Judge Greg Mathis of “Judge Mathis” fame is facing a divorce after 39 years of marriage. His wife, Linda Reese, filed for divorce on Thursday, August 22, citing irreconcilable differences, according to court documents.
She listed their separation date as July 17 and is requesting spousal support.
Mathis, 64, and Linda married in June 1985 and have four adult children: Jade (39), Camara (36), Greg Jr. (35), and Amir (34). The family briefly appeared on the E! reality show “Mathis Family Matters” in 2022.
Judge Mathis hosted his eponymous syndicated courtroom show for 24 seasons from September 1999 to May 2023, when Warner Bros. canceled it. During its run, “Judge Mathis” won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program in 2018.
After the cancellation of “Judge Mathis,” Mathis partnered with Allen Media Group for a new syndicated courtroom show. “Mathis Court with Judge Mathis” premiered in September 2023, featuring Mathis’ son Amir as a bailiff.
In February 2023, Mathis commented on his new show, saying, “For years I’ve proudly watched Byron Allen build a first-class global media empire.
After 24 years on the air, I can’t think of a better company to work with to create my next great chapter.
Byron and I are both from Detroit, and it’s exciting to see him build the Motown of court programming by bringing together all of my fellow judges from his eight court shows — who are the best of the best.”
In July, Mathis and Linda’s son, Greg Jr., announced his engagement to Elliott Cooper. Greg Jr. shared with People, “To be completely honest, for many years, we weren’t sure if we wanted to formally get married.
We knew that we loved each other and that we wanted to be together for life, but marriage seemed a bit more difficult to visualize.”
Greg Jr. and Elliott had kept their relationship private for the first five years due to concerns about public judgment. Elliott explained, “We weren’t used to seeing two Black men date so publicly and unapologetically back then.
We knew we loved each other very much but didn’t necessarily have a roadmap for what our relationship and future together could be.”