment from Vidak For Congress.
The couple met at a Beverly Hills eatery in 1988, when Flavin was a 19-year-old aspiring model and the actor of “The Expendables” was 42 and had been divorced twice.
However, their relationship was seemingly unconventional. In 1991, Stallone said, “When we get together, it’s great. When we’re separated, there are no obligations. That’s it. No strings.”
A year later, Flavin said: “I’m not naive about what can happen if I’m not there – he’s a 45-year-old man – I can’t change how he is. Still, he’s not a cheating dog every day of the week. We spend five of the seven nights together, so I don’t know where he would find the time.”
However, Flavin’s trust was shattered in 1994, when Stallone broke up with a FedEx letter – after model Janice Dickinson, with whom he was having an affair, said he was the father of her daughter. A DNA test said otherwise, and Stallone and Flavin patched things up, saying “I do” in 1997.