Vinessa Shaw and Kristopher Gifford in 2015.
Vinessa Shaw, beloved for her role in Hocus Pocus, is now navigating a deeply personal chapter as her husband, Kristopher Gifford, has filed for divorce.
The filing took place on May 22, with Gifford citing irreconcilable differences, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. TMZ was the first to report the news.
Gifford has listed October 25, 2023, as the official date of separation. The couple’s marriage, which began on November 20, 2007, nearly spanned 16 years. Notably, Gifford is seeking joint legal and physical custody of their 7-year-old son, Jack, while opting not to request spousal support.
Representatives for Shaw have not yet commented publicly as of May 24.
Shaw’s final Instagram post mentioning Gifford appeared in July 2023, where she shared a birthday photo from an axe-throwing celebration. Just a month earlier, she had posted a heartfelt Father’s Day tribute with a photo of Gifford and their son, captioned simply: “Father’s Day 🥹.” For his part, Gifford last featured Shaw on his own Instagram feed in a patriotic photo shared on Independence Day, showing her posing in front of an American flag.
The couple welcomed their son Jack in February 2018. Shaw shared the joyous news with a black-and-white photo of his tiny hand and reflected on the difficult labor that ended in a hospital delivery. “After a long and arduous labor, we ended up having a beautiful boy at 9lbs 9oz,” she wrote, expressing gratitude for the love and care provided by their support team and midwives.
Vinessa Shaw rose to stardom playing Allison in the 1993 Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, alongside Omri Katz, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Thora Birch. She did not return for the film’s 2022 sequel.
Beyond her cult-favorite role, Shaw’s filmography includes Eyes Wide Shut, Two Lovers, and 3:10 to Yuma. In recent years, she’s made appearances in acclaimed series like Yellowstone and the reboot of Cruel Intentions.
