Dennis Quaid Divorce Drama: Everything to Know About the Actor and His Ex-Wife Kimberly Buffington's Bitter Split — Including Massive Child Support Payments
Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington were married for 12 years.
June 30 2026, Published 9:00 p.m. ET
Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington's marriage was tested time and again before ending 12 years later. RadarOnline.com can reveal everything you need to know about the bitter split.
Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington Were Married for 12 Years
Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington announced their divorce in 2016.
The former couple first crossed paths in 2003 when a mutual friend introduced them at a dinner in Austin, Texas. Their relationship quickly blossomed, culminating in a wedding ceremony in Montana on July 4, 2004.
Quaid and Buffington welcomed their twins, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, via gestational carrier on November 8, 2007. But weeks after they were born, the children were hospitalized due to staph infections at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. During their hospital stay, the twins were accidentally given 1,000 times the recommended dose of heparin, a blood thinner, leading them to be placed "in incubators with cords attached to them."
The twins recovered after the near-fatal overdose, and the incident inspired Quaid to establish The Quaid Foundation.
In March 2012, the Texas real estate agent filed for divorce from The Parent Trap alum, though she withdrew the papers afterward.
She filed for legal separation again in October 2012, prompting Quaid to submit divorce filings. However, the two later reconciled and had the filing dismissed.
After a third and final split, the pair announced their divorce in June 2016, which was finalized in 2018.
What Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington Agreed to in Divorce Settlement
Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington split for a third and final time, leading to their divorce.
When their divorce was officially finalized, court documents showed Buffington received a $2million lump sum payment, along with an additional $1million in property settlements. Quaid was also required to pay $13,750 a month in child support, with the amount subject to increase if his annual income exceeded $1.3million.
At the time, Buffington was awarded 75 percent custody of the twins.
Dennis Quaid Filed to End Monthly Child Support to Kimberly Buffington
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Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington welcomed twins via surrogate.
On May 20, the War Machine actor filed a petition seeking to end his $13,750 monthly child support payments to Buffington after his twins' high school graduation in May and June.
In the new filing obtained by People, Quaid referenced a clause in his 2018 divorce agreement stating that child support obligations could end "when a child completes 12th grade (if still under 19 and a full-time high school student) or reaches the other enumerated endpoints, whichever occurs first."
He also requested that any bonus payments be prorated through the date of his children's graduations instead of being tied to his full-year earnings.
