It’s the end of the road for Betsy Brandt and Grady Olsen.
The couple is going their separate ways after more than two decades of marriage, with the “Breaking Bad” actress, 51, filing for divorce on Thursday, per the filing obtained by TMZ.
Brandt tied the knot with Olsen in September 1998. The star listed the date of separation as August 1, 2023 — a month shy of their 25th wedding anniversary — but didn’t officially pull the plug on their union until this month.
She filed pro per — aka without a lawyer — like Jennifer Lopez did when she filed for divorce from Ben Affleck in August.
In the filing, Brandt, best known for her portrayal of Marie Schrader in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” is seeking legal and physical custody of their 16-year-old son, August. Brandt also stated the couple will still have to split up any property. It’s unclear if the pair had a prenuptial agreement in place.
Brandt has continued to work steadily since “Breaking Bad” went off air in 2013. The star most recently portrayed Jessica in the 2024 movie “The Bad Orphan,” which is loosely adapted from the adoption story of Natalia Grace. The movie follows “Jessica and Karl (Mark Taylor), loving parents to Rhiannon (Eve Edwards), who, after years of trying to add to their family, are elated to adopt Gabby (Chloe Coco Chapman), an 8-year-old orphan born with personal challenges,” per the film’s official synopsis.
It debuted on June 22.
At the time, Brandt told Entertainment Tonight, “There are some things that happen that you don’t wanna go through in your life, you don’t want anyone you care about to go through.
“I remember when that story came out, and I was like, ‘Oh my God,’” she continued about the Grace saga. “For me, the interesting thing about the true story was that here’s this couple, you think you’re in one situation and it turns out you’re in something way over there.”
Touching on how the network approached the project, Brandt added, “Lifetime just took that [premise] and then just ran with it.”
“Yes, this is [about] a couple that adopted a girl that they thought was young — it turns out [with them asking,] ‘Is she? Is she not?’ — but then it’s a fictional story. It’s a different story.”
Brandt, who plays the child’s adoptive mother in the flick, also served as a producer of the project.
“It kind of gave me more license to really have a say in how we do it. I think that’s part of your job as an actor,” she said. “It is a team sport. It is all hands on deck. It’s the people that spend the most time there that really set that tone, and it really allowed for me to do that.”
As for what made the made for TV movie great? Well, Brandt believes Chloe Chapman, her young co-star who plays Gabby, the adopted orphan, made magic.
“I don’t even wanna imagine doing this without her. I adore her,” Brandt gushed of the young actress. “She’s also really good… She’s so smart. She’s really wonderful. She quickly became a peer.”
