Tori Spelling's Ex Dean McDermott Demands Spousal Support, Joint Custody Of Their Kids In Divorce

Actress Tori Spelling's estranged husband, Dean McDermott, has filed his response to her divorce petition and is making some major demands, too.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, McDermott is requesting spousal support from the actress and is also asking the court to grant him joint custody of their children.

His demands contrast with Spelling's, who, in her petition, requested physical custody of their kids and spousal support from McDermott.

According to the legal documents, McDermott claims that he and his wife separated on July 7, 2023. This contrasts with Spelling's claim in her petition that they separated on June 17, 2023.

Similar to Spelling, McDermott is seeking spousal support from his estranged wife. The actor wants the court to grant him joint custody of their five kids and for the actress to cover the cost of his attorney fees.

Last month, Spelling initiated divorce proceedings against McDermott following a 10-month separation and an 18-year marriage.

Per the legal documents obtained by The Blast, the "Scary Movie" star cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the divorce.

The couple shares five young children: Liam, 16, Stella, 15, Hattie, 11, Finn, 10, and Beau, 6. Spelling requested sole physical custody but is open to joint legal custody and visitation rights for McDermott.

In the divorce documents, Spelling requested spousal support but sought to bar McDermott from requesting it from her. However, the "Chopped Canada" host still made the request in his petition.

Asset division and property settlement are pending, with no mention of a prenuptial agreement.

In an episode of her "misSpelling" podcast, Spelling discussed the challenges of co-parenting with her estranged husband.

The actress recalled a difficult visit to McDermott while he was in rehab: "I went to see him once when he was in rehab. And we were with therapists, and it got painful and argumentative. It was a lot."

She continued: "I didn't feel like he was doing well. Like, there was still a lot of anger and aggression, and so I didn't go back. And I know that hurt him a lot. He felt like we abandoned him when he was going through that process. But I had to do what was right for the kids."

Despite initial setbacks, Spelling expressed optimism about their co-parenting relationship, saying: "We're co-parenting very well right now. Like, the kids are seeing him again, and they're happy with his progress and the work he's done on himself. And they're proud of him, and we like his girlfriend."

The 50-year-old also envisioned an amicable future, adding, "You hope it works out like that. You always hope that. I don't know. I don't know what's gonna happen now."

News of the couple's separation came from McDermott himself, who shared a long post on Instagram announcing they were ending their 18-year marriage.

In the now-deleted post, he wrote, "It's with great sadness and a very, very heavy heart that after 18 years together and five amazing children, @torispelling and I have decided to go our separate ways and start a new journey of our own."

McDermott added, "We will continue to work together as loving parents and guide and love our children through this difficult time. We ask that you all respect our privacy as we take this time to surround our family with love and work our way through this. Thank you all for your support and kindness."

After McDermott took down his post, sources close to the former couple revealed to People magazine that the actor's sudden statement about their separation came "out of the blue" as the duo had been showing signs of improvement in their relationship.

According to the source, "Their friends have seen their ups and downs through the years, but they did seem to be in a good place in recent months."

The source added, "If this had happened a year ago, it would've been expected because things were terrible between them. Sure, they still had disagreements and didn't always see eye to eye, but things had felt good in the past six months."

A family insider also disclosed that McDermott and Spelling had been working on their relationship, leading to a significant decrease in toxicity.

"They also made an effort to make holidays and milestones special and were much more in tune with each other. It's been a night-and-day difference from the last couple of years."

Since their split, both McDermott and Spelling have been romantically linked to other people. McDermott is dating Lily Calo, a 32-year-old senior account executive at Conscious Community Global in LA.

Spelling was linked to advertising CEO Ryan Cramer, but the duo's romance seems to have fizzled out as they have not been spotted together in a while.

According to sources who spoke to the DailyMail, the actress is still interested in exploring new romantic opportunities after separating from McDermott.

"Whether it is organic or if she is put on a blind date, Tori wants to find love again. She would also consider a TV show that would be based on getting her a new man," the insider shared.

They added, "Though her marriage is over, it has been over for a long time. She is ready to open her heart up for another relationship. She feels that she deserves it and would love to experience being happy and in love again. To have that in her next stage of life after everything she has been through would be incredible."