A Wisconsin woman turned her divorce filing into a vlog, documenting the courthouse trip alongside the man she was separating from. The content creator, who goes by Holly online, shared the clip on TikTok under the handle @shepherdplayspiano.
In the video, Holly is seen standing beside James, described as her soon-to-be former husband, before the pair heads inside the courthouse. The clip has drawn more than 930,400 views and many responses from viewers online.
Holly opened the TikTok video by telling viewers, “We’re going to file for divorce.” After leaving the courthouse, Holly and James were shown sharing gyros for lunch, during which Holly detailed the cost and process of filing. “It was 184.50 to file the forms, and then since we did it together, there’s a 120-day waiting period. So not that bad,” she said in the video. She added, “There’s a few other things we have to fill out, but pretty cheap.”
Couple detailed the filing process and cost after leaving the courthouse
Holly described the overall process as a “great experience” and said it was “way easier than what I thought it would be.” She said the decision was mutual, stating, “I think we both made the right decision. Uh, we’re both really excited for the future and yeah, we’ll be better for it.” James responded, “We’ll be better for it for sure.”
In the caption accompanying the video, Holly wrote, “I feel really good about this decision. We both have such exciting futures. Just not together,” followed by a heart emoji. Holly shared additional context about the relationship in an earlier video posted to the same account.
In that clip, she said she and James met online while playing a mobile game and that he proposed roughly eight months after they began dating. Legal disputes over marital status have made headlines elsewhere as well, including a court ruling on an invalid marriage involving a California woman.
According to that earlier video, Holly said she had two children, Shepherd and Sadie, through fertility treatments as a single parent before marrying James. She said the couple then attempted to have a child together, a process she described as involving 14 procedures, a pregnancy loss, and an eventual hysterectomy.
Holly said in the video that she and James subsequently pursued surrogacy, which she described as costing at least $100,000, and that she had been fundraising for the process. She said that during this period, James told her he “needs less responsibility,” which she said led to their decision to separate.
Reactions to the divorce vlog were mixed among commenters. Some viewers said they found the couple’s approach unusual, with one comment reading, “Never have I seen a couple doing this together.” Another commenter wrote, “He doesn’t want to be in this video.” Public breakups among content creators have drawn similar attention before, including a widely followed influencer couple’s split that was discussed openly by fans online.
Other viewers said they appreciated the couple’s tone, with one writing, “Can we please normalize divorce and be this non-chalant about it? Amazing!” Another commenter said, “You treating this like a normal post office visit is killing meeee,” while a separate comment read, “I hope you can find someone to match your bubbly personality!”
Holly said in the earlier video that she has felt better since the separation, describing increased energy and confidence, along with new brand deals. She and James both said in the courthouse vlog that they viewed the divorce as the right decision for their respective futures.
Published: Jul 1, 2026 12:25 pm