Roger Mathews may be trying to make peace in public...
... but we now know he's stirring up some more antagonism in private.
As avid celebrity gossip followers likely know by now, Mathews and Jersey Shore cast member Jenni "JWOWW" Farley are engaged in a very ugly divorce.
Farley filed for this legal split in September, and Mathews quickly told followers to chill out because he planned to win his wife of three years back.
In December, however, Roger and Jenni got into such a vicious verbal confrontation that police were called to the scene and a restraining order was issued against Mathews.
Six weeks later, Farley WENT OFF on her estranged husband in nearly unprecedented fashion, accusing him of abuse and misconduct and even sharing footage of Mathews shoving her to the ground.
You can relive that dramatic open letter here:
"Your actions have and continue to place the children in harm's way. Stop, pause and have a true reality check," Farley wrote as part of her very lengthy message on her official website.
It elicited a very lengthy message from Mathews on his website, during which he actually admitted to instances of abuse -- while also claiming Jenni was always the instigator.
But he also urged his estranged wife to consider scaling back her anger a bit for the sake of their two young children.
You can relive that dramatic open letter here:
This all brings us to the latest on this very ugly situation.
According to documents obtained by The Blast, Mathews has officially responded to the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star’s divorce by filing a petition of his own.
It was filed on January 24.
Mathews (pictured below with his children) is asking a judge for primary physical custody of his two-year old and four-year old, along with joint legal custody of the couple’s two children.
He’s also asking the court to determine a custody schedule that is “in the children’s best interest.”
There's more, too...
The stars apparently signed a prenuptial agreement prior to exchanging vows.
It's unknown at this time just what is included in this document.
However, wants the court to find it “invalid and unenforceable.”
He also wants alimony and child support from Farley, who Mathews said in his recent letter making somewhere in the seven figures each year... while he barely makes $100,000.
Roger, meanwhile, is clearly trying to make nice at this point.
"Peace. Let it begin here. For two amazing children. They deserve it. Please," he wrote this week on Instagram.
It's unclear at this point how, or if, Farley will respond.
In Farley’s petition, she requested that the prenuptial agreement be upheld ; that she receive primary physical custody of the kids; and that Mathews pay her child support.
So... the exact opposite of what Mathews has asked for in response.
“You have spit at me. You have pushed me. You have shoved me. You have aggressively thrown me to the ground,” she wrote in her above-cited blog post, adding of Mathews:
“You have prevented me from closing doors to escape having you coming at me. You have belittled and disparaged me. You have threatened me.”
In other words:
We don't think an amicable ending is in the cards here.