Sylvester Stallone was said to be “blindsided” by wife Jennifer Flavin’s Aug. 19 divorce filingas friends told Page Six how they looked “so happy” together weeks ago.
The “Rambo” star has been filming his upcoming Paramount Plus series “Tulsa King” in Oklahoma City, and friends said that Flavin — his wife of 25 years — has been on set constantly.
Sly was in Oklahoma when the papers were filed on Aug. 18 and sources said he was shocked to get the news.
“You mightn’t think of a nicer couple … she’s been visiting him in Oklahoma City, where he’s filming. It sounded like everything was great. I have no idea what happened,” one source told Page Six.
In her divorce petition, filed in Palm Beach, Fla., where the couple has a home, Flavin, 54, claimed that her husband “has engaged in the intentional dissipation, depletion and/or waste of marital assets” — and demanded that Stallone be prohibited from selling or transferring any 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!”
A representative for Stallone gave Page Six a statement on his behalf: “I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues.”
According to a friend, “Sylvester’s intent was to work things out with Jennifer. Now I don’t know [what will happen] because she decided to go public with everything.”
TMZ, meanwhile, reported that the couple split following a big fight over a dog.
Stallone, 76, is said to have wanted a new Rottweiler as “protection for their family,” but Flavin reportedly didn’t want to add another pet.
This allegedly led to “an extremely heated argument that brought up other issues” in their marriage, although those issues reportedly weren’t seen as things they mightn’t work through.
Stallone ended up getting the pooch anyway and named him Dwight following the actor’s “Tulsa King” character. He promoted the show on Instagram with a photo of himself and Dwight the dog earlier this month.
Meanwhile, it was revealed on Tuesday that tattoo artist Zach Perez had posted a now-deleted pic to Instagram showing Stallone getting an arm tattoo of Flavin covered with one of Butkus — the bullmastiff from the “Rocky” movies.
Stallone and Flavin’s daughters — Sophia, 26; Sistine, 24; and Scarlet, 20 — have been filming a reality show together, which their dad reportedly helped them get and is supposed to debut on Paramount+. But one Hollywood source told Page Six: “Sly got them a reality show, but I don’t know what will happen to it now.”
Other industry insiders said that Flavin is no fan of Sly’s longtime publicist, Michelle Bega.
Flavin has asked for sole 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’m sad to announce that following 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone. While we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30-year relationship that we shared, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters,” Flavin told People in a statement.
Her rep did not reply to a request for comment from Page Six.
The couple met at a Beverly Hills eatery in 1988, when Flavin was a 19-year-old aspiring model and “The Expendables” actor was 42 and twice divorced.
However, their relationship was seemingly not conventional. In 1991, Stallone said: “When we come together, it is wonderful. When we are separate, there are no strings attached. That’s the way it is. No strings.”
A year later, Flavin said: “I’m not naive regarding what may go on when I’m not around — he’s a 45-year-old man — I can’t change the way he is. Still he’s not a cheating dog every day of the week. We spend five out of seven nights together, so I don’t know where he’d find the time.”
However, Flavin’s trust was shattered in 1994, when Stallone broke up with her via a FedEx letter — following model Janice Dickinson, with whom he had an affair, said that he was the father of her daughter. A DNA test said otherwise, and Stallone and Flavin patched things up and said “I do” in 1997.
