“I love meeting people’s moms. It’s like reading an instruction manual as to why they’re nuts.”
Ted Lasso is my favorite TV show that is still airing. Well, actually by the time this is posted, the show might not be airing anymore. Still not fully clear on that season three thing. Is it the final season or is it not? Anyways, never have I ever watched a show where I truly like everyone. Even the villains. It is one of the few shows that is feel good. Genuinely feel good. All the characters are properly fleshed out and it just makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. Not very many shows do that for me.
So, background. Ted is an American, American Football coach. Let me clarify. Ted is American and he also coaches American football. Clear? Okay. He was hired by Rebecca Welton to manage a soccer team in England called AFC Richmond. Rupert Maninion, her ex-husband had cheated on her (and eventually married a woman named, wait for it… Rebecca!). Rebecca had gotten the team in the divorce and knew that this club was the only thing that brought actual happiness to Rupert (well that and you know, cheating) and decided to tank the team. Ted had never coached soccer and did not even know what an offside was. To be fair I struggle with that one myself but I am a lawyer and not a soccer coach so I’m allowed not to know. She fully expected Ted to fail which if we are being honest, he did, I mean the man got the team relegated. For non-soccer fans, that means demoted. Anyways, she eventually starts actually caring for the club and the people and Ted. Cute and whatnot.
Anyways. There are two main divorces in this show; the one between Ted and his ex-wife and the one between Rebecca and Rupert. Why did I pick the second? No reason in particular to be honest, I will probably examine Ted in a different blog.
So, lets get into it, what would have happened if Ms. Welton and Rupert were divorcing in Ontario?
Divorce
As usual, straightforward. Rebecca can use the fact that Rupert was unfaithful or she could wait a year and get her divorce.
Equalization
So, in the last episode of season 3, Higgins (Rebecca’s right-hand man) tells her that if she sells the club, she will get paid two billion pounds. Yes. I will write that out again. Two billion pounds.
I don’t know how much exactly Rupert is worth but on reddit, someone says that AFC Richmond is based loosely on Crystal Palace so for fun, lets use the net worth of the richest owner of Crystal Palace, Josh Harris who is worth about 6.2 billion pounds. BUT, Rupert already had money before he met Rebecca. From what we learn in the show, there was a bit of love-bombing when they met because he kept sending her very expensive gifts. I will put his net worth at maybe 1 billion pounds as at the date of marriage. So the net worth that will be used will be the one at the date of separation minus the one at the date of marriage which will be 5.2 billion pounds. Not that much money, if you ask me.
Rebecca did not really bring anything into the marriage. I assume that she probably owns some jewelry, maybe a few Birkins, some loubs? Maybe her name was also put on the deeds of some houses. Based on no fact at all, I am estimating her net worth to be 6 million pounds at the date of separation. Now let us do some math:
£5,200,000,000 – £6,000,000 = £5,194,000,000
£5,194,000,000/ 2 = £2,597,000,000
Rupert will pay Rebecca £2,597,000,000
The fact that this money is so much is may be why Rebecca got the club in the divorce settlement. So, she gets the club and an extra billion dollars. Not a bad deal at all.
Spousal Support
When Rebecca reconnects with her god-daughter, Nora, they make jokes that Rebecca disappeared for 6 years while she was with Rupert. Someone on reddit believes that they were married for 12 years. Rebecca will be entitled to some form of support. She has become used to a certain lifestyle.
Rebecca says in an episode that when she met Rupert, she was a bartender. Throughout the marriage, she subdued her career to stay home and be his arm candy pretty much. I however struggle to see Rebecca getting spousal support. She has just received $3.1 billion dollars in equalization. Rupert will likely not be expected to still pay a monthly sum or a lump sum of support. This will be overreach.
As much as I love this show, I will never forgive them for that Sam and Rebecca storyline. Hated that so so so so much. I will also never forgive them breaking Roy and Keeley up. But the darts episode is also one of my favorite episodes of television so how upset can I really be? Also, is this the last season or what? We need answers.
Anyways, lets end this off the way we started it, with a quote from the amazing Ted Lasso that has nothing at all to do with this blog. Be curious, not judgemental.
