Sam Donaldson, the former ABC News reporter and anchor, is splitting up with his wife Jan Smith Donaldson, after 29 years of marriage.
Donaldson, 78, who you may remember for his really terrible hairpiece, actually separated from wife number three several months ago but the news only recently surfaced according to the Washington Post :
” ‘They remain on good terms with each other and are hopeful they’ll be able to resolve their economic issues,” lawyer Sandy Ain said.
“No reason given for the split, and the couple has not yet filed for divorce, said Ain: ‘It’s unclear where this is ultimately headed.’ “
Donaldson is perhaps best known for being a foe of President Ronald Reagan when Donaldson served as ABC’s White House correspondent in the 1980s.
Donaldson no longer works full-time at ABC but he is still a frequent contributor to the network’s news programming, usually providing the liberal media spin on current events.
The New York Daily News reports that Donaldson met Jan Smith at ABC:
“Jan Smith, 57, was Donaldson’s third wife. The two met in the early 1980s while Donaldson was at the height of his career as an anchor and political reporter on ABC. Smith was an administrative assistant at the network and said Donaldson ‘really swept me off my feet in terms of energy and excitement.’ “
The couple divided their time between the nation’s capital and their New Mexico ranch, the Post explains:
“But their ranch — in Sam’s family for decades — has been the source of several headaches for the couple: an ongoing controversy for receiving federal crop subsidies; a brutal murder of the ranch foreman and two members of his family in 2004; and, last year, when several thousand acres were destroyed by the devastating wildfires in the state.”
In December, Donaldson was busted for DUI in Delaware after he drove his car onto the shoulder of the road.
