Report: ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star John Schneider’s Ex-Wife Seizes Residuals to Pay Back Support
According to a new report, Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider's former wife has prevailed in a court action to seize the residuals he earns from his past acting endeavors to pay off nearly $2 million she says he owes in back support.
Radar Online reports that Schneider's second ex-wife, Elvira Castle, claimed in court documents Radar obtained that the actor and country singer, who played Bo Duke on the classic TV series from 1979-1985, owes her $1.8 million in back support. She most recently filed a petition for the court to seize Schneider's residual payments that are still coming to him via CBS Entertainment, CBS Television and Walt Disney Pictures, and a judge signed off on her request, which Schneider did not oppose in court.
It's the latest round in a series of legal exchanges between the former spouses, who were married for more than 20 years when Castle filed for divorce in 2014, citing irreconcilable differences. In 2016, a judge ordered Schneider to pay Castle $18,911 each month in spousal support, basing the figure on his estimated income of $40,000 per month that Schneider earns from projects that he produces and directs via his self-owned production company, John Schneider Studios.
Castle hauled him back into court in 2018, claiming he owed her back support in the amount of $150,000. Schneider attributed his delinquent payments to financial hard times, and a judge sentenced him to three days in jail. Schneider ended up serving just a few hours due to overcrowding, and he told Fox News at the time that he fundamentally disagreed with the way courts set such payments.
“It’s common sense versus entitlement,” he said. “I’ve worked seven days a week, 80 hours a week, at least since 1978. I have, as every working person has, a mountain of debt that was attached to my dream. And there’s a group now that somehow feels they’re entitled to life or even luxury without work, and the judicial system apparently agrees with that.”
Schneider has turned his financial situation around in recent years with the release of several successful indie projects, including Christmas Cars, Stand on It and Poker Run, as well as new music. Castle filed another petition in 2020, estimating that his unpaid back support had risen to $832,000, as well as interest of $181,000 for a total of $1,115,824.52. She claimed in that filing that Schneider was earning an estimated $172,000 each month from his company.
Castle's latest filing claims Schneider now owes back support from 2016 through September of 2022 in the amount of $1.4 million, which reaches $1.8 million with interest. She told the court that Schneider “receives payments and residuals from 30 different entities he has and continues to receive residuals for past services as an actor, which are paid through third parties.”
According to Radar Online, the court sided with Castle after she subpoenaed SAG/AFTRA to determine how much Schneider was earning in residuals, and how it was being paid out.
Schneider was married to his first wife, former Miss America Tawny Little, from 1983-1986. He married Castle in 1993, and they have one daughter together, in addition to Castle's two children from a previous relationship. Schneider married his producing partner, Alicia Allain, in 2019.
In addition to his time on The Dukes of Hazzard, Schneider has had a successful career in country music. He scored a string of country hits in the '80s, including "I've Been Around Enough to Know," "Country Girls" and "What's a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This)."
Schneider's next project is a movie titled To Die For, which is slated for release on Oct. 20, 2022.
See the Cast of The Dukes of Hazzard, Then and Now: