'Wicked' Star Lindsay Mendez Files Divorce From Husband After 5 Years Of Marriage

Broadway star Lindsay Mendez has filed for divorce from her husband, Philip Wakefield, after 5 years of marriage.

According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Mendez filed for dissolution of marriage in Los Angeles County Courts on January 6, 2022. In the filing, Lindsay claims the couple separated two days before Christmas on December 23, 2021.

The 'All Rise' star is asking the court to give her physical custody of the former couple's baby daughter, Lucille Roselind Wakefield, who is just 8 months old. The actress is asking for the court to grant Philip visitation of the child but is willing to share legal custody of the baby.

Interestingly, the court documents say Lindsay is "reserving the right for future determination" of spousal support to be paid to Wakefield.

As for splitting up the former couple's assets, Lindsay says, she "is not certain of the full nature and extent of her separate property at this time and at such time as she believes she is aware of the full extent and description of her separate property, she will either seek leave of Court to amend this Petition and/or file further pleadings identifying her separate property claims prior to trial."

The 'Tony Award' winner cites "irreconcilable differences" for the reason for the split, but it's unclear why the couple decided to end their marriage.

Two days after the couple's split, the Grammy-nominated posted a picture of her daughter on Instagram, possibly addressing the breakup. "This year has been….challenging, to say the least. It’s also been the greatest of my life because, through these challenges, I was given the gift of a lifetime," she wrote. Adding, "I became a mommy. My sweet daughter was born during a pandemic and carried being hidden behind big bags and desks on a tv series (a #lifegoalz situation). She makes me happier than anything in the world. And I now know the deepest love there is. Lucille, you make my heart burst every day. The holidays will never be the same again, and I am so excited for all the magical days ahead of us. Thank you for choosing me to be your mom!"

According to reports, the former couple met almost by accident. At the time, Mendez had just finished portraying Elphaba in 'Wicked' and flew to Kansas City, Missouri to catch another musical. After the show, a group headed to a local jazz bar to immerse themselves in the local music. Shockingly, Mendez says she simply googled for a good spot to listen to music and stumbled upon 'The Green Lady.'

"After [playing Elphaba in] Wicked I went out to Kansas City, Mo. for the world premiere of this new musical by Nick Blaemire called A Little More Alive at the Kansas City Rep. On my last week there I really wanted to go see jazz music, so I found this jazz club called The Green Lady online, and since I had just played the green lady [in Wicked] it felt like the right place to go. Philip was playing the drums there," she told Playbill. 

Fast forward, to the couple having two wedding ceremonies -- one in New York, and one in Kansas City. Lindsay actually wore the same dress she sported in 'Significant Other' during the Kansas ceremony.

At this point, Philip has not responded to the divorce.