Danny DeVito's Surprising Reason for Staying Married After Nine-Year Separation

Despite separating almost a decade ago, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman have no intention of officially ending their marriage, with the pair remaining incredibly close and continuing to spend plenty of time together. Nine years after going their separate ways, DeVito revealed that the former couple still speak every day and regularly get together with their family, even sharing meals at each other's homes. DeVito reveals why he and his wife haven't divorced Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman still haven't divorced after nine years apart. Credit: Michael Kovac/WireImage/Getty “We’re always over at her house,” DeVito, who shares children Lucy, 43, Grace, 41, and Jacob, 38, with Perlman, told AARP: The Magazine. “We see the grandchildren together, that kind of stuff.” Reflecting on their bond, the 81-year-old added: “So that’s a good relationship.” Although their romantic relationship has ended, DeVito said their commitment to family has remained unchanged. “No matter what happens in your life, the most important thing is having family and friends,” he said. “Reliable people in our lives who we can talk to, who we can open up to, who we can rely on to be there. I’m very fortunate.” The couple's relationship The pair have shared most of their lives together. They first crossed paths in 1971 when Perlman attended an off-Broadway production featuring DeVito before the group headed out together afterwards. Looking back on that first meeting, DeVito said they immediately “hit it off.” “We liked off-Broadway stuff,” he recalled. “We went to movies all the time. We made little movies together—short films.” The couple married in 1982 and went on to star alongside one another in several projects. “We had a lot in common, and we fell in love,” DeVito said. “A nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn and an Italian from New Jersey: I cooked and she ate.” DeVito and Perlman first separated in 2012 before ending their relationship for good in 2017. While they have remained close friends, Perlman previously admitted the transition wasn't easy. “It was very difficult at first,” the 78-year-old said during a 2023 appearance on Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Wiser Than Me podcast. “It took time for us to come to this, somehow, pretty decent understanding and relationship with each other.” She also stressed that, despite their split, their family continues to come first. “We see each other a lot,” Perlman said. “And our family is still the most important thing to both of us. Featured Image. Credit: Michael Kovac/WireImage/Getty