If you thought Dennis Quaid was just sitting back and watching his twins graduate, think again. The Hollywood legend filed legal papers to end his child support payments the very week his 18-year-old son and daughter finished high school.
The Numbers That Will Make Your Eyes Water
Quaid, 72, had been paying his ex-wife Kimberly Buffington a staggering $13,750 every single month in child support for twins Thomas and Zoe. That's part of a divorce settlement the former couple agreed when they split for the final time in 2016.
The terms were clear: payments would continue until each child either turned 19 or completed Year 12. With Zoe graduating on 23rd May and Thomas's ceremony set for 3rd June, Quaid filed his request to end the arrangement on 20th May.
The Dad Moment Nobody Expected Him to Share
Despite keeping his family life intensely private, Quaid recently revealed a genuinely heart-stopping moment as a father. When devastating floods hit Texas's Hill Country last July, his daughter Zoe was working as a camp counsellor just miles from the disaster.
"I tried to call her because I knew she was up there. I knew it wasn't near where the floods were, but I wasn't able to talk to her till the next day. I didn't really get a lot of sleep that night."
It's the kind of raw parental honesty that reminds you there's a real dad behind the Hollywood name.
The Arrangement That Raised the Twins
Quaid and Buffington shared joint custody after their split, though Kimberly took on the lion's share — 75 per cent of the time — given Dennis's demanding filming schedule. By all accounts, both parents kept things civil for the sake of their children.
"We will always remain great friends and devoted partners in raising our children," the pair said jointly when their divorce was confirmed.
Four Weddings and One Man's Journey
Quaid has been married four times — to P.J. Soles, Meg Ryan (with whom he shares son Jack Quaid), Kimberly Buffington, and now Laura Savoie, whom he wed in 2020. He's been openly besotted ever since. "Laura's the love of my life," he told People. As his twins step into adulthood, it seems a new chapter is well and truly beginning.
