Actor John Schneider Has Been Married Four Times — Does He Have Any Kids?
He and his second ex-wife started a family together.
Published July 25 2024, 1:23 p.m. ET
Depending on your generation, you might know him best from The Dukes of Hazzard or Smallville, but John Schneider has been on the big and small screens since the late '70s, with nearly 200 acting credits to his name.
John has been open about many things in his personal life, from the tragic loss of his third wife Alicia Allain to cancer in 2023, to finding love again with Dee Dee Sorvino, whom he married in 2024.
But does John have any kids? Below, we take a look at the actor's family.
John Schneider, Tom Wopat and Ben Jones as Bo Duke, Luke Duke and Cooter on 'The Dukes of Hazzard'
Who are John Schneider's kids?
John has been married four times. His first marriage was to Tawny Little from 1983 to 1986, followed by his second marriage to Elly Castle from 1993 to 2014.
It was during this second marriage with Elly that John welcomed a daughter named Karis in 1997. He also shares three children with Elly from her previous marriage: Mandy, Leah, and, Chasen.
John with second wife Elly in 2003
John explained to Fathers.com in 2012, "My wife and I have four kids — Mandy, Leah, Chasen, and Karis — and I’m father to all of them, but I’m Karis’s biological father. So when I married Elly, she had three children, and we immediately became a family because I wanted to be a dad … wanted, wanted, wanted to be a dad."
In 2018, John opened up during his time on Dancing With the Stars about a dark period he was going through with his family, in which he felt his ongoing divorce with Elly was driving a wedge between him and his children.
John with kids Karis, Chase, and Leah in 1997
It's unclear if their relationship has since improved, but John posted on social media in 2020 about Karis's coaster business, which seems to be a good sign.
"My firefighter daughter, Karis, just started this IG company and I think her coasters are pretty awesome and I’m very proud of her. Please go check them out and order a bunch!" he wrote.
As John mentioned in his post, Karis is indeed a firefighter. It looks like she may have previously dipped her toe in the acting game, too, as she has a credit from 2006 on IMDb for the film Collier & Co. And if you're interested in her coasters, she mentions on Instagram that she "[takes] flowers and sentimental items and [turns] them into epoxy coasters and more." They look pretty awesome, too.
As for Leah, Mandy, and Chasen? It looks like Leah has worked on the production side of Hollywood, with IMDb credits for both Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars. She also has a directorial credit for a short film called Jobyna from 2010. Chasen has also gone the Hollywood route, with a handful of acting projects on his resume including a stint on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It's unknown if Mandy followed in her family's footsteps.
