Zach Gilford has shockingly split from wife Kiele Sanchez after 12 years of marriage and welcoming two children together.

The Criminal Minds star, 43 – who got candid with fans with a health update months earlier – notably starred alongside Sanchez, 47, on the crime drama series where they played the role of a couple.

Gilford filed for divorce from Kiele on Friday, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

He cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for the split but their date of separation was not listed, with the actor instead simply putting ‘TBD.’

Zach is requesting joint legal and physical custody of their kids Zeppelin, seven, and Revel, four.

The star – who is also known for his appearance in Friday Night Lights – additionally could award Kiele spousal support, per the documents.

Zach Gilford, 43, has shockingly split from wife Kiele Sanchez, 47, after 12 years of marriage and welcoming two children together; seen in 2022 in L.A. 

Gilford and Sanchez tied the knot in December 2012 and the actor’s close friend and former castmate Jesse Plemons notably performed during the romantic ceremony. 

Their wedding pH๏τographer Jonas Peterson reflected on the big day during a past interview with ABC and said, ‘Oh man, that guy [Plemons] can play guitar!

Read More Criminal Minds star Zach Gilford shows signs of recovery after severe allergic reaction

‘He’s in a band called Cowboy and Indian and they were good – very good! [Gilford and Sanchez] are the most normal people in the world.’ 

Peterson also added, ‘They are the most in-love couple you’ll ever see. It’s really amazing. 

‘Zach said, “This is the love of my life and I want you to come capture that.” And that’s how it was, and that’s how they act. To see them doing this thing was spectacular.’ 

The estranged couple had first met in 2010 on set of the ABC pilot for The Matadors – a series that was never picked up by the network. 

The Midnight Mᴀss star previously opened up about his relationship with Kiele after their first child was born via surrogate. 

‘My wife isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met in my life,’ he told Us Weekly back in 2018. ‘I think when people meet her they just fall in love with her. 

He cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for the split but their date of separation was not listed, with the actor instead simply putting ‘TBD’; seen in 2019 in L.A. 

Gilford and Sanchez tied the knot in December 2012 and the actor’s close friend and former castmate Jesse Plemons notably performed during the romantic ceremony; seen in 2014

Late last year, Zach concluded filming the third season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, where he portrays a prolific serial killer named Elias Voit (seen above)

‘I feel like she’s taught me how to love and you just see her looking at this baby and you just know she’s a mama lion and nothing will ever happen to this kid. It’s really incredible.’ 

Late last year, Zach concluded filming the third season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, where he portrays a prolific serial killer named Elias Voit.

He previously starred in the first and second season – although he initially was only set to appear in season one. 

Gilford also worked alongside Kiele on the series – with the pair playing the role of a couple. 

In regards to filming tense scenes together, Zach explained to Us Weekly that it wasn’t easy to do.

‘It’s actually harder. It’s harder because I don’t want to hold a gun to my wife’s head… It just happened to be that the nature of these scenes were pretty gross.’

He added, ‘Honestly, all those scenes are so f***ed up. I’ll only speak for myself. Kiele can obviously speak for herself, but it felt gross [bringing those darker moments to life together].’

Gilford then explained that it wasn’t his or Kiele’s idea to have her take on a role in Criminal Minds. 

In regards to filming tense scenes with Sanchez, Zach explained to Us Weekly that it wasn’t easy to do; Kiele seen above in Criminal Minds 

‘I was on my way to work and I said goodbye to Kiele. And she looked at her phone and said, “That’s weird. I just got an offer to play your wife on Criminal Minds.”‘

‘Then, [showrunner] Erica Messer told me, “We didn’t want to put pressure on you or Kiele. We just wanted to make it very professional,”‘ he further recalled.

The upcoming season of the crime drama is set to premiere on May 8 on Paramount+ followed by weekly episodes – with 10 in total. 

Messer opened up about what viewers can expect for the new season while talking to Parade earlier this month – especially in regards to Gilford’s character of Elias Voit. 

‘Voit will be around, so we’re following up on him, but there will be some more satisfying unsubs of the week,’ she said. 

‘By satisfying meaning the team will have closure at the end of an episode versus this past season where we meet Gold Star and see Gold Star is capable of horrific things and we don’t really stop him truly until Jill Gideon helped in Episode 8…’

Zach is also known for starring in other television shows such as L.A.’s Finest, Midnight Mᴀss (2021) and Fall Of The House Of Usher (2023).

The actor portrayed the character of Matt Saracen in Friday Night Lights – which aired from 2006 through 2011.

Gilford then explained that it wasn’t his or Kiele’s idea to have her take on a role in Criminal Minds; seen in 2024 

According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline last year in December, a reboot of the beloved series Friday Night Lights will be shown on Peacock following a ‘bidding war’ among streaming sites

According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline last year in December, a reboot of the beloved series will be shown on Peacock following a ‘bidding war’ among streaming sites.

Universal Television will produce the series – which originally starred Gilford, Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Tyler Kitsch, Jesse Plemons, Aimee Teegarden, Gaius Charles and Minka Kelly.

Peter Berg – who notably helmed the television series when it first aired – is also set to be involved with the reboot which is in development. 

The premise of the new series will took place after a ‘devastating hurricane, when a rag tag high school football team and their damaged, interim coach make an unlikely bid for a Texas High School State Championship and become a beacon of light for their town,’ per the outlet.