Alan Ritchson and his wife Catherine are ending their marriage after twenty years together, and the timeline behind the split is getting a lot of attention. The Reacher star filed for divorce in December 2025, and then in March, the couple took an unusual step: they filed an agreed order of reconciliation, and a judge suspended the divorce proceedings for six months so they could try again. On Saturday, September 12, they announced on Instagram that the reconciliation had failed.
The two were high school sweethearts and married in 2006. They share three sons: Calem, 13, Edan, 12, and Amory, 10. In their joint statement, they said,“After 20 years together, Cat and I have decided to end our marriage and continue alongside one another in a different way,”adding that the best gift they can give each other and their boys right now is“friendship, grace and commitment to becoming the strongest coparents we can be.”
What makes this story stand out is how rarely couples formalize a reconciliation attempt through the courts. It signals they genuinely tried to rebuild, and it ended anyway. Reconciliation orders suspend divorce proceedings, but they don’t guarantee a comeback, and plenty of couples stall out once lawyers and filings are already in play.
Do you think a formal reconciliation attempt helps a marriage, or does it just delay the inevitable?
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.