Dennis Quaid Hits Pause on Child Support as Twins Graduate

When your kids walk across the graduation stage, there’s a lot to celebrate—but for Dennis Quaid, it’s also a financial milestone. The War Machine star is heading to court to make sure his child support obligations end right along with his twins’high school diplomas.

Here’s where things stand: Quaid has been paying $13,750 per month to his ex-wife, Kimberly Buffington, along with additional amounts tied to his income. Their daughter Zoe graduated on May 23, and her twin brother Thomas is set to graduate on June 3. Quaid’s filing makes clear that he expects those payments to stop on their respective graduation dates—and he’s asking the court to prorate any income-based add-ons so he’s not footing the full bill for a year his kids won’t need support.

This isn’t the first time the actor has engaged in these kinds of financial negotiations. Back in 2020, Quaid submitted court documents showing he was willing to adjust payments upward as his income fluctuated, as long as the increases stayed reasonable. That willingness to work within the system suggests this latest move isn’t about ducking his parental responsibilities—it’s about drawing a clear line at what most people consider the natural endpoint of child support obligations.

Quaid and Buffington finalized their divorce in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, having first separated in 2016. It’s his second marriage to end in divorce; he was previously married to actress Meg Ryan (with whom he shares a son, Jack Quaid), and he was first married to actress P.J. Soles. He married his fourth wife, Laura Savoie, in June 2020.

The timing makes sense logistically, but it also raises a question worth considering: At what point should parental financial support truly end? For Quaid, that answer appears to be high school graduation. Whether the court agrees will likely depend on how they interpret the original settlement and what’s considered standard practice in California family law.