Courtney Ford Files for Divorce From Husband Brandon Routh After 17 Years of Marriage

It’s over! Courtney Ford and husband Brandon Routh are calling it quits after more than 17 years of marriage, with the Dexter alum filing for divorce.

Courtney, 46, submitted paperwork for dissolution of marriage on Wednesday, January 8, TMZ reported. The Kept Woman actress cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split but did not include a date of separation, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.

Courtney is seeking joint legal and physical custody of her and Brandon’s 12-year-old son, Leo, the publication reported. She also requested spousal support and asked to terminate the court’s ability to award alimony to her ex.

One day after the filing, Courtney and Brandon, 45, issued a joint statement via Instagram confirming their split. “To everyone who has loved and supported us, we have some personal news to share. After 21 years together, and 17 years of marriage, we have decided to begin a new journey, and enter this next chapter of life as friends and coparents,” the statement read. “We are now and forever rooting for each other as we move through this wild adventure called life. Our son is, and will always be, our highest priority, and we appreciate your understanding as we navigate this transition.”

Courtney met the Superman Returns star in 2003 when he attended her brother’s rehearsal dinner at Lucky Strike in Los Angeles, where she also happened to work as a bartender. “He met my whole family the day he met me,” she told People in 2012.

Brandon proposed in 2007 after three years of dating. The couple later tied the knot on November 24, 2007, at El Capitan Ranch in Santa Barbara. They welcomed Leo in 2012 after hiding Courtney’s pregnancy for several months.

“It’s been so hard keeping the news to ourselves,” Brandon, who was filming the CBS pilot Partners during his wife’s pregnancy, told People. “Everyone on set keeps asking, ‘Do you have kids?’ and I’ve had to say, ‘Well … not yet!’ It’s the truth. The baby hasn’t been born yet!”

Of course, it was even harder for Courtney, who struggled to come up with excuses for her morning sickness and growing belly.

“It started getting difficult to hide what was happening,” the actress, who had been filming a six-episode arc on Parenthood at the time, explained. “Flu and food poisoning excuses only work for so long, and by the last episode I could no longer button my pants! I just tried to joke that I had a big lunch!”

Courtney and Brandon took their relationship onscreen by acting together in The CW series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which aired from 2016 to 2022. However, the couple left the show in 2020.

“Neither of us decided to go,” Brandon told TV Insider at the time. “This was sprung upon me without communication. So that was a challenging thing.”

Before their exit from DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Brandon gushed about working alongside his wife.

“Getting to work together, the two of us, and do the comedy, and play off each other, has been really amazing,” he told People Now in 2019. “She’s killing it with comedy and we get to do it together.”

He added, “I’m always learning from her.”

Though it’s rare for Courtney and Brandon to post about each other on social media, the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World star did give his wife a shoutout via Instagram in May 2023.

“She’s a ride-or-die friend, and a mom who’s all in,” Brandon captioned a photo of Courtney jumping with their son. “I’m so grateful that Leo has @courtneyfordhere, who jumps feet first into living, giving him permission and unconditional love to be fully himself.”

For Father’s Day 2021, Courtney posted a photo of Brandon in a Superman costume holding Leo in a Spiderman costume. “The man, the myth, the Legend. #HappyFathersDay from Spider-Man and me. Thank you for our family @brandonjrouth,” she captioned the post.