A day after news hit that Jenni “JWoww” Farley filed for divorce from husband Roger Mathews, E! News reports that the Jersey Shore star is seeking “primary residential custody” of her and Mathews’ two children.
The estranged couple, who married in 2015 after nearly five years of dating, share 4-year-old daughter Meilani and 2-year-old son Greyson.
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In addition to primary residential custody, Farley is also seeking child support and health insurance from Mathews, as well as funds for other health care expenses, according to court documents obtained by E! News.
In the case of death, Farley asked for a life insurance policy to be taken out on each of their children and that she be listed as a trustee on the policy. As for their personal property, Farley asked for equitable distribution of everything acquired during their marriage.
Farley seeking primary residential custody means that she wants her children to live with her on a day-to-day basis. It’s different from sole legal custody, which means that one parent could make major decisions on behalf of their children without any need for approval or input from the other parent.
The split had reportedly been “a long time coming” for the reality TV star, according to a source who told Us Weekly that “Everyone was hoping they’d work it out, but it didn’t happen.”
The source also told the magazine that Mathews “never had any desire to be famous or on TV.”
The 43-year-old dad was reportedly “supposed to appear on the second season of Jersey Shore regularly, but decided right before Jenni left that he didn’t want to do it.”
Farley has not yet publicly commented on the split, but Mathews said in an Instagram video Thursday that they are in counseling and that he hopes to “win [her] back.”
Two days after Farley filed for divorce (which was on Sept. 12, as first reported by New Jersey’s Asbury Park Press), Mathews posted a cryptic Instagram message about “finding yourself.”
“Sometimes we must find ourselves within ourselves,” he wrote. “Finding yourself doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. It means coming to terms with shortcomings within yourself for the greater good. Not just the greater good of yourself. The greater good of those you care the most about. Takes a lot of vulnerability and being able to accept shortcomings and that you were wrong even if your heart was in the right place. I still like me, just need to be a better me cause it ain’t just about me.”
He continued, “Time. It’s the one thing we can’t get back. I’ve squandered some. Crawling into a hole or feeling bad for yourself never fixed s —. Stop being a p— you p—. (Yes this was vague and confusing, it was meant to be. Cause there’s only a few people I owe anything to and you probably aren’t them),” before signing off, “an idiot from NJ.”