Two failed marriages and a death: Inside John Schneider's tumultuous love life as he weds a fourth time
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Schneider, who recently announced his marriage to Dee Dee Sorvino, the widow of Paul Sorvino, has had a tumultuous love life, marked by two failed marriages and the death of his third wife.
The Hollywood star's first marriage was to former Miss America Tawny Elaine Godin, followed by his second marriage to Elly Castle, which ended in a protracted divorce battle. Schneider's third wife, Alicia Allain, died from breast cancer at the age of 53 in February 2023.
Here’s a closer look at Schneider's marriage history.
John Schneider and Tawny Elaine Godin
John Schneider and Tawny Elaine Godin first met at the 1982 Oscars ceremony and married in 1983, reports the DailyMail.
At that time, Godin was known as Tawny Little, having taken her maiden name following her first failed marriage. The Miss America of 1976 interviewed Schneider in her role as a $200,000-a-year news anchorwoman in Los Angeles.
That same year, John and his co-star Tom Wopat left Dukes of Hazzard for most of a season due to a legal dispute with the producers over merchandising royalties. They had requested higher pay of more than $30,000 per episode, script approval, and royalties from Hazzard products, but their demands were denied. This led to a $25 million lawsuit against Warner Bros for the royalties they believed were owed to them.
In response, Warner Bros countersued for $90 million and used lookalikes for John and Tom, which led to a drop in ratings. The two actors eventually returned to the show for a reported $55,000 per episode and secured a percentage of the royalties.
During this period of upheaval, John began officially dating Tawny. Despite their demanding schedules—Tawny working as a night-time news anchor and John needing to be on set early in the morning—their relationship flourished, and they married. Unfortunately, their marriage ended just three years later due to "unavoidable circumstances."
Years after this failed marriage, John became a born-again Christian, influenced by his time with country music legend Johnny Cash and his wife, June.
Dukes of Hazzard was eventually canceled in 1985 after seven seasons. Speaking to Today's Christian, Schneider explained that he only found true spiritual peace after navigating the difficulties of finding work post-Dukes and dealing with a highly publicized divorce.
John Schneider and Elly Castle
The actor later found love again with his second wife, Elly Castle with whom he got married in 1993. The couple had three adult children together - Leah and Chasen from Elly's previous marriage, and their own daughter, Karis.
In December 2014, they announced their divorce after 21 years of marriage. Elly, also known as Elvira Schneider, filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences and requested spousal support.
By January 2016, Elly sought $31,000 a month in temporary spousal support, claiming in legal documents that she had been a stay-at-home mother throughout their marriage and lacked the skills to compete in the modern job market. The documents noted that they lived an "affluent lifestyle" with homes in both California and Louisiana and that John earned over $83,000 a month.
Addressing the alimony demands, John told Nash Country Daily that Elly refused to work, stating, "She feels like she's entitled to it. She doesn't work and she hasn't worked since we got married." He added, "And there is a group, I guess, out there that says, "Well, she gave up a career to become a housewife." Well, no, we had nannies.."
In June 2018, John was sentenced to three days in jail for failing to pay alimony, claiming financial difficulties after spending most of his money to repair his Louisiana movie studio, which was damaged in a March 2016 flood.
He told Fox News, "If I had it [money], I would've given it to her just to let this go away but I don't have it. Hopefully, this is evidence of that." He also mentioned looking forward to "the inner workings of the jail system." Fortunately, he was arrested at 10.29 am and released at 3.45 pm the same day due to overcrowding.
John was also ordered to complete 240 hours of community service and repay his debt to Elly.
John Schneider and Alicia Allain
Alicia Allain and John Schneider began their relationship in April 2015. Alicia, an actress and producer, was eager to return to indie filmmaking after a hiatus and reached out to John for a dinner discussion.
Their romance developed several months after John's divorce was finalized. The couple married "before God" in 2019 and chose to wait until John's legal issues with his ex-wife Elly were resolved before making their marriage official. Alicia played multiple roles in John's life, serving as his personal and professional manager, as well as his producing partner and owner of Maven Entertainment.
Alicia produced nearly 20 films from 1995 to 2022 and has two upcoming projects in the works. The couple also worked together on several small-budget films before shifting to music production, creating over 100 songs in recent years.
In 2019, Alicia was diagnosed with cancer, which she publicly battled. By 2020, the couple disclosed on Fox and Friends that she had been given just a few years to live. Alicia discovered her illness when symptoms appeared on her skin, prompting a visit to a dermatologist who confirmed the diagnosis. After finding CBD oil beneficial for her treatment, the couple started marketing their own product, named CBoD oil as a nod to John’s iconic Dukes of Hazzard character, Bo Duke.
After Alicia died on 21 February 2023, John honored his late wife in a poignant Facebook statement, writing: "My beautiful Smile is pain free, living in her new body alongside Jesus."
