Dwight Howard’s latest drama isn’t on the court — it’s playing out in a Georgia courtroom instead.
Just six months after getting married, reality star Amber Rose Howard, also known as her stage name Amy Luciani, filed for divorce from the former NBA star, according to documents obtained by TMZ Sports.
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In the filing, Amber wrote that the marriage is “irretrievably broken,” adding, “there are no prospects for reconciliation.” She’s asking the court to equitably divide all marital assets and property and is seeking alimony.
But in the world of short-lived celebrity marriages, a clean 50/50 split isn’t always guaranteed. Whether a prenup is involved or not, the legal and financial fallout of even the briefest unions can be messy and costly.
The honeymoon is over
Before things fell apart, the couple was keeping things low-key. Then, last December, they went Instagram-official with their engagement, posting a joint announcement that brought their private relationship into the spotlight. Wedding photos followed, along with a luxe getaway to Thailand that Howard subtly hinted was their honeymoon, according to The Express Tribune.
But fast-forward just six months, and the romance has turned into a legal untangling.
While short marriages might seem simple to dissolve, the financial aftermath is rarely clean-cut. When couples separate, they need to figure out how to divide everything they’ve built, including investments, retirement accounts, businesses and even debt.
How those assets and liabilities are split depends on state laws. In community property states, most assets acquired during the marriage are jointly owned and typically divided 50/50. But Georgia, where Amber filed for divorce, is an equitable distribution state, meaning property is divided fairly, though not necessarily equally, according to Experian.
And when it comes to alimony, Meriwether & Tharp LLC says Georgia courts tend to take several factors into account: the length of the marriage, the standard of living during that time, each party’s age and health, their financial resources and their individual contributions to the relationship.
So while Amber may have a list of what she wants — alimony, assets and a fair cut of the marital pot — if the parties can’t agree, it’ll ultimately be up to the courts to decide who walks away with what.
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Protecting your finances
Love might be blind, but your financial planning shouldn’t be. Before merging lives, couples should have open, honest conversations about money. That includes income, debt, spending habits and long-term goals. It’s not always romantic, but transparency can be the key to building a healthy financial future together.
If you have pre-material assets that you want to protect, it might be worth considering an option like a prenuptial agreement, especially if either partner is entering the relationship with significant assets, a business or financial obligations. A prenup can be a way to clarify expectations and protect both parties in case things don’t go as planned.
Even Canadian Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary doesn’t mix love and money, at least, not without ground rules. Speaking on Fox Business in March 2024, O’Leary said he “forbids” blended finances in his family and “forces prenups” as a standard.
“You need a prenup,” he told Fox Business. “It forces you to ask those questions of your potential partner: ‘Do you have debt? Have you ever been bankrupt? Has your family ever [been] bankrupt?’”
It’s also smart to keep detailed records of who contributes what financially, especially if you’re co-investing in major assets like property. Maintaining separate accounts, along with one shared account for joint expenses, can offer both flexibility and protection.
Lastly, understand the laws in your state. Whether you live in a community property or equitable distribution state can drastically affect how things are divided if the relationship ends.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
