Anthony Anderson Divorcing High School Sweetheart After 20 Years Of Marriage


After 20 years of marriage, Black-ish star Anthony Anderson and his high school sweetheart, Alvina Stewart, are calling it quits. According to TMZ, Alvina initiated the divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. She is asking for spousal support and joint legal custody of their 15-year-old son, Nathan. The couple also has a 19-year-old daughter named Kyra.

Anderson’s rep told E! News, “Yes, the divorce papers are public record and they have been separated for some time now.”

As Essence reports, Alvina did not accompany the Black-ish star to the 2015 Emmy Awards, where he was nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy.

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Anthony Anderson and Nathan Anderson attends the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 20, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

Anderson and Stewart married in 1999, and according to court docs, Alvina states the date of their separation as April 1, 2014. This is before Black-ish premiered so don’t be surprised if she seeks some of Anthony’s Black-ish money.

The last time the pair were spotted together was at the 45th Annual NAACP Awards in February, 2014, according to Yahoo!.

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Anthony Anderson and wife Alvina Stewart attend the 45th NAACP Image Awards presented by TV One at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 22, 2014 in Pasadena, California.

During a 2012 interview, while promoting his sitcom Guys with Kids, Anderson revealed that his wife gave up her 10-year career working in the electronic publicity department at NBC so she could be a stay at home mom.

“What she does as a stay-at-home mom, just like all the other stay-at-home moms and dads across the country is invaluable and unquantifiable,” Anthony said. “I applaud her for putting her career and her life on hold to help out with our life. It’s an ultimate sacrifice, what these stay-at-home mothers and fathers do.”

When asked to explain some of the way she helps support his grueling work schedule, Anderson had to go back to the very beginning of their relationship, when he totaled her car after his first audition.

“I’ll go back to the beginning – her letting me use her car to go to my first audition…And me coming home from that first audition and running into the back of the school bus and totaling the car on the 91 Freeway. So, that’s how it all begins. She’s always been a constant pillar for me.”

Meanwhile, Anthony has revealed that he’s working on securing Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for a guest appearance on his hit ABC sitcom.

“We’re petitioning to get Pres. Obama on the show,” Anderson said. “They watch the show. They love it. We know them so we’ve been dealing with them and their people and hopefully they’ll say yes.”

Catch Anthony Anderson every Wednesday night leading the cast of the hilarious sitcom Black-ish at 9:30/8:30c on ABC.

[Image via Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET]

[Image via Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards]

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