‘Dancing With the Stars’ Alum John Schneider Celebrates End of Lengthy Divorce Battle With Ex-Wife

Actor and singer John Schneider is a free man! The Dancing With the Stars alum announced on Wednesday, Sept. 11, that his lengthy divorce battle with his ex-wife, Elvira, is finally over. The couple wed in 1993, and split in 2014, with neither party coming to terms on the divorce settlement until now.

“On the morning of our nation’s tragic anniversary, I am pleased to announce that after nearly five years, this bitter and unnecessary battle is finally really over,” Schneider said in a statement. “So proud to call Louisiana my home!”

Schneider previously spent time in jail over alimony payments he owed, but claimed he could not afford to pay. With no end in sight, the 59-year-old was already preparing for a return to prison.

“Well, you can hope for no more jail time, but I think there’s more jail time, and that’s okay,” Schneider told PopCulture.com. “It’s like hoping not to die. Guess what, it’s going to happen. There’s jail time. I don’t know how long. It could be as long as 15 days.”

The Dukes of Hazzard star was originally ordered to pay more than $150,000, but since he didn’t have that much money, he was already bracing himself for more time behind bars.

“The only thing that’s happened is I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of which was mine, some of which was borrowed,” Schneider said. “She has spent everything she had, lawyers made money, we’re still not divorced, and I’ve been to jail and I’m probably going back. Where’s the justice in that? Come on.”

While Schneider had no way of knowing his marriage would finally be dissolved, he did predict that 2019 would be his best year in a while.

“This will be a year of, I’m not going to say reaping,” Schneider foretold. “We’re going to be able to see it. I think the following year is going to be the reaping year. This is going to be where we start seeing the fruits of our labor come up out of the devastation.”

Schneider’s divorce wasn’t final when he had a religious ceremony to wed his girlfriend, Alicia Allain, in July.

“This has been a wonderful celebration, a sanctuary of love. Just a perfect day of celebrating with friends and family,” Allain told PEOPLE at the time.

“Happy is too small of a word,” Schneider added.

No word yet when Schneider and Allain will make their union legal.

Photo Credit: Getty images / David Livingston