Did Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott split up?

During Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott’s time on their reality show Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood it seemed like their problem-solving technique was “Have a problem? Have another kid!” Well, now they are out of kids and just have problems. Rumors around the couple’s split have been a long time coming as even in 2013 during the show’s filming the pair were seen in therapy over infidelity, fighting, and other marital troubles. Yet they seemed to patch things up as even more kids followed. Now, however, it seems they may be calling it quits for good. Maybe. Here’s everything we know so far.

During the early ’90s Tori Spelling was a household name. The daughter of well-known Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling, she was also the face of Donna Martin on the hit show Beverly Hills 90210. Since that time she has been in several other series and productions, although none that quite reached the acclaim of 90210. She has written several books including one titled Stori Telling and been in two of her own reality series. Although even with all these accomplishments, her net worth remains quite low, by Hollywood’s standards anyway. In 2007 she and her husband Dean starred in their own reality series titled Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, which then got a sequel titled True Tori. It followed the couple’s career, relationship, and expanding family. Dean McDermott is best known for his role as the host of Chopped Canda, a Canadian cooking show, and for the films Due South, Open Range, and Tracker. He is an actor, chef, and producer.

The drama begins

The two got together in 2005 on the film set for Lifetime’s Mind Over Murder under somewhat elicit conditions – both were already married. Eventually, the couple ended their respective marriages and got together despite the ongoing drama by eloping in Fiji. Yet many were less than thrilled at the whirlwind affair. In fact, the way they got together apparently continued to haunt Tori for several years after. In 2013 it was revealed that Dean had had a relationship with another woman and during the show, Tori admitted to her therapist that she felt she shouldn’t be surprised since their relationship had also begun as an affair. Although Tori said initially she had thought the infidelity Dean had with her was simply because they were so in love with each other, now she had begun to wonder if that was just who Dean was. Ongoing rumors of affairs and marital discord continued to trail the two love birds throughout their show which ended in 2014. Yet, even after the show ended, the rumors did not.

And extramarital affairs weren’t the only issues plaguing the couple. Financial woes also followed the family as the McDermotts were hit with an American Express lawsuit asking them to pay back their extensive credit card debt. Not exactly a glamorous look for the former 90210 icon. The couple also reportedly were hit with a tax lien of a quarter of a million dollars. Spelling outlined some of the financial issues the family experienced in her book Spelling It Like It Is (yet another excellent play on words). The actor explained that they had made some “bad choices financially” just like anybody else and that “We’re not above anyone else, we make bad choices and financially we get ourselves into holes.” The duo reportedly got some help from Spelling’s formerly estranged mother Candy Spelling, which I’m sure put some additional pressure on the family dynamic.

By 2021 the McDermotts were reportedly sleeping in different rooms and were having “major issues.” Over the years the couple has had three proposals and vow renewals and multiple “rebirths of the relationship” that coincided with the birth of new children. So a lot of transformation and a lot of ups and downs for the duo. Then in a since-deleted Instagram post, the couple revealed that after almost two decades and five kids together, they were splitting. Yet for some reason, after the announcement it was quickly deleted and taken down. The last post remains a family photo recently taken on the family’s trip to Beverly Hills, Spelling’s old stomping ground.

While some feel it is an indication the two will not be parting ways after all, perhaps instead deciding to work on things, US Magazine recently reported seeing Dean moving boxes to a storage unit. He also was not wearing a wedding ring. The two have been together for 18 years and have five children together with multiple public highs and lows along the way. The article reveals that sources close to the couple believe that Dean may have posted it during a “blowout” fight with Tori and probably since regretted it. They went on to say the couple is “better than ever.” Publicly posting a divorce announcement to get back at someone and then taking it down doesn’t exactly sound “better than ever” to me, but then again they are celebrities and this is Hollywood.

So overall the answer to the McDermotts’ relationship status question is currently still hanging in limbo. While this certainly seems like a down time, the two have been down and out before and have been able to work their way back. Perhaps a trial separation or splitting of houses announcement is in the works while the two put the divorce decree on hold. One thing is for sure, however, although it would be sad, it doesn’t seem like anyone would be particularly surprised if the two indeed did call it quits.