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Todd Bridges officially files to divorce Bettijo Hirschi

Todd Bridges has taken steps to make his split from Bettijo Hirschi official after announcing in January that he and his spouse had separated.

The former “Diff’rent Strokes” actor, 60, filed paperwork asking to end his marriage Tuesday in Arizona, Us Weekly reported Thursday. This will be the second divorce for both parties.

A representative for Bridges didn’t respond immediately to The Times’ request for confirmation and comment.

Bridges announced in January that he and Hirschi were heading their separate ways after getting married in 2022. At the time, he called the decision a “difficult” one for him.

“This was not an easy choice, and it comes with a heavy heart, but also with love and gratitude for the life we shared,” he said in a statement to The Times. “I thank God for the time we’ve had together, the lessons we’ve learned, and the family we’ve built. Even in this season of change, I trust He is guiding us both toward healing, peace, and new beginnings.”

Bridges said at the time that he would “continue to lift my former partner up in prayer, wishing them joy and fulfillment in the chapters ahead.”

The two met in January 2022; they married nine months later, after a brief engagement. Hirschi told Tamron Hall last year that a friend who wrote a new dating profile for her showed it to Bridges as “market research.” The friend then told Hirschi that Bridges wanted to get in touch.

“She’s a lot like my mom,” Bridges told Hall.

During a contentious spousal support dispute in 2025, Hirschi described the “Everybody Hates Chris” veteran as “semi-retired,” Us Weekly reported in February. The documents came as part of a battle Hirschi fought with first husband Heath Hirschi after marrying Bridges. At the time, Us said that Bettijo was claiming monthly expenses of around $16,550 and said Bridges made only “about $700” a month in 2024 unless he obtained “contract work.”

The Hirschis, who divorced in 2020, share four children, two of them minors, the outlet said. Heath Hirschi wanted out of paying $2,700 a month in spousal support payments after his ex married someone his legal team called a “well-known Hollywood actor.” Us said that in December 2025, the court revised the former couple’s agreement to $1,206 per month in child support, with $43,401.96 due for unpaid past support.

Bridges, meanwhile, has about a dozen acting credits since 2020, according to IMDb, which also says he worked on several new projects in various stages of production.

He also has two adult offspring: Daughter Bo is from a previous relationship with Amanda Rushing; he shares son Spencir, 27, with his first wife. Spencir Bridges was, like his dad, a child actor, with roles in the 2007 movie “Daddy Day Camp” and, in 2005, the TV series “ER.” Spencir’s most recent acting credits were in 2009 when he appeared in the series “iCarly” and in the TV movie “The Three Gifts.”

Todd Bridges is the last surviving original cast member of the hit sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes,” which ran from 1978 to 1986. Conrad Bain played Phillip Drummond, a wealthy Park Avenue businessman and father of Kimberly (Dana Plato). Drummond adopted sons Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis (Bridges), who were from Harlem. The character of housekeeper Edna Garrett, played by Charlotte Rae, was spun off in 1979 into a second hit series, “Facts of Life,” which ran until 1988.

Plato, who played Bain’s daughter Kimberly, died in 1999 from an overdose when she was 34. Bain died of natural causes in January 2013, at age 89, while Rae died in August 2018 at 92.

Gary Coleman died in May 2010 at age 42 after suffering a brain hemorrhage in an accidental fall at his home in Utah.

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‘Lanterns’ EP Damon Lindelof apologizes for calling Green stupid

“Lanterns” co-creator Damon Lindelof is setting the record straight: “Green is f— awesome.”

The prolific TV writer, who is an executive producer on the upcoming HBO Max superhero drama, addressed the backlash against comments he previously made about the Green Lantern show’s title in a lengthy apology posted to Instagram on Monday.

“I made a dumb joke on a comedy podcast,” the “Lost” showrunner wrote in the caption accompanying a photo of him wearing a very green T-shirt with the Green Lantern symbol at his first Comic-Con appearance. “I’m not going to bob and weave about context, the joke was dumb, the fandom is not. I owe them an explanation and a genuine reflection of my actual feelings.”

The joke in question was made during his appearance on a 2024 episode of “Pod Save America” co-host Jon Lovett’s “Lovett or Leave It” podcast. “It’s called ‘Lanterns’ because we all agreed that the ‘Green’ was stupid,” Lindelof said when the host brought up the upcoming TV show.

These remarks were resurfaced recently after the first “Lanterns” teaser was released earlier this month and some fans noticed a lack of green. The uproar gained enough steam that even comic book great Grant Morrison noticed. Morrison, the writer of a Green Lantern comics series from 2018 to 2021, then addressed the situation in a Sunday Substack post calling Lindelof out directly and questioning why he even took the “Lanterns” job.

“Why does a writer attach himself to this kind of narrative if he thinks it’s fundamentally ‘stupid’?” wrote Morrison. “What is this jockish dismissal of superhero conventions intended to prove anyway? Does Lindelof imagine it makes him seem less nerdy? … The only people who give a [f—] about the ‘Lanterns’ TV series are Green Lantern fans. Why alienate them at the start? That feels more like ‘stupid.’”

Lindelof acknowledged Morrison’s criticism and owned up to his faux pas before sharing just how much Hal Jordan — one of the Green Lanterns who will be featured in the series — meant to him growing up.

“For a quiet, uncoordinated kid, there was nothing cooler than a hero whose superpower was his imagination,” Lindelof wrote in his social media apology. “And green is not stupid, it is my lifelong favorite color and I have a questionnaire that I filled out in third grade to prove it.”

“More importantly, it would be a betrayal to everyone I worked for and alongside to say anything other than I was absolutely honored to be a part of the team that manifested the incredible construct that is Lanterns … because it was,” he added. “I was sloppy and careless with my words, ironic considering I care so much about Hal, John and the entire Corps. I can and will do better to be worthy of the oath. … [U]ntil then, I’ll let the show speak for itself and I can’t wait for you all to hear what it has to say.”

Among those sending Lindelof some love in the comments of his Instagram post were “Superman” actor Nathan Fillion, whose Green Lantern Corps member Guy Gardner is set to appear in “Lanterns,” as well as DC Studios boss James Gunn.

“The joke was funny. No harm, no foul! Keep up the great work, we appreciate you!” wrote Fillion, who included a green glove emoji in his message. Gunn was more succinct, showing his support with just a green heart emoji.

“Lanterns,” about superpowered intergalactic cops, will follow new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as they investigate a murder. Co-created by Lindelof, Tom King and showrunner Chris Mundy, the series will premiere in August.



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