Sylvester Stallone Replaces His Jennifer Flavin Tattoo With 'Rocky' Dog Prior To Their Divorce Announcement

Aug 25, 2022

While some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, Sylvester Stallone took it a step further and had his wife’s face tattooed on his arm. For years, the Hollywood action star openly flaunted the large tattoo on his right bicep. That is, until early August 2022, when he had it covered with a portrait of his late dog Butkus. After the cover-up, rumors swirled that the relationship between him and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, had hit the rocks. On Aug. 24, 2022, the whispers were proven true as Flavin announced the pair would be splitting up.

The news came as a shock to many who considered Stallone and Flavin’s 25-year marriage to be one of the strongest in Hollywood. The “Rocky” star first met the model after a string of high-profile romances went sour.

He married his first wife, Sasha Czack, in 1974 at the age of 28. They had two sons – Sage, 1976, who died in 2012 from heart disease, and Seargeoh, who was born in 1979 and was diagnosed with autism. The couple divorced in February 1985. Stallone married his second wife, model Brigitte Nielsen, in December of that same year. The relationship ended in divorce two years later. 

Then in 1997, Stallone finally married Flavin, his longtime on-and-off girlfriend. The couple had originally met in 1988 and already had several ups and downs before their official marriage. After roughly five years of dating, Stallone broke up with Flavin in 1994 via FedEx.

“He sent me a six-page handwritten letter, in pen,” she told People at the time. “It was pretty sloppy.”

The two managed to patch things up and tied the knot a few years later. Read on to find out how life with their three beautiful daughters had been and their rocky road to divorce.

Before Stallone and Flavin married in 1997, they had welcomed their first child, Sophia, in 1996. Their second daughter, Sistine, is now 24, and their youngest, Scarlet, is now 20. In 2017, the three young ladies even shared the title of Miss Golden Globe at that year’s ceremony. Sistine told People: “It’s so memorable, it’s a dream. I think I’m dreaming, someone pinch me. This isn’t happening right now,” while Scarlet said, “It feels great, especially because we’re doing it with all of us.”

Their proud father’s reaction was “running around the house, dancing. The dogs were chasing him.” Sistine continued: “It was a moment ... Music, party at the Stallones’. It was so exciting.” 

Stallone shared with People in the same interview what home life felt like:

“I basically just keep my mouth shut and don’t cause waves. Again, (Flavin’s) fantastic, but it’s all women. Women rule. Even the dogs, they’re female and the one male’s been neutered.”

As for Flavin, Stallone had, on their 25th wedding anniversary on May 18, 2022, posted a series of photos in honor of the happy day, captioning the post: “There is not enough words to describe what this incredibly selfless dedicated, patient, woman has meant to our lives and I only wish they could be another 25!”

Flavin, meanwhile, unfollowed Stallone on Instagram. On Aug. 10, 2022, she uploaded a picture of herself and just their three daughters with the caption: “These girls are my priority. Nothing else matters. The 4 of us forever.”

Daughter Sophia responded in the comments with, “You are our rock, cheerleader, and most incredible mom. We are so lucky to have you. Love you so much,” while Sistine replied, “Strongest woman I know.” Scarlet commented with just a simple heart emoji.

On Aug. 16, 2022, tattoo artist Zach Perez had, in a now-deleted post, uploaded a photo of himself working on covering up the tattoo of Flavin’s face on Stallone’s arm. Her face was replaced with a portrait of Stallone’s dog Butkus, who died in 1981. 

Butkus appeared with Stallone in his “Rocky” movies. Stallone often posts about Butkus, in one caption saying before he found fame and success, all he had was “my dog, BUTKUS, my best friend, my confidant, who always laughed at my jokes, and put up with my moods, and was the one living thing that loved me for who I was!”

After Perez’s post prompted rumors about Stallone’s marriage, the actor’s publicist had sought to quell them, telling the Daily Mail, “Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer however the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable. 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+,” the publicist said.

However, on Aug. 24, 2022, Flavin announced she was divorcing the “Rambo” actor, telling People: 

“I’m sad to announce that after 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone. While we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30-year relationship that we shared, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters.”

According to court records, the 54-year-old Flavin filed a petition for “dissolution of marriage and other relief” from the actor 22 years her senior. 

Following the announcement, Stallone told USA Today  in a statement: 

“I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues.”

Are you surprised by Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin’s divorce announcement? What do you think of Stallone’s decision to cover up the tattoo of Flavin’s face on his arm and replace it with his dog? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to family and friends.