From celebrating life’s milestones to nearly getting divorced, Sylvester Stallone and his wife Jennifer Flavin have been through it all together. The couple shocked fans in August 2022 when Flavin filed for divorce from the “Rocky” actor after 25 years of marriage. They have since reconciled with a rep for Stallone telling Page Six that the pair were able to “work out their differences” and were “extremely happy.” Stallone himself spoke on their brief split in an interview with The Sunday Times, describing it as a “very tumultuous” time in his life. “There was a reawakening of what was more valuable than anything, which is my love for my family,” he said. “It takes precedence over my work, and that was a hard lesson to learn.”
To recall, Stallone and Flavin first met in 1988 in West Hollywood, California — when Stallone was in his early 40s and already a two-time divorcee. The “Creed” star was previously married to Sasha Czack, the mother of his two sons, Sage and Seargeoh, and to model-actor Brigitte Nielsen. Despite their age difference, he and Flavin struck up a romance and, in 1997, tied the knot in a civil ceremony in London. They have since gone on to welcome three children — daughters Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Rose, who’ve all grown up to be stunning young women. But exactly how big is the age gap between Stallone and his longtime wife? You might be surprised.
Jennifer is 23 years younger than Sylvester
According to PopSugar, Jennifer Flavin was just 19 years old when she first met her husband Sylvester Stallone in 1988. The actor, meanwhile, was 42, which means there’s an age difference of 23 years between the two. Despite the massive gap, it seems that age has never really been an issue for the couple, with Stallone telling People in 2007 that he doesn’t regret getting married and having more children with Flavin in his 50s. “I make a much better father and husband now than I could have earlier … I sometimes think all men should wait till they’re 50 to settle down,” he’d said.
That may be true, but in 2022, it was reported that their age gap might have been a factor in Stallone and Flavin’s decision to almost pull the plug on their marriage. A source told People that Stallone and his wife had been dealing with marital issues for years and that the two “are very different people, age-wise and in temperament.” “What was once exciting and challenging is now routine and irritating,” they explained, adding that “disagreements on little things” have piled up “after so many years together.”
Another claimed that Stallone’s “apparent impetuousness” was also an issue, saying, “He tends to do things on a whim without asking her before.” But then, according to the insider, there isn’t really one issue that prompted Flavin to file for divorce. “She just had enough,” they said.
Sylvester is prioritizing his family
Sylvester Stallone has since opened up about his near separation from his wife Jennifer Flavin, admitting to Entertainment Tonight in November 2022 that he was at fault for not prioritizing his family over his acting career. “I used to have my priorities all screwed up, you know, work came first, and eventually, I came out of that delusional thinking,” he said. He shared that the brief split taught him what’s truly important in life. “In the past few years, when you find yourself obsessing about, ‘Oh what’s the next move? How do I compete with this situation or this character or this guy’s getting this role?’ and I said, ‘Jesus Christ, what does it matter?'” the “Expendables” star said. “Because the things that really matter … are the things that you’re responsible for. You brought them on this planet. You must guard them with your life.”
Stallone — who, along with his wife and children, is starring in the Paramount+ reality series “The Family Stallone,” out on May 17 — has vowed to work on his marriage and make time for family. “We have a beautiful family that now comes first. Whereas before, it was always strained by me going away for months and months at a time. That’s now been put on the back-burner,” he said on Today. Fortunately, he realized what he had before it was all too late. “My wife is a magnificent, a wonderful, super-attentive woman and a great mother,” the actor said. “She’s a great companion. So, I’m a very lucky man.”