Emmitt Smith and His Wife Separated after 20 Years of Marriage - Facts about Patricia Southall

Emmitt Smith and his wife Patricia Southall made a shocking announcement that they were separating just months after celebrating their 20th anniversary. Southall's marriage to Smith was her second marriage after she left a tumultuous relationship with Martin Lawrence.

Smith played football in college and professionally as a running back, and during his career, he was the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Off the field, he had a 20-year marriage to Southall, a former beauty pageant queen.

Smith and Southall had children from previous relationships, but the former NFL star spoke about how he and Southall worked as a team to run their household during their marriage. Despite their separation, Smith and Southall intended to keep their children as their main priority.

Patricia Southall Is the Former Miss Virginia

Southall is a woman of many trades; in her Instagram bio, she wrote that she is a speaker, producer, entrepreneur, CEO of Pat Smith Enterprises, and the founder of Treasure You. Southall was also a beauty queen, and when she was crowned Miss Virginia USA, she was the first African American woman to win the title.

In 1994, she was the first runner-up at the Miss USA Pageant but lost her mother while preparing for the competition. Southall was named one of the top 10 most beautiful women in Dallas in 2011 and served as a member of the Vogue 100.

She placed her ambitions on hold for 15 years to support Smith and his football career and to start a family with the former athlete. But after watching him from the sidelines of the football field, she said:

"I remember sitting there and feeling a lot of disappointment. I just felt like I had lost myself, and I didn't know who I was anymore."

Southall decided to pursue a career in show business as a host and actress, hoping to have a talk show. She took acting classes and began booking jobs. She was a guest host on "Access Hollywood" and had reoccurring roles on "Beverly Hills 90210" and "The Wayans Brothers."

Losing her mother inspired Southall to help other women accomplish their goals and dreams despite whatever hardship they may face. And so she founded Treasure You, and wrote on the website that it was a non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting women in financial, emotional or spiritual need."

Southall's mother was not the only person in her family to have battled cancer. Her sister, Pam Southall, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer months before their father's passing. In 2021, Southall shared a throwback picture of herself, her sister, and her late father and wrote that her sister "lives with hope and joy."

Emmitt Smith Separated from His Wife after 20 Years of Marriage

Southall and Smith dated for three years before they tied the knot on April 22, 2000. In 2020, they announced their separation in a joint statement, but they are yet to officially divorce. Smith and Southall said:

"We are publicly sharing that after much contemplation and prayer, we have decided to separate."

In May, Southall and Smith stood as a united front and gathered to celebrate their daughter's graduation. She posted a picture of the two parents standing on either side of their daughter and smiling.

Emmitt Smith Has Three Children with Patricia Southall

Southall gave birth to her first daughter, Jasmin Lawrence, on January 15, 1996, during her marriage to Martin Lawrence. Smith also had a daughter from a previous relationship, Rheagen Smith.

After getting married, Smith and Southall welcomed their first son, Emmitt James Smith, on May 15, 2002. Their first daughter, Skylar Elizabeth Paige Smith, was born on October 15, 2003, and their youngest child, Elijah Alexander James Smith, was born on September 22, 2010. Southall said about marriage and motherhood:

"I felt the responsibility to hold down my husband and to hold down my kids as a wife and as a mother. Those responsibilities fell in my lap and I took them seriously."

Emmitt Smith’s Wife Was Once Married to Martin Lawrence

Southall met Lawrence in 1992, reportedly while she was working at a media office. They got married in January 1995 and welcomed their daughter a year later. The state of their relationship took a turn for the worst after Southall filed for divorce.

She accused Lawrence of substance use and drinking and feared for her life and their daughter's. During their divorce proceedings, Lawrence and his lawyers did not respond to Southall's allegations of delusional rants, threats, and an account of a night in 1996 where he swerved his car over the edge while Southall was present.

Patricia Southall's life after Martin Lawrence took a pleasant turn as she remarried and welcomed more children. Although they have decided to part ways, Southall and Smith remained on good terms and continued to run their shared businesses and charities and take care of their blended family.