Yahoo Lifestyle Jennifer Tilly Spills Piping Hot Tea On Divorce Settlement From 'Simpsons' Co-Creator
Jennifer Tilly is spilling some piping hot tea on her lucrative divorce from the late animator Sam Simon.
Tilly, known for her performances in “Bound” (1996), “Liar Liar” (1997) and the “Child’s Play” franchise, joined “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” this season — and has already revealed some eye-popping details about her 1993 settlement.
“My ex-husband was Sam Simon, who created ‘The Simpsons,’” she said during Tuesday’s episode of “Housewives.” “I was married to him for seven years. We were together for about 10 years, and then when we got divorced, I got a piece of ‘The Simpsons’ in the divorce settlement.”
While the animated series was officially created by Matt Groening, Simon co-developed “The Simpsons” and has remained credited as an executive producer since the 1989 premiere. Tilly married Simon in 1984 and reportedly filed her divorce petition in 1992.
A 1993 judgment obtained Wednesday by In Touch Weekly confirms that Simon agreed to pay Tilly half of all his producing or writing residuals from a specific period of their marriage — and at least 25% of all income he made from each “Simpsons” episode or film.
“And nobody knew that ‘The Simpsons’ was going to go on for trillions of years,” Tilly said on “Housewives” Tuesday. “Honestly, every day, I’m like, ‘Thank you, Sam.’”
The world-famous cartoon, now in its 36th season, has been a cultural mainstay for decades, with more than 750 episodes and a 2007 movie that grossed over $530 million worldwide.
Simon left the show as a writer after four seasons in 1993 but retained his producer title and royalties from home video sales, according to The New York Times. He reportedly said in various interviews over the years that this left him with “tens of millions” of dollars annually.
He was a donor to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and started the Sam Simon Charitable Foundation Assistance Dogs Program. A nine-time Emmy winner, Simon died of cancer in 2015 at age 59.
Tilly said Tuesday that it “takes a really long time to get over a divorce.”
At one point in the episode, she sported a $33,000 Louis Vuitton boat purse, which fellow “Housewives” star Erika Jayne couldn’t help but notice — and feel a little envious about.
“What Jennifer’s holding, that looks like a boat, isn’t,” Jayne said during a confessional, per E! News. “It’s actually art, and it’s very pricey.”
“She has very unique pieces,” Jayne said of Tilly. “And I know, because I’m looking at them. And I am coveting thy neighbor’s goods. I’m like, ‘Goddamn it.’”
