Why Did Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman Split Up? Details

Although Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito haven’t been a couple since 2012, the two of them are still married and apparently remain quite close. Given that they’ve been separated for more than a decade, many fans want to better understand what led the two former sitcom stars to part ways, at least when it comes to romance.

According to Rhea, who spoke about the split on a podcast in 2023, there were many reasons for the two of them to split up. Here’s what we know about what they were, and what Rhea and Danny have said about the end of their relationship.

“Danny and I, we are still married,” Rhea told Julia Louis-Dreyfus during an episode of the Wiser Than Me podcast. “And we are still very good friends and we see each other a lot. And our family is still the most important thing to both of us.”

The two were first married in 1982, and they share three children together: Lucy, Grace, and Jacob. Rhea said that one of the reasons the two separated is because they were both very ambitious.

“He loves to work … I like to work,” she said. “But I don’t think I would have ever given up my relationship for it.”

Rhea also said that their breakup was very difficult for her, especially at first.

“I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, it was very difficult at first. And there were a lot of reasons that we separated,” she said, without getting into the details. “It took time for us to come to this, somehow, pretty decent understanding and relationship with each other.”

Rhea didn’t divulge much more, making it clear that she wanted to maintain some level of privacy even though both she and Danny lead high-profile lives. For his part, Danny hasn’t said much about the reasons for their divorce, but the two still celebrate one another in public. They may not be in a romantic relationship, but after 30 years of marriage, it seems they’re still great friends.

Although Rhea said that she has come to accept her life as a single woman, she did say that there’s some things she would change.

“I live alone with my little dog, who is my partner in life now,” she said. “I don’t like living alone. I like being alone. I like having time to myself.”

“When I was living with Danny and the kids were all in college or wherever … if he went away to do something, [I thought,] ‘Oh good, I have two weeks where I can do whatever I want,’” she continued. “But when it’s every day, it’s not my favorite.”

In spite of that, though, Rhea said she is living now for her grandchildren.

“I felt that when my own children were born, it was a kind of love I’d never felt before for anything. And I felt love for my husband, for other people in my family, for a boyfriend here or there, or whatever,” she continued. “But this is, it was a profound kind of feeling.”