Loni Anderson and Ex-Husband Burt Reynolds’ Relationship Timeline

Loni Anderson and Burt Reynolds infamously had a rocky marriage from 1998 to 1994.

Anderson and Reynolds met on The Merv Griffin Show in 1981 when Anderson was still married to Ross Bickell and Reynolds was dating actress Sally Field.

The twosome eventually started dating in 1982 and tied the knot in 1988.

“I’m a very lucky man,” Reynolds said at the reception, which was documented by People at the time. “I’m surrounded by love and dear friends, and I married my best friend today.”

Shortly after their wedding, Anderson and Reynolds adopted son Quinton that same year. After nearly five years of marriage, Reynolds and Anderson announced their split in 1993.

“[He has] the highest respect and regard for Miss. Anderson … he feels his priorities and hers have become different,” Reynolds’ rep said in a statement at the time, noting their marriage was “irretrievably broken.”

Prior to his death in September 2018 at the age of 82, Reynolds said it was “a really dumb move on [his] part” when he married Anderson.

“I should have known that you don’t marry an actress. It wasn’t lollipops and roses,” Reynolds shared with People in a 2015 interview.

Meanwhile, Anderson passed away in August 2025 at the age of 79.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement to the Associated Press at the time.

Keep scrolling to learn more about Anderson and Reynolds’ relationship through the years:

1981

The pair met on The Merv Griffin Show while Anderson was still married to Bickell and Reynolds was with Field.

1982

One year after meeting, Anderson and Reynolds started dating.

“Whether this relationship will go any further than it has right now, I have no idea,” Reynolds told People at the time. “Loni and I are both trying very hard to get acquainted and to like each other without too many explosions and broadsides from the press.”

1983

The former couple appeared in Stroker Ace together.

April 1988

After nearly six years of dating, Anderson and Reynolds tied the knot at his ranch in Jupiter, Florida.

“I feel like Cinderella,” Anderson said at the reception ceremony, which was covered by People at the time. “I married Prince Charming.”

August 1988

The pair adopted their son Quinton.

1993

Following nearly five years of marriage, Reynolds and Anderson filed for divorce, with Reynolds describing their marriage as “irretrievably broken.”

After filing for divorce, Reynolds admitted to being involved with another woman after Anderson had been unfaithful to him first.

“I caught her cheating on me,” he said on Good Morning America: Evening Edition that year. “And so I just … I made the decision to call it off.”

Later in the interview, Reynolds said that in addition to their mutual infidelity a lack of sexual relations between the twosome also contributed to their split.

“I don’t see how she can be in total shock when you have not … if your husband has not touched you in the biblical sense in almost three years,” the actor said. “How can you be surprised?”

1995

Anderson opened up about her divorce from Reynolds in an interview with SFGate, where she accused him of physically abusing her at least a dozen times while he was allegedly under the influence of drugs.

“The physical abuse I always blamed on the drugs,” she said. “Burt always said no one would ever believe me because he was Mr. Wonderful and the world loved him.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Anderson also alleged that some months Reynolds doesn’t come up with the mortgage to their house or the $15,000-a month child support.

“It’s a very difficult situation,” she explained to the outlet. “Sometimes he’ll go for months [without paying] and sometimes it is all regular. I think it depends on if he is working.”

2015

According to TMZ, Reynolds wrote a $154,520 check that finally ended his divorce from Anderson. That same year, Reynolds released his 2015 memoir, But Enough About Me, where he expanded on why he thought marrying Anderson was “a really dumb move.”

“She bought everything in triplicate, from everyday dresses to jewelry to china and linens,” he wrote. “‘I never wear a dress after it has been photographed,’ she said. ‘I have to dress like a star.’ I gave her a platinum American Express card with a $45,000 credit limit. She maxed it out in half an hour.”

2018

After Reynolds’ death from a cardiac arrest, Anderson and Quinton spoke out for the first time in years.

“Quinton and I are extremely touched by the tremendous outpouring of love and support from friends and family throughout the world,” Anderson said in a statement to Fox News Thursday at the time. “Burt was a wonderful director and actor. He was a big part of my life for twelve years and Quinton’s father for thirty years. We will miss him and his great laugh.”