Tom Arnold is heading into a custody battle with his estranged wife, Ashley Groussman, according to a new report by The Blast.
Arnold filed for divorce from Groussman earlier this month, after over a decade together. The Roseanne alum was hoping to get joint custody of their two children, 5-year-old Jax and 3-year-old Quinn, but Groussman has other ideas.
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According to new court documents, Groussman is asking a judge to grant her legal and physical custody of both children. She also hopes to receive spousal support from Arnold, a subject that he did not comment on in his initial filing.
Arnold confirmed that he and Groussman were calling it quits at the end of January. In an interview with Us Weekly, he said that his wife had moved out of the house, leaving him alone with their children initially.
“For the last couple years, couple three years, it’s been very unusual in the house,” Arnold said. “But my kids and I have a whole life, a wonderful life. I’ve been telling my wife, ‘It’s O.K. Just do whatever you gotta do.’ So, she moved out.”
The actor said that he did not regret the years shared he shared with Groussman, but it was simply time to move on.
“It’s a long time coming and we have been together for almost 11 years. And very grateful. I have many good years,” he said. “I have my children because of my wife.”
As for the cause of their split, Arnold was vague. He told the outletโand Groussmanโthat there “doesn’t have to be a reason” to end a relationship.
“She has one life, and she gets to live it exactly the way… The same thing with everybody. And I think it’s hard,” the 59-year-old actor said. “Sometimes in our society people put things on. Especially women, they can feel guilty… And I kept saying, ‘Hey, listen… You have done everything. We’ve been together. You’ve been amazing. There doesn’t have to be a reason. There doesn’t have to be a bad guy.’”
Arnold and Groussman married in November2009. Their children were born in 2013 and 2015.
Arnold was married to Roseanne Barr in the early 1990s, and he worked with her as a writer and actor in various roles on her sitcom. He became one of her most outspoken critics last year when her reboot was canceled.
After that, Arnold was married to July Armstrong from 1995 to 1999 and Shelby Roos from 2002 to 2008.