Danny DeVito Reveals How He and Rhea Perlman Have Made Their Separation Work for Nearly 10 Years

Danny DeVito recently opened up about how he and estranged wife Rhea Perlman have found a way to make their relationship work despite living apart for nearly a decade.

“We’re always over at her house. We see the grandchildren together, that kind of stuff. So that’s a good relationship,” the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star, 81, told AARP in an interview published on Wednesday, July 29.

DeVito and Perlman, now 78, first met in 1971. He was acting in an off-Broadway play at the time and she saw the show with a friend. The two quickly hit it off.

“We liked off-Broadway stuff. We went to movies all the time. We made little movies together — short films,” he told the publication. “We had a lot in common, and we fell in love. A nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn and an Italian from New Jersey: I cooked, and she ate.”

The Cheers alum and DeVito dated for more than 10 years before officially tying the knot in 1982. During their time together, they welcomed three children – Lucy, 43, Gracie, 41, and Jake, 38.

DeVito and Perlman announced they were separating in October 2012 after 30 years of marriage. While they briefly reconciled the following year, they split again in 2017. However, they remain legally married and the two have said they don’t have any plans to change that.

“I don’t know why it’s difficult for other people, but Danny and I have always loved each other and we have three amazing children together,” Perlman explained during a 2019 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “We really agree on almost everything important.”

She admitted that the initial transition was “hard,” but “everything smoothed out.”

“Everybody’s got a good relationship with Danny, and with me and each other. That’s all we care about,” the Barbie actress added. “But, I’m not getting divorced. No, no, no. What for? We do live separately. We see each other a lot too.”