The Scandalous Affair That Triggered Robin Williams’ Initial Divorce

Robin Williams, the beloved comedic genius who graced screens and stages for decades, left a lasting legacy of laughter.

Following his tragic suicide in 2014, the public's fascination with his personal life intensified.

In 2018, HBO unveiled “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind,” shedding light on the actor's intricate journey as both a performer and a romantic figure.

Within the documentary, his relationships with his three wives: Valerie Velardi, Marsha Garces, and Susan Schneider, took center stage.

Before achieving stardom, the “Good Will Hunting” luminary was wed to Valerie Velardi from 1978 to 1988.

The birth of their son, Zak, in 1983 marked a pivotal point in their union.

However, their marriage crumbled due to Williams' extramarital affair, a topic Velardi candidly addressed in the documentary.

Reflecting on her former spouse's infidelity, Velardi remarked to HBO (per MamaMia), “He adored women.

Truly adored them.

I understood his nature and desires, but I also yearned for his presence at home.”

The dissolution of their marriage was further complicated by a scandal involving Williams and Garces, their nanny.

This controversy unfolded shortly after Williams and Velardi parted ways, leading to the birth of his first child with Garces in 1989.

While initially tolerant of her husband's transgressions, Velardi disclosed that their relationship disintegrated for reasons beyond infidelity.

As Williams' comedy career flourished, Velardi struggled to align with his evolving lifestyle.

“He constantly sought connections, new characters, or accents,” Velardi revealed in “Come Inside My Mind” (per PageSix).

“He was audacious.

He acted on impulse …

So we bid farewell to each other.”

Following his split from Velardi, Williams tied the knot with Marsha Garces in 1989, a union that lasted until 2010 and blessed them with two children, Zelda and Cody.

Shortly after their divorce, Williams found love once more with Susan Schneider, whom he married in 2011 until his untimely demise in 2014.

At the age of 63, Williams tragically took his own life, sending shockwaves through the world and his loved ones.

Reflecting on her father's influence, Zelda Williams expressed in a statement, “Our family has always cherished our private moments together.

It was our way of preserving a fragment of our lives with a man we shared with the globe.”

(via Entertainment Tonight)

Throughout the peak of his career, Williams grappled silently with substance abuse, a battle that intensified in his final years as cognitive decline set in.

In an interview with USA Today, his third wife Susan Schneider attributed his demise to the challenges posed by his recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Schneider remarked, “Robin's suicide stemmed from his deteriorating brain function; his cognitive abilities were severely compromised.”

Schneider viewed Williams' decision as a means to end his suffering – a choice that unwittingly led to his own demise.

Amidst Williams' struggles with depression, Parkinson's, and undiagnosed Lewy body disease, Schneider criticized the media's insensitive coverage surrounding the circumstances of his death.

Instead of empathizing with his plight, news outlets fixated on the “how” behind his passing.

Schneider lamented, “For someone as brilliant as Robin, who poured his heart and soul into his craft, witnessing his humanity slip away was devastating.”

As a testament to her late husband, Schneider now serves on the Board of the American Brain Foundation, dedicated to advancing research on the illness that claimed Williams' life.