Dennis Quaid is seeking to officially end his child support obligations to ex-wife Kimberly Buffington now that their twin children have reached adulthood and completed high school. According to court filings submitted in Los Angeles, the 72-year-old actor has requested the termination of the $13,750 monthly child support payments he has been making for twins Thomas and Zoe. The request is based on the terms outlined in Quaid and Buffington’s 2018 divorce agreement, which reportedly stated that child support payments would conclude once the children completed 12th grade.
Their daughter Zoe graduated on May 23, while son Thomas is expected to graduate on June 3.
In addition to ending the monthly payments, Quaid is also asking the court to prorate a separate annual support provision included in the divorce settlement. Under that agreement, Buffington is entitled to receive additional compensation if Quaid earns more than $1.3 million in a given year.
The actor argues that any bonus payment should only be calculated through the twins’ graduation dates rather than based on his full annual income.
Quaid and Buffington were married for 14 years and had one of Hollywood’s more complicated divorce journeys, filing for divorce multiple times before permanently separating in 2016. Their divorce was finalized two years later, with both parents agreeing to joint legal and physical custody of the twins, who were born via surrogate in 2007.
This is not the first time child support has become a point of legal contention between the former couple.
In 2020, Quaid sought to reduce his support payments, arguing that he spent significant time caring for the children and covered many of their expenses directly. The dispute was eventually resolved, with Quaid agreeing to continue paying support based on what both parties considered the reasonable needs of their children.
Now that Thomas and Zoe have reached adulthood, the latest filing appears to be more procedural than contentious, as it follows the timeline already established in their divorce agreement.
Quaid has often spoken publicly about family and relationships. In addition to Thomas and Zoe, he is also the father of actor Jack Quaid, whom he shares with actress Meg Ryan.
Since 2020, Quaid has been married to Laura Savoie. Despite frequent attention on their 39-year age difference, the actor has repeatedly described the relationship as the happiest and closest partnership of his life.
With the twins now graduating and beginning the next chapter of their lives, Quaid’s latest court filing marks the end of a long-running financial obligation that has been in place since their childhood.