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Jack White’s Wife Olivia Jean Files for Divorce Over "Inappropriate Marital Conduct"
Breakups aren’t always black and white.
But Olivia Jean is outlining her very clear reason for filing for divorce from Jack White after four years of marriage. In her June 3 filing obtained by E! News, the Black Belles member—whose full name is Olivia Jean Markel—cited "irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct" as the grounds for her split from the White Stripes rocker (a.k.a. John Anthony White).
E! News has reached out to his rep and her attorney for comment but has yet to hear back.
Despite having careers in the spotlight, White and Markel have kept much of their relationship private. Well, except for that time he proposed to and married her onstage during a 2022 concert at the Masonic Temple in their hometown of Detroit.
Still, there’s a reason White prefers to tune out the white noise that can be social media.
Nowadays, there can be an "expectation to share or overshare," he explained on Love & Respect With Killer Mike in 2022, "which for some people is great. It’s a cool thing, and they’re good at it and it’s an enjoyable experience for them—where to me, I feel like, I don’t know, it just doesn’t fit me very well. So sometimes, I think, 'Well, I’ll share things that are important to me in a certain way.'"
Like his onstage wedding to Markel.
"That day was so beautiful, and the building we were in meant so much to me and my wife that it seemed to be the right moment," White continued. "And I kept thinking if it doesn’t go that way, there’ll be a sign saying, 'Oh, this is not the time to do it.'"
But generally, opening up his personal world just doesn't strike the right chord with the Grammy-winning guitarist.
"When you put out things that you hold dear and you really love, if you really put them out there, people can just walk all over them and destroy them," he added, "and then you’re left with these crumbled pieces of the things that are so important to you."
To see what pieces of information have been publicly shared about White and Markel's relationship and divorce, keep reading.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Why Are Jack White and Olivia Jean Getting Divorced?
"Wife alleges that there are such irreconcilable differences between the parties as would entitle Wife to an absolute divorce," Markel's filing states. In addition, the documents continue, "Wife would show that Husband is guilty of inappropriate marital conduct, which makes further cohabitation unsafe and improper."
Markel lists her date of separation from White as the same day of her June 3 filing. He has yet to publicly comment on the allegations in her complaint.
What Is Olivia Jean Seeking in Her Divorce From Jack White?
Markel isn't entirely looking for a clean break, noting in her filing that she's seeking "adequate and sufficient provision for an equitable division of the parties' assets and liabilities."
The "Raving Ghost" singer’s complaint also notes "she is dependent on Husband's income for her support" and that she is seeking alimony. In addition, Markel states in her filing that White should maintain his life insurance coverage and that she should be listed as the beneficiary. Furthermore, she asks that he continue to provide her medical and hospitalization insurance.
White has yet to file a response.
Dominique Maitre/WWD via Getty Images
When Did Jack White Marry Olivia Jean?
Fans erupted into cheers when White and Markel tied the knot during a Detroit concert in April 2022. At the time, his rep told People, "the marriage is legal and valid." However, Markel’s divorce complaint actually says the pair exchanged vows in Nashville in December 2022.
In any case, the onstage wedding was still a moment they’ll never forget.
"It was the best experience of my life," Markel told The New York Times that July. "You could plan a wedding for five years and it wouldn’t compare to that."
Was This Jack White or Olivia Jean's First Marriage?
While this marked Markel’s first marriage, White had said "I do" two other times. He was first married to White Stripes drummer Meg White from 1996 to 2000 and then dated Renée Zellweger for about a year and a half before they split in 2004. The following year, White wed model and musician Karen Elson. However, the duo broke up in 2011 and finalized their divorce two years later.
Do Jack White and Olivia Jean Have Any Children?
The recording artists did not welcome any kids together. However, White shares daughter Scarlett White, 20, and son Henry Lee White, 18, with Elson.
How Did Jack White and Olivia Jean Meet?
In her 2022 interview with The New York Times, Markel recalled how she met White in 2009 after she scattered a bunch of her demos around the concert venue his band, the Dead Weather, were playing at. To her surprise, she continued, he called her a few weeks later and asked if she wanted to record music under his label Third Man Records.
But it wouldn't be until 2014—after years of working together on both the Black Belles' and her solo music—that White and Markel's relationship shifted from platonic to romantic.
"We were just really good friends," she told The New York Times. "You have to know that you can be friends for a while before you can date. It wasn’t really a transition. It was more, OK, this is happening. More like a continuation."
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