‘Mormon Wives’ star Jen Affleck filed for divorce on her daughter’s birthday, and her husband says he found out from TMZ

Jen and Zac Affleck’s marriage has played out on camera across five seasons of reality television, from a separation to a reconciliation and two more pregnancies. Now The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star has filed for divorce, and her husband reportedly found out about it the same way fans did, according to Parade.

Jen filed a divorce petition in Utah’s Fourth Judicial District Court, per court documents obtained by TMZ, which first reported the filing. A source told TMZ that Zac had no idea his wife had filed until he saw the report online. The news also became public on one of the couple’s daughters’ birthdays, a detail the outlet said made the timing particularly hard on the family.

The couple share three children, Nora, Lucas, and Penelope, and Jen is currently pregnant with their fourth. Along with the petition, she submitted a proposed parenting plan, though its details remain private. The court records do not list a reason for the split or say what custody arrangement Jen is seeking for the kids.

Zac is reportedly focused on the kids while Jen’s filing makes headlines

The source said Zac is now focused on their three children and making sure they are doing okay as the split plays out. Neither Jen nor Zac had publicly addressed the divorce filing at the time of writing. The petition comes only four months after Jen announced in June that the couple were expecting their fourth child together.

The pair met on the Mormon dating app Mutual in 2018, got engaged the following year, and married in June 2019. Their marriage became one of the show’s biggest storylines from the very first season, as the two opened up about their struggles on camera. They briefly separated after filming season one, and that split became a major plotline in season two.

Jen and Zac later reconciled and kept appearing together on seasons three, four, and five. However, season five brought fresh tension, as Jen revealed that Zac had threatened to file for divorce if she took an acting role that involved an on-screen relationship. Jen had previously said the couple entered filming in a “rocky place” and worked through their issues in therapy.

Jen, 27, and Zac, 30, have also built a following well beyond the show. Jen competed on Dancing With the Stars just two months after giving birth to Penelope, and she said at the time that Zac was helping out full-time at home. “It will take a village,” Jen Affleck said of juggling the competition with a newborn, as the couple were raising three young kids.

The timing also lines up with a new chapter for the franchise. Hulu’s spinoff, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County, is set to premiere on November 12, following a group of moms and influencers in Orange County, California. Jen is set to appear on the new series, while Zac is not expected to be part of it.

Breakups tied to the show have drawn heavy attention before, including when a judge issued mutual protective orders for another Mormon Wives star and her ex. Jen’s divorce, however, has so far played out only through court paperwork and an anonymous source, with no public statement from either side.

The parenting plan and any custody terms could become clearer as the case moves through the Utah court, and fans may hear Jen address the split once the spinoff premieres.