Why Did Justin Hartley And His First Wife Get Divorced?

After moving on from soap operas like "The Young and the Restless" and skyrocketing to fame while starring in NBC's critically acclaimed, award-winning series "This is Us," Justin Hartley's love life continues to turn heads, as it remains in the shadow of his successful career. The Emmy-nominated actor has been divorced twice and married three times, most recently tying the knot with soap opera actor Sofia Pernas in May 2021, whom Hartley married the same year he finalized his divorced his second wife, "Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Stause, according to Us Weekly. In 2017, Stause and Hartley wed after four years of dating, but their marriage spiraled to an end in November 2019 when he informed Stause (via text, no less) that he had filed for divorce. Hartley's divorce from Stause was his second, as the actor divorced his first wife and mother of his teenage daughter, Lindsay Korman-Hartley.

In December 2021, Hartley spoke openly about marriage with Haute Living. "It's incredible when you're not forcing things. It doesn't have to be that hard," he said, speaking of his now-marriage to Pernas and his previous relationships with Stause and Korman-Hartley. Although his relationship history off-screen proves the "Smallville" actor has found marriage to be a challenge in the past, he does seem to get a along with one of his exes.

In 2003, Justin Hartley's love life first sparked headlines when he began a whirlwind, high-profile romance that resulted in a quick engagement to his "Passions" co-star, Lindsay Korman-Hartley. The two first shared a bond while on-set filming the soap opera together, which was Hartley's first official acting gig. His first wife, on the other hand, was already a notable actor, having taken on various roles at a young age, according to Film Daily. Korman-Hartley was previously known as a "beauty queen" from winning the Young Miss America Beauty Pageant as a teenager and opened Broadway as "Sandy" in the hit musical "Grease" at 18 — a past career and personality that grasped her ex-husband's attention expeditiously. The acting duo tied the knot in May 2004, and two months later, Korman-Hartley gave birth to their daughter, Isabella. 

They split in 2012, eight years after exchanging vows, maintaining a rather private marriage mostly out of the media, until their public separation, citing "irreconcilable differences as the reason for their divorce. Although it appears Hartley and his first ex-wife are still friends and maintain the idea that family comes first, a consistent foundation of the pair's relationship.

"This Is Us" star Justin Hartley and his first wife and former "Passions" co-star Lindsay Korman-Hartley are known to actively co-parent together. In September 2019, they exclusively shared with Us Weekly that "communication is key" for the pair who both got their start in Hollywood as soap opera actors and welcomed their teenage daughter, Isabella, in the first few months of their eight-year marriage. Isabella, 17, who appeared on red carpets with her parents when she was younger, still joins her Emmy-nominated father occasionally throughout his rise in the spotlight, like at the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Hartley credits his close relationship with his daughter partially to his good co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife, Korman-Hartley. He also told Us Weekly what's worked for their family is "understanding where everyone's coming from and realizing that it's hard." Adding that these principles aren't "anything new," Hartley noted that, "as much as you try to put yourself in other people's shoes, you're never fully going to be able to do it, but you should just make the effort." That's probably why Korman-Hartley was so eager to stand behind her ex-husband upon hearing about his divorce from Chrishell Stause. Supportive exes — we love to see it!