Actor Dennis Quaid has formally requested an end to the child support arrangement established following his divorce from former wife Kimberly Buffington, according to newly filed court documents.
Dennis Quaid seeks end to child support payments after twins graduate high school
The filing, submitted on Wednesday, May 20, seeks to terminate Quaid’s monthly payments of $13,750 made to Buffington for the couple’s 18-year-old twins, who are expected to graduate from high school in May and June this year.
According to documents obtained by PEOPLE, Quaid cited the terms outlined in the pair’s 2018 divorce agreement, which reportedly specifies that support obligations may conclude “when a child completes 12th grade (if still under 19 and a full-time high school student) or reaches the other enumerated endpoints, whichever occurs first.”
The legal request marks the latest development in the former couple’s long-running post-divorce financial arrangements. Quaid and Buffington, who married in 2004, welcomed twins Thomas and Zoe in November 2007 in Santa Monica, California. Their relationship drew significant media attention over the years before the couple finalised their divorce in 2018 after a lengthy legal process.
Beyond the fixed monthly support payments, the court filing also addresses additional financial obligations connected to Quaid’s annual earnings. Under the terms of the divorce settlement, the actor is reportedly required to make supplementary payments if his yearly income exceeds $1,314,000.
The filing states that the potential bonus amount linked to his earnings should be “prorated to each child's graduation date rather than using Dennis' full-year 2026 income.”
Quaid, 72, has largely maintained a private stance regarding his personal and family life despite decades in the public eye. Best known for films including The Parent Trap, The Substance and The Day After Tomorrow, the actor has balanced a lengthy Hollywood career with raising his children away from sustained media scrutiny.
In addition to the twins he shares with Buffington, Quaid is also father to actor Jack Quaid, whom he welcomed during his marriage to Meg Ryan.
While he rarely discusses his family publicly, Quaid recently offered a brief update concerning his daughter Zoe following severe flooding in Texas. During an appearance on Hannity on Fox News on Thursday, July 10, the actor revealed that Zoe had been working as a counsellor at a nearby camp during the fatal floods connected to Camp Mystic.
Quaid said his daughter had been only a few miles away from the disaster area but confirmed that she was safe.
