Judge Mathis' Wife Files for Divorce After 39 Years of Marriage

The judge displayed their relationship and family life in a reality series.

By Brenda Alexander

Judge Greg Mathis may be a single man soon. The court television staple's wife of 39 years wants out of the marriage. TMZ reports his longtime partner, Linda, has filed for divorce. Linda, who married Judge Mathis in 1985, lists the date of separation as July 17 and cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. They have four adult children, and they are new grandparents. Linda wants spousal support and requests the court's ability to award Judge Mathis spousal support. It's unclear if there's a prenuptial agreement. His court show began airing in 1999.

In 2023, Judge Mathis and his family appeared in a reality series on E! Mathis Family Matters chronicled the judge, Linda, and their four children all under the same roof for the first time in years.

In an interview with Shadow and Act, Judge Mathis revealed why he decided to put his personal life on display with a reality series after years of being viewed as a tough-as-nails judge.

"We want to be able to expose ourselves as a family of Black professionals who all have individual obstacles. And you'll see those obstacles being played out. You'll see them being resolved, and you'll see them being addressed just like every ordinary American," he told the outlet. "And that's what we're trying to say, particularly to our community members. We face those obstacles, and we fight against them. And some we win, some we continue to struggle against. And that's one of the reasons we came to television. Provide a positive image of a Black family, but also show our community who continue to struggle to uplift our families – a road map to do so." 

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During the series, the proud father showed his support for the LGBTQ+ community, with his son, Greg Jr., is gay. He recently got engaged. 

 "I am a judge, and the extension of that word is justice. And so, I've been known all my life to fight against injustice," he said firmly. "That's what motivated me to go into politics and civil rights law. I fought for the African American community, of course, and I fought for all people of color. I even fought for white folks in the Appalachia white hood, the poorest in the country. And so that's been part of who I am. I fight for equality for women. And now, this is the current struggle – to fight for equality and against injustice in the LGBTQ+ community and setting aside whatever our religious feelings or religious debate is on that subject, setting that aside and looking at it from the lens of love, justice, and equality, which is what Jesus really represented. And so, I'm glad to take on another struggle, particularly when it involves myself."

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