‘Stranger Things’ Divorce: After 9 Years Together, Creator’s Wife Files to End Marriage

Things got strange in the household of Stranger Things creator Ross Duffer. TMZ reports the director’s wife, Leigh Janiak, has filed for divorce after nine years of marriage. She cites the usual “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.

The couple wed in 2015 after first meeting in 2006 at an LA production company where they both worked. At the time of their meeting, Duffer was an intern, and Janiack worked as an assistant to a producer. She does not lists a date of separation. The estranged couple doesn’t have any children together, but Leigh is asking for spousal support. Duffer hasn’t commented on his Instagram account about the matter. 

Janiakis also a talented writer. She is credited as the creative behind Honeymoon and Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy. Duffer created Stranger Things alongside his brother, Matt Duffer.

Season 5 of the sci-fi series resumed production in Atlanta in early February 2024 after filming was postponed due to the WGA and SAG-AFRTRA strikes. Initial production was scheduled for Spring 2023.

When speaking to The Wrap in May 2022, Ross and Matt revealed that the final installment of the Netflix series will return to its roots. “The final few [episodes of the show] are going to be more like a Return of the Jedi. Not tonally, but just in terms of — They’re going from the beginning,” Matt told the outlet. “There’s going to be less ramp up. And I think people will understand what I’m talking about when they see the end of season 4. It’s like, we’re just going.”

Set in the 1980s in Indiana, Stranger Things follows a group of young friends who witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. Their search for answers sets off a series of extraordinary events. The show premiered on the streamer in 2016.