Actor Scott Wolf was given temporary sole physical custody of his and estranged wife Kelley Wolf’s three children back in August. Considering the complicated series of events since June, it’s a positive that People Magazine have highlighted how Scott marked son Miller’s 13th birthday on Instagram with a carousel of family photos that included a warm shot of Kelley hugging their son.
His caption began, “Mr. Fahrenheit. An American original. A holder of light,” and closed with, “You are love, you are loved.”
Timeline of events
Back in June that picture looked very different in public. Scott and Kelley announced the end of their 21-year marriage after more than two decades together and three children, Jackson, 16, Miller, 12 at the time, and Lucy, 11.
Multiple outlets including People and Entertainment Weekly reported that Scott filed for divorce shortly after Kelley posted her own statement about the split.
“No mental illness. No addictions,” Kelley told followers a few days later, insisting she was “fine” after what she described as surviving an involuntary 5150 hold.
According to People, she had been detained by Utah County deputies on June 13 and taken to a hospital after a friend and family members raised concerns about what authorities called an escalating mental health crisis.
July 6 saw another police response at Utah’s Sundance Resort, where deputies again took Kelley to a hospital after what a 911 caller described as disturbing behavior in a hot tub.
Around the same time, court records reviewed by People showed a July 15 temporary custody agreement and a July 19 order dissolving Scott’s first restraining order, while keeping temporary sole physical custody with him and granting Kelley “liberal” but supervised parenting time and calls.
Late August is where everything hardened into criminal charges. People and other outlets reported that on August 26, Scott called police after receiving a stream of texts from Kelley and discovering that his personal phone number, the one he uses to communicate with the kids, had been posted on her Instagram.
A police report said he got about 24 calls and multiple texts within the first ten minutes, and prosecutors later filed three misdemeanor counts, one for electronic communications harassment and two for electronic disclosure of personal identifying information.
After two days in jail, Kelley was released on August 28. According to People, the conditions of release required her to avoid alcohol and non-prescribed drugs, participate in mental health treatment, stay away from witnesses, and submit to tight court oversight of her behavior online.
That same day, a new protective order was issued that, as The Independent noted, prohibited her from any direct or indirect contact with Scott or their children and ordered her to remain at least 300 feet from him, with contact allowed only in court-approved mediation sessions.
September did not ease the tension. During a court appearance early that month, Kelley told the judge she planned to enter treatment, and multiple sources told People she briefly checked into an Arizona rehab facility before checking herself out, then was admitted to a Utah mental health hospital on September 21.
A judge later ordered a minimum 60-day involuntary psychiatric hold in late September, and she missed a September 30 misdemeanor hearing because she was undergoing treatment at that facility.
By mid-October, the treatment story shifted again. People reported that on October 14, Kelley’s 49th birthday, she was transferred from one Utah facility to another to continue that court-ordered hold. Two days later she resurfaced on social media, writing that she was “in the arms of Florida” and sharing images that outlets identified with a Florida-area treatment center, and People added that she now faced an extra misdemeanor charge for allegedly violating the protective order by trying to reach Scott and Miller through friends.
Social media signals
For all of the negatives, People noted that Scott quietly posted a simple “Happy birthday to you” tribute for Kelley on October 14, using an older photo of her smiling in a restaurant. This was then followed weeks later with Miller’s birthday post that included her in the family carousel. These should be seen as positives in what is a complex series of events.
I grew up when family trouble like this tended to stay off camera, and seeing it unfold through court documents and Instagram captions is honestly pretty heartbreaking. Especially when Scott remains the children’s only residential parent under a temporary order, and Kelley’s time with them, if it resumes, will be supervised and tightly controlled.
According to reports from People and The Independent, the protective order restricting contact with Scott and the kids is still active. Additionally, she continues to face several misdemeanor counts tied to harassment, doxxing and allegedly breaching that same order.
It is worth remembering that confidential help is available in the U.S. by calling or texting 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or by reaching out to local mental health services where you live.