The Inside Story Of Jennifer Tilly's Divorce With Simpsons Creator Sam Simon

Although Jennifer Tilly and Sam Simon's 7-year marriage ended in divorce, she thanks her lucky stars every day for it. According to Vanity Fair, the A-listers' paths first crossed in 1984 when Simon was a writer on a show called "Shaping Up" while Tilly was the star. The celebrity couple tied the knot the very same year and ultimately went their separate ways in 1991. Then, during a December 2024 episode of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Tilly confirmed that she "got a piece of 'The Simpsons' in the divorce settlement" since her ex-husband was the co-creator of the hit animated series, per E! News.

"So every day, honestly, every day I'm like, 'Thank you, Sam!'" the "Chucky" star enthused. At the time of their split, though, Tilly never imagined that her share of the Emmy-winning show would amount to much since it had only been on the air for about two years at that stage. However, Simon revealed in his 2009 interview with Stanford magazine that he was raking in "tens of millions" despite having walked away from "The Simpsons" in 1993. 

At the time of the animal rights activist's death in March 2015, Simon had $100 million, which he gave away to numerous charities. But his passing brought about a new challenge for his ex-wife. As TMZ reported, the actor filed legal action in December 2015 to ensure that Simon's estate continued to honor her financial interest in "The Simpsons" as promised in Tilly's divorce agreement. By March 2016, TMZ believed the matter to be settled.

Although Jennifer Tilly had a stunning "Real Housewives" transformation upon joining the hit show in 2024, she continued to make money from "The Simpsons" too. In 2018, court documents obtained by Radar Online detailed how 30% of the net amount that Sam Simon's estate received from the long-running animated show would go into the "Bride of Chucky" star's bank account in a more streamlined manner than before. They estimated that Tilly could easily add millions to her net worth in just a couple of years because of the arrangement. Given all this, it's easy to assume that she and Simon would've had a messy celebrity divorce that nearly left them penniless if it weren't for his considerable net worth. 

However, that wasn't the case because the exes quickly became good friends after their divorce. In fact, Simon's 2014 Vanity Fair interview documented how Tilly remained by his side through every single chemotherapy session following Simon's terminal colon cancer diagnosis in 2012. The Oscar nominee shared how the philanthropist changed in the wake of his diagnosis: "I think he realizes that a lot of things that maybe would make him crazy, they're just not important." 

She elaborated, "He's discovered what's important in life. Such a difference. A lot of the stuff he does he doesn't even talk about." Likewise, during Simon's 2013 chat with The Hollywood Reporter, the "Seed of Chucky" star noted that she was very glad that he had started his philanthropic efforts early on because the "Simpsons" co-creator got to witness all the good he had done in the world. Suffice it to say that Tilly will never be labelled the meanest "RHOBH" cast member.