‘West Wing’ Star Joshua Malina’s Wife Files for Divorce After 28 Years

It’s officially over for Joshua Malina and Melissa Merwin. The 58-year-old “West Wing” actor’s wife, Melissa Merwin, has filed for divorce after nearly 28 years of marriage. According to court documents obtained by TMZ on Monday, August 5, Merwin, 61, cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split but did not provide a date of separation.

Merwin has not requested child support from Malina since their two children — daughter Isabel, 26, and son Avi, 22 — are both adults. However, she is seeking spousal support.

Merwin has a background in the costume department, having worked on productions like “Ellen,” “Fallen,” and “Point of No Return.” Her last listed gig on IMDB dates back to 1998.

Malina’s divorce is expected to proceed smoothly. TMZ indicates that Merwin aims to dissolve their marriage “amicably” and “with minimal court intervention.” Given that their children are adults, child support and custody issues are not a concern.

The Post has reached out to Malina’s representative for comments. Malina, best known for his role as Will Bailey on NBC’s “The West Wing,” met Merwin through her sister Jennifer Merwin and her former brother-in-law Timothy Busfield in 1992. They dated for several years before getting married in December 1996.

Despite their long relationship, both Malina and Merwin kept their marriage and family life largely private. In July 2022, Malina took to Instagram to pay tribute to Merwin on her special day, posting a photo of her hiking and captioning it “Happy bday to my Maine gal, and the love of my life.” In another rare post from 2020, Malina praised his wife and their marriage, celebrating their 24-year union.

“I’ve been married to this beauty for 24 years!” he wrote under a photo of Merwin. Five years earlier, he shared another image of Merwin working on a floral arrangement, captioning it, “My beautiful wife, at her store.”

Malina has remained a familiar face on television for over three decades. He starred in “The West Wing” from 2002 to 2006 and played President Siebert on “The Big Bang Theory” from 2011 to 2019. His role as David Rosen on “Scandal” spanned from 2012 to 2018, and he portrayed Jeremy Goodwin on “Sports Night” from 1998 to 2000.

In more recent times, Malina has appeared in shows like “Inventing Anna,” “Shameless,” “This Is Us,” “The Rookie,” “The Good Doctor,” and “American Horror Story.”

In 2023, Malina made a notable return to Broadway, performing in Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt.” This marked his first stage performance since his role in Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men” in 1989.

“I grew up in New Rochelle, in Westchester County — the suburbs of Manhattan. It was a lovely place to live,” Malina told Bond Official at the time. “One great perk of being so close to the city was seeing many outstanding theaters on and off-Broadway. Sitting in the audience fed my desire to get up on stage myself. I always threw myself into any opportunity to act.”

Malina added, “Returning to Broadway for the first time since appearing in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘A Few Good Men’ in 1989 is an absolute thrill, and it does feel like a return to home.”

Source: NY Post, TMZ