Sara Kapfer has filed for divorce from Cuba Gooding, Jr., her husband of 20 years. She filed papers on Tuesday. The school teacher and her actor husband have three children together. Spencer is 19, Mason is 17, and Piper is 8. Kapfer has asked for joint custody of the two minor children.

The Jerry Maguire star and his soon-to-be ex-wife met as high school sweethearts. They got married in 1994. Gooding, who also starred in The Butler, is set to star in two upcoming films–Carry Me Home and Gridlocked. It was only about eight months ago that he sang his wife’s praises while he was a guest on The View.

What could have possibly gone wrong between August 2013 and now?

“I got a wonderful lady that knows how to run the household even when I’m not there. [And] we’re just blessed with wonderful kids,” he said.

During the same interview he admitted it was hard finding ample time to spend with his wife and his kids because of his career. He was starring in The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway at the time.

“When you do films, you’re away from the family, but I can still fly them in or fly home to see them, so… my wife and I… have this rule – never go more than three or four weeks without seeing each other,” he said. “But I knew this commitment meant that I would be in New York City for a long time; I’m here possibly through September, so it’s a bit of a pull on that to keep the household together. But she allowed me to be indulgent for obvious reasons… This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Cuba Gooding, Jr. has yet to publicly comment on the end of his marriage. It’s uncertain if something specific went wrong between the two, although Sara Kapfer did cite irreconcilable differences when filing for divorce.

Did Gooding spend too much time on his career and not enough time on his wife and family? It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened in Hollywood and it certainly won’t be the last. Still it’s sad to see a marriage that has lasted for 20 years go down the tubes.

Image via Wikimedia Commons