Was Sylvester Stallone’s relationship drama STAGED for TV?

An aging Hollywood legend with stunning model daughters who goes through a bitter public split from his wife of 25 years before reuniting in spectacular fashion in front of the cameras… it sounds like the storyline for an epic TV drama. And as it turns out, that might just be the case. 

Sylvester Stallone’s personal life has been the subject of much scrutiny and speculation over the past few months – after he and his wife, former model Jennifer Flavin, announced they were divorcing after more than two decades of marriage. 

To make matters all the more scurrilous, after Flavin, 54, filed divorce papers, Stallone, 76, was seen covering up two tattoos of her face and eyes – replacing the inking of her visage with a picture of his late bull mastiff dog Butkus, while the artwork of her eyes was turned into a snow leopard. 

It seemed like a very dramatic and somewhat petty conclusion to a lengthy marriage that many believed would be one of the few to stand the test of time and the pressure of the spotlight. 

Then, as if by magic, the pair suddenly reconciled, just one month after Flavin officially filed for divorce and were quickly seen holding hands and putting on a very public display of affection during several outings and A-list events. 

It was a romantic drama worthy of its own TV series – and lo and behold, that’s exactly what it will get, after it was revealed that Stallone and his family have been filming their very own reality show since August, the exact same month that Flavin filed for divorce. 

Which begs the question… was all of that marital turmoil staged for the sake of good TV? 

At best, the timing of the couple’s make up and break up was suspicious, at worst, it was all perfectly plotted so that the cameras could capture every minute of the drama – but either way, the public way in which Stallone and Flavin’s romantic roller coaster was played out has drummed up more interest in the family’s reality series than any ad campaign might have. 

The Stallone family’s show will be aired on Paramount+ and it is understood that the project is being made by the same production team behind Keeping Up With the Kardashians – so it’s sure to be filled with the same kinds of ups, downs, and made-for-TV moments that momager Kris Jenner and her daughters have become famous for. 

And Stallone’s daughters – although they have stayed clear of the drama between their parents – certainly look prime for reality TV fame, boasting the same stunning looks, impressive influencer-esque credentials, and close-knit bond that helped the Kardashians sisters propel themselves to global superstardom. 

Sistine, 24, has followed in her famous parents’ footsteps with budding careers in fashion and acting – having appeared in several campaigns and walked in several shows for big-name brands like Chanel, while also building up an impressive slew of acting credits in projects like Midnight in the Switchgrass, alongside Bruce Willis and Megan Fox, and horror flick 47 Meters Down: Uncaged.

The talented 20-something also hosts a podcast, Unwaxed with her older sister Sophia Rose, 26 – and between the two of them, the girls boast more than three million followers on Instagram. Not quite at Kardashian levels of online fame just yet, but undoubtedly the renewed interest in their family dynamic will help to boost those numbers in no time. 

Youngest Stallone sister Scarlet, 20, has her own legion of 800,000 admirers on Instagram, where she regularly shares glimpses of her lavish lifestyle, while making the occasional appearance on her sisters’ podcast. 

Needless to say, Rocky’s trio of stunning daughters will give their parents a run for their money when it comes to scoring screen time, even with all of the romantic ups and downs that could well be aired. 

DailyMail.com has reached out a spokesperson for Stallone and Paramount+ for comment.  

Ahead of the release of the Stallone show, FEMAIL lays bare all of the drama that has unfolded between the Rocky actor and his wife – and the picture-perfect reunion that followed. 

The beginning of the end: Rumors swirl that Rocky’s marriage is on the rocks as Flavin is seen WITHOUT her wedding ring – before sharing cryptic Instagram about ‘prioritizing’ her kids

In early August, the very same month in which Stallone’s spokesperson confirmed that the family had started filming their Paramount+ reality show, rumors began to circulate that there was trouble in paradise for the actor and his wife – after Flavin shared a cryptic Instagram post about ‘prioritizing’ her three daughters. 

‘These girls are my priority, nothing else matters,’ she wrote alongside the August 10 image of herself and her children. ‘The four of us forever #truth #family #forever.’ 

Her daughters chimed in with messages of support in the comments section, where their praised Flavin’s ‘strength’ – seemingly confirming that their mother was going through a tough time. 

‘You are our rock, cheerleader, and most incredible mom,’ Sophia Rose wrote. ‘We are so lucky to have you. Love you so much.’ 

Sistine simply added: ‘Strongest woman I know,’ while her younger sibling Scarlet commented a heart emoji.  

Another telltale sign that the pair were embroiled in a rocky rift? Flavin unfollowed her husband on Instagram. 

It then emerged that the former model had been pictured out and about in Los Angeles two days earlier without her wedding band. 

Images showed Flavin leaving Craig’s Restaurant on August 8, wearing a chic white blouse and a pair of khaki pants, with her blonde locks styled in perfectly-tousled waves. 

She added a host of accessories – including a Chanel handbag, several gold bangles, and a chunky gold ring – but was noticeably without her engagement ring or wedding band, raising eyebrows even higher over what exactly might be going on between her and Stallone. 

It’s all gone to the dogs: Flavin files for divorce and accuses him of hiding assets – as it is claimed she and Stallone broke up over an argument about a Rottweiler

After weeks of speculation and rumors, it was revealed on August 24 that Flavin had officially filed for divorce from her husband of 25 years – and even went as far as to accuse him of hiding marital assets in the papers. 

Flavin, who filed for divorce on August 19 in Palm Beach County, Florida, claimed in the documents that Stallone ‘has engaged in the intentional dissipation, depletion and/or waste of marital assets which has had an adverse economic impact on the marital estate.

‘Moreover, the Husband should be enjoined from, selling, transferring, assigning, encumbering, or dissipating any assets during the pendency of proceedings.’

The filing noted that the ‘marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken’. 

Former fashion star Flavin – who took her husband’s last name after they tied the knot – also sought to restore her maiden name. 

In a statement given to DailyMail.com the Rocky star said that he was focusing on his family in the wake of the divorce filing, and that they would be ‘privately addressing’ their ‘issues’. 

‘I love my family,’ he said via his publicist. ‘We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues,’ Sly told DailyMail.com. 

He also vehemently denied rumors that the split came as the result of an argument over his decision to get a new Rottweiler, Dwight. 

The reports about the dog-based disagreement came from an unnamed source, who claimed to TMZ that Stallone was intent on getting the new canine in order to ‘protect the family’. 

However, the insider alleged that ‘Jennifer didn’t want the canine’, and that Dwight’s arrival at the family home triggered an argument that ultimately unearthed deeper issues within their relationship, eventually sparking their divorce. 

Stallone later hit back at these rumors, insisting that he and Flavin had not ended their relationship because of ‘such a trivial argument’, but rather the pair simply ‘went in different directions’.  

Conceal don’t feel! DailyMail.com reveals Stallone had tattoos of his wife’s face and eyes covered up with a picture of his beloved DOG Butkus and an arty snow leopard

In what was the most concrete evidence of the rocky ground on which Stallone and Flavin’s marriage was on, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed on August 22 that the actor had a tattoo of his wife’s face covered up and replaced with a photo of his beloved bull mastiff, Butkus, while an inking of her eyes was transformed into a snow leopard.

An image shared by the actor’s tattoo artist Zach Perez on August 16 – three days before Flavin officially filed for divorce – showed him kicking back in a chair and tapping away on his phone while the inking of his wife – which had been there for years – was replaced with the portrait of Butkus. 

Interestingly, even though the photos emerged after Flavin had filed for divorce – albeit days before that filing was made public – Stallone’s publicist insisted that the transformation of his tattoo that showed his wife’s face was the result of an unhappy mistake.  

‘Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer however the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable,’ she said.

‘As a result, he had to cover the original image with a tattoo of his dog from Rocky, Butkus.

‘Mr. Stallone loves his family. The Stallones are presently filming a reality show together which will debut on Paramount+,’ Bega added.

The publicist declined to comment further.

Weeks after the divorce filing was revealed to the world however, there was no mistaking it when Stallone hit back at his estranged spouse by cover up yet another inking of her – this time an image of her eyes that sat beneath a horse, which his tattoo artist transformed into the bright blue eyes of a snow leopard. 

Oklahoma City-based Perez proudly shared a video of the cover-up to his Instagram, writing alongside it: ‘Round 2!!!’ he wrote. ‘Here’s the other arm I covered up and reworked the existing horse. It’s an honor to know he can select anyone but he likes my work enough to come back and do another project! I’ll post the 1st session of the dog cover up soon! As always thanks for the trust.’

It remains to be seen whether Stallone will go under needle again in order to restore his wife’s portraits now that they have reconciled – or perhaps, as a sign of his devotion, he will add new Flavin-focused inkings to his impressive line-up of body art?  

Stallone and Flavin’s Rocky romance takes another twist: Couple sparks rumors of reconciliation as actor posts touching throwback photos – days before revealing they had REUNITED

Just when it seemed as though the former couple’s romantic roller coaster had come to a halt, Stallone threw yet another twist into the mix, this time by posting several heartwarming throwback photos of himself and Flavin – sparking furious speculation that they had managed to put their troubles behind them and reconcile. 

The first of the photos, which were posted almost one month to the day after Flavin filed the divorce papers, showed the Rocky star and his wife enjoying a romantic stroll through a vineyard while holding hands. The second captured the pair posing for a sweet snap with their three children.

Having clearly learned the art of the cryptic Instagram post from his wife, Stallone simply captioned the post: ‘Wonderful…’

However, his ambiguous caption did little to stem the tidal wave of speculation that he and Flavin had enjoyed a romantic reunion – and they allowed those rumors to ebb and flow for just four days before officially revealing that they had reconciled.

A spokesperson for the star shared the news in a statement, telling Page Six on September 23 that the couple had ‘decided to meet up at home, where they talked and were able to work out their differences’. 

The rep did not offer up details about what those ‘differences’ were, but added that the pair were ‘both extremely happy’. 

The reunion tour! Stallone and Flavin seal the deal with several VERY public displays of affection 

Having shared the happy news of their reconciliation via their spokesperson, the couple then went about sharing their newly-revived romance with the world by putting on several very public displays of affection both in Los Angeles and in New York. 

The first of what would end up being many reconciliation appearances came one week after it was revealed that they had called off their romance, with the beaming duo stepping out for a grocery shopping trip in Calabasas, California, on September 30. 

Images showed the on-again, off-again, on-again couple smiling happily, looking every inch the loving husband and wife – and revealing no signs that there had ever been any trouble between them. 

At one point, Stallone put his hand on his wife’s thigh, and their pair were then seen gazing at the actor’s phone together as they relaxed outside of the local grocery store – looking, to the casual observer, like any other married couple. 

They made another appearance together in New York one week later, at the start of October, when they were pictured arm-in-arm while enjoying a date night. 

Since then, the pair have made multiple public outings together – both as a couple and with their stunning daughters, enjoying shopping trips and making appearances at fashion events, although interestingly they have yet to be photographed in the presence of a camera crew. 

Undoubtedly much of the drama that unfolded between the pair has been played out behind-the-scenes – with a savvy producer behind the lens, capturing every minute of what has been a script-worthy saga. 

The beginning years: How the couple met and fell in love despite a 22-year age gap – before Stallone rocked the romance by CHEATING on Flavin with Janice Dickinson

Stallone and Flavin first met in 1988 – when Flavin was 19 and he was 41. It’s been said that she was enjoying an outing with a friend when she crossed paths with Stallone at a restaurant in Beverly Hills. 

At that time, the actor was in the height of his career and had already been married twice – first to Sasha Czack from 1974 to 1985 and second to Brigitte Nielsen from 1985 to 1987; he was also already the father to two sons, named Sage and Seargeoh, from his first wife.

While it’s unclear how their romance blossomed, the two made their debut as a couple in later that year, while attending a Los Angeles gala arm-in-arm; Stallone and Flavin looked like the epitome of a happy couple as they arrived to the event side-by-side.

The duo quickly became a Hollywood power couple, often going to premieres and parties together, and putting their love on full display on numerous occasions.

However, in 1994, things took a shocking turn when Stallone suddenly dumped Flavin via a letter that her mailed to her. In it, he revealed that he had cheated on her with Dickinson, who was dating actor Michael Birnbaum at the time.

‘He sent me a six-page handwritten letter, in pen. It was pretty sloppy,’ she later told People magazine of his breakup note. ‘I was disappointed. You can’t just write somebody off in a letter after six years.’

The model explained that she wished he had spoken to her about it in person rather than sending her a note, adding, ‘It’s not like I was going to try to beg him to come back to me or anything. I just wanted to talk.’

She told the outlet that it ‘hit her like a ton of bricks’ and that it completely took her by surprise.

‘I had no idea this was going to happen,’ she continued. ‘We talked about us having children, about when I was going to get pregnant. We were already picking names, marking down names that he liked and I liked.’

Dickinson later spoke out about the affair in her 2002 book, No Lifeguard on Duty, revealing that things hadn’t been going well with her boyfriend Michael for ‘some time.’

She wrote that she soon ‘came clean’ about Stallone to him, which led to her and Michael splitting; and when she found out she was pregnant a week later, she believed the baby was Stallone’s.

‘I called Sly and went over to see him. We had supper and made love … Then I told him I was pregnant,’ she recalled.

While she wrote that she strongly ‘felt the child was his,’ after her daughter, named Savannah, was born in February 1994, a paternity test proved that he was not the father.

Despite the affair, Stallone and Flavin got back together one year later, in 1995, after his brief romance with Angie Everhart came to an end. They went on to welcome their first child together, named Sophia Rose Stallone, in 1996.

However, the couple was faced with heartbreak when it was revealed that their daughter had a hole in her heard shortly after her birth. After being rushed into emergency surgery, the baby thankfully made a full recovery.

The couple officially became husband and wife months later, tying the knot with a super low-key civil ceremony at The Dorchester Hotel in London, followed by a chapel ceremony at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. People reported that only a dozen close friends and family members were in attendance.

And afterwards, Flavin said she was well aware of Stallone’s reputation as a playboy, but added that she felt confident that their marriage was going to last.

‘I’m not naïve about what may go on when I’m not around – he’s a 45-year-old man – I can’t change the way he is,’ she admitted to the outlet at the time.

‘Still, he’s not a cheating dog every day of the week. We spend five out of seven nights together, so I don’t know where he’d find the time.’

Flavin’s older brother, Mitch, also told People: ‘When they got back together it seemed they knew what they wanted. She knows that Sly is pretty much settled down. He’s getting older too, you know.’

They went on to welcome two more daughters together, Sistine Rose in 1998 and Scarlet Rose in 2002.

Stallone couldn’t speak higher of Flavin in 2010, stating in an interview, ‘It took me 19 years to realize she’s always right. I realized that women have a knack, at least Jennifer, for making incredibly erudite, wise, smart decisions. I always leap without looking. She always looks and never leaps.

‘She’s incredibly safe. So now finally, I say: “Honey, you make all the decisions. Done, done, done. I trust you.” I never had that before. Ever.’