Dwight Howard and his wife now want their divorce behind closed doors.
Before the couple’s move to flip the script on their ongoing separation process, they had been butting heads at each other, making headlines for raising allegations against each other. The former NBA star even filed a protective order against his partner, Amber Rose Howard, last week.
Dwight Howard and Amber Rose Howard said their vows in January 2025 after announcing they were a couple about a month earlier. The recent drama marks the third divorce filing between them, as both parties tendered petitions to separate months after their wedding, but later reconciled and had the cases dismissed.
Dwight Howard Is Extending The Olive Branch To His Wife
Dwight and Amber are seemingly on a path to work out their differences amicably as he drops the protective order he recently filed against her. According to the NBA star’s legal representative, Gillian B. Fierer, this marks the first step in their process of working through a peaceful split.
Fierer says that her client has requested that the public respect their decision to go through the divorce process quietly. She stated that Dwight is asking for peace and privacy as he navigates this phase of life. The attorney also explained that going back on a filed restraining order is quite common in divorce proceedings. This is because it pushes for an order of divorce to be filed, which helps the split along.
As reported by TMZ, Dwight filed for the restraining order last week, and a judge signed off on it on April 7. He, however, has filed for divorce from Amber since last month. This is the second time the former basketball star initiated a split from his partner; the first was in June 2025, about six months after their wedding.
Inside The NBA Champ’s Protective Order Petition
Following Dwight’s filing, Amber could not contact the athlete or any member of the family by phone or social media and was ordered to stay away from his Georgia mansion. Dwight’s protective order also extended to his kids, as Amber could not go near his children’s private school. The couple has no children together.
According to the court documents, the former NBA star checked a box accusing Amber of having at some point threatened him with “a knife, gun, or other deadly weapon.” He also alleged that she came to his house on April 5 and threatened him. Amber rose to her own defense, denying the claims and telling news outlets that her soon-to-be ex-husband filed the protective order as a means to silence her and retaliate because she did not lie to cover up his wrongdoings.
“Dwight is pulling a string of retaliation to cover up another one of his many wrongdoings. The protective order is completely false. Because I did not lie to the police when Dwight asked me to the day his daughter was removed by CPS, Dwight is reaching low to retaliate in an attempt to silence me,” Amber’s statement read. The reality star also accused her husband of using drugs, which he vehemently denies.
Amber Rose Howard Previously Called Authorities To Her Aid Amid Marital Brawl
A few days before the father of five filed for divorce from his current partner, it was reported that she made a 911 call, beckoning to the dispatchers to help her after Dwight locked her out of their Georgia home. She told the dispatchers over the phone that he locked her out after they had an argument and that she was left standing in the rain.
The reality TV star also claimed that locking her out was a frequent occurrence whenever they had disagreements, adding that she was tired of sleeping in her car every time he got angry because he is rich and famous. The Blast reported that Amber noted that the former NBA champ was probably taking out his aggression on her because he lost custody of his daughter the previous night.
She further shared that on previous occasions, the cops had warned Dwight to desist from the act, highlighting that locking his wife outdoors was illegal. Amber also confirmed that the athlete has a nice gun room in the mansion where he keeps his weapons and revealed that they have over a thousand weapons on the property; however, she stated that her husband did not have any weapons on him during their argument.
The NBA Alum Was Slammed With More Claims By His Baby Mama
Dwight welcomed his five children with five different women, including Tiffany Render, with whom he shares a 15-year-old daughter, Layla. Layla was born in 2010, two years after the pair started dating. They broke up, but maintained a smooth co-parenting relationship.
At some point post-breakup, the former couple moved in together. Still, their loving days were short-lived as Render recounts that her daughter’s father randomly asked her when she would leave his Atlanta home one morning and hit her with a child support reduction petition a day later, as reported by The Blast. Dwight got primary custody of Layla in 2024 after he claimed his ex had moved his daughter without permission, entering a video of Layla on the journey from his home in tears as evidence.
Amid the drama between Amber and the athlete, Render filed a petition requesting for primary custody of Layla with claims that their daughter is currently emotionally distressed about making a return to her father’s residence. An insider close to the former basketballer claimed that Render and Amber were hands-in on pushing negative headlines for Dwight. “Tiffany has been working in conjunction with Amber to get negative publicity for Dwight,” they shared.
Dwight Howard Rolled Down The Tunnel Of Legal Drama
Besides the ongoing issues with his wife, the divorce process, substance abuse claims, and custody battle, Dwight found himself facing another lawsuit. This time, the petition was filed against him by someone who claims to have been his assistant for about three months in 2025. Terrence Hudson, who brought the charges to light recently, accused the former Lakers star of unpaid wages and emotional distress.
Hudson claimed that he worked for the Howards as a domestic manager, home security guard, and the Basketballers’ personal assistant from June 25, 2025, to October 8, 2025. The Blast shared that according to the court documents, Hudson alleged that their agreement was a $2000 weekly payment arrangement, but he only received a total of $8,137.54 from inconsistent payments.
The former assistant noted that he reached out to the NBA alum for the balance of his wages to no avail. Hudson’s filing submitted in court in December 2025 shows that he is demanding $30,702.06 for unpaid wages and $10,000 for emotional distress, summing up to $40,702.06.
Will Dwight Howard and his wife see eye to eye on their divorce going forward?