‘Dirty Dancing’ Star Divorcing Husband of 20 Years

Jane Brucker, best known for playing Jennifer Grey‘s onscreen sister in Dirty Dancing, is divorcing her husband, Raul Vega, after over 21 years together. The former couple married in November 2001 and are parents to daughter Rachel, 20. Brucker was previously married to actor Brian O’Connor from 1986 to 1993.

Brucker, 64, listed “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split, according to legal documents obtained by The Blast on March 8. She listed Aug. 1, 2021, as the date of separation. Since Brucker and Vega have no minor children, child support is not expected to be an issue.

However, a custody battle over bets could develop between the two, similar to the one between Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence. Brucker asked to share joint custody of their two cats with Vega. She is seeking six months with the cats, then will pass them to Vega for six months “contingent on either party’s residence allowing pets,” the documents read. Brucker also asked for “future determination payable to Jane and Raul” when it comes to spousal support.

Brucker’s divorce filing included an income and expense declaration, which says she is not currently working, reports The Blast. She listed her career as “actor,” but said her most recent job only lasted two days and earned her $208 per hour. A recent TV job paid her $10,000. Vega earns $2,200 a month, Brucker claims. She also listed her pension and retirement fund income as $591 a month, and her social security retirement income at $1,062 a month. Vega pays some of Brucker’s household expenses, which total $3,293, according to the documents. The actress also claims her separate assets are $91,000 and claims she earns $9,000 in residuals and royalties from “a project in 1986.” This is a reference to Dirty Dancing, which was filmed in 1986 and hit theaters in 1987.

Although Brucker’s part in Dirty Dancing wasn’t as big as Grey‘s or Patrick Swayze‘s, she had her moment in the spotlight with the “Hula Huna” number. Last year, Brucker told Entertainment Weekly she was supposed to dance to “Some Enchanted Evening,” but that was too expensive for the producers to get. The entire scene almost got cut until Brucker offered to write the song.

Brucker did not get co-writing credit until she heard the song was going to be used in a stage adaptation. She called up director Kenny Ortega while she was shopping at a Los Angeles farmer’s market. Ortega agreed to give her credit, but only if she sang the last note to him on the phone. “I was like, ‘Kenny, I can’t. I’m in a parking lot at the farmers market,’” Brucker recalled. “He said, ‘No, I’m not gonna do it unless you sing the last note!’ So, I bent into my car and sang, ‘Away, away, awaaaaaaaay.’ He said, ‘Thank you very much.’ And that was that.”