Why Did Donald Trump Jr. and His Ex-Wife Split? They Share Five Kids Together
"I can't speculate as to how much [money] they received, but it was life-changing."
Updated Sept. 3 2024, 1:31 p.m. ET
![Donald Trump Jr.(L) and Vanessa Trump attend the 102nd White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 30, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/480x251/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/640x335/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/768x402/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/1024x536/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/1280x670/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/1440x753/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/1600x837/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/vKPYU7T4k/2160x1130/why-did-don-jr-get-divorced-from-vanessa-trump-1721317417689.jpg 2160w)
You might have become familiar with seeing Donald Trump Jr. with his current fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle. Lawyer and former Fox News regular Kimberly — who actually used to be married to California governor Gavin Newsom — is often by Don Jr.'s side at major events.
Don Jr. and Kimberly don't share any kids together, but they each are parents from previous relationships. In Don Jr.'s case, he shares several children with his ex-wife. But what happened to that marriage?
![Vanessa Trump, Kai Trump and Donald Trump Jr., stand on stage before the start of the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/480x252/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/640x335/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/768x402/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/1024x536/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/1280x670/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/1440x754/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/1600x838/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/j9rIQOtcY/2160x1131/donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-vanessa-daughter-kai-at-rnc-1721317115694.jpg 2160w)
Vanessa Haydon and Donald Trump Jr. with their daughter Kai at the RNC in July 2024
Why did Donald Trump Jr. get divorced from now-ex-wife Vanessa Haydon?
Vanessa filed for divorce from Don Jr. in March 2018 after nearly 13 years of marriage. The alleged catalyst? Well, according to some intel from the New York Post, Vanessa — who had reportedly put up with years of her husband's infidelity (who remembers the Aubrey O'Day scandal?) — suddenly came into a whole lot of money.
Thanks to some stocks and investments that had matured since her father Charles's 2005 death, Vanessa and her family reportedly became multimillionaires. And with this new financial security, Vanessa was supposedly ready to finally pull the plug on her faltering marriage.
"I can't speculate as to how much they received, but it was life-changing," a source told the Post of Vanessa's family's windfall.
![NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 11: Donald Trump Jr. poses with wife Vanessa Trump and their children at Disney On Ice Presents Frozen at Barclays Center on November 11, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/WireImage)](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/480x252/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/640x335/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/768x402/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/1024x536/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/1280x670/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/1440x754/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/1600x838/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/v5jUAFBQA/2160x1131/why-did-donald-trump-jr-divorce-1721317267366.jpg 2160w)
The family with 'Frozen' actors at Disney On Ice in 2014
Donald Trump Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa share five children together.
Don Jr. and Vanessa, who married in 2005, welcomed their first child — a daughter named Kai — in May 2007. Next came son Donald III in February 2009, followed by son Tristan in October 2011 and son Spencer a year later that same month. Their youngest is daughter Chloe, who came along in June 2014.
Kai made headlines in July 2024 after appearing on stage at the 2024 Republican National Convention, where she spoke about a side of her grandfather Donald Trump that the public doesn't get to see. She called him a "very caring and loving" man who "truly wants the best for his country."
![Vanessa Trump now with her daughter Kai.](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/480x252/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/640x335/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/768x402/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/1024x536/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/1280x670/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/1440x754/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/1600x838/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Aq1iX1eyo/2160x1131/where-is-donald-trump-jr-ex-wife-now-1725383576460.jpg 2160w)
Vanessa Trump now with her daughter Kai.
Where is Donald Trump Jr.’s ex wife now?
Although Vanessa likes to keep a low profile these days, she’s staying busy. Her Instagram bio reveals that she’s working on launching her own brand and shares photos and videos of her daughter, Kai, who seems to be taking golf pretty seriously. It's unclear what brand Vanessa is launching, as she hasn't provided any hints.
Despite her split from Don Jr., Vanessa maintains a unified presence online, frequently reposting his updates on X (formerly Twitter). She also gave a shoutout to Donald Trump in July 2024, calling him the "best grandpa."
Both Vanessa and Don Jr. couldn't contain their excitement over Kai's first public speech at the RNC in July 2024. "That’s my girl @kaitrumpgolfer speaking from her heart," Vanessa wrote on X, tagging her daughter. And did we mention Kai's growing social media presence? While she’s still building her audience on X, Kai has already amassed quite a fan base on Instagram, boasting 381,000 followers and counting.
Overall, it seems like Vanessa and her kids are doing well.