Highlights
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler and AJ Discala's marriage ended due to to a notable issue.
- Sigler chose not to talk much about her divorce because she was busy dealing with a health issue.
- After the divorce, Sigler remarried and is now married to Cutter Dykstra.
While being cast as Meadow Soprano on HBO's hit drama The Sopranos was a huge deal for Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the actress has had to deal with challenge after challenge. Sigler had an eating disorder before her M.S. diagnosis, and she also got divorced from her first husband AJ Discala at a young age.
Although Jamie-Lynn Sigler is a The Sopranos cast member with a high net worth, she continues to speak candidly about the tough times in her life. Her fans love this about her since it makes her feel more accessible than some closed-off celebrities. While she has said a lot about having M.S., there's a bit of mystery surrounding her first marriage. Here's the truth about why Jamie-Lynn Sigler and AJ Discala's marriage didn't work out.
Why Did Jamie-Lynn Sigler And AJ Discala Get Divorced?
While The Sopranos cast member Robert Iler disappeared from the spotlight, Jamie-Lynn Sigler is as famous now as she was when fans saw her on the HBO drama for the first time. But even though she is a beloved public figure, her fans might not know that much about her first marriage.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler and AJ Discala were married from 2003 to 2005. According to Forbes, she was only 22 years old at the time, and he was 32.
There isn't a lot of information about the couple's relationship or what it was like for the actress when they broke up. However, according to the Arizona Daily Star, the fact that Discala was ten years older than Sigler caused issues.
While Sigler hasn't explained why her first marriage ended, this does sound possible. She was only 16 when she began playing Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos. Since the TV series aired from 1999 to 2007, she was still filming the series at the time of her divorce.
As she approached her mid-20s, it's plausible that she realized that this wasn't the right relationship for her and she wanted to be on her own. This is just speculation, though.
RelatedPlaying Tony Soprano Took A Toll On James Gandolfini Behind The Scenes
Portaying Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini's life became very dark when cameras weren't rolling.
Although not much is known about Sigler's first marriage, The New York Post reported in 2005 that Discala and Nick Lachey were spending time together when both of their marriages broke up around the same time. It seems that the two were friends, at least during that time period. Sigler is also credited in an episode of Lachey and Jessica Simpson's MTV reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.
Entertainment Weekly reported that AJ Discala and Jamie-Lynn Sigler were together for two years prior to getting married. He was also her manager.
As for why Sigler chose not to talk much about why she got divorced, the answer could be that she wanted to keep this to herself. While Sigler was in a relationship with Discala, she was dealing with a difficult health issue, and dealing with it must have taken up a lot of her time.
In 2016, Jamie-Lynn Sigler talked about having Multiple Sclerosis on The Today Show and explained that she decided not to mention it publicly for 15 years. It seems likely that she was busy focusing on her health and trying to feel better, and she didn't want to discuss the end of her first marriage.
RelatedThese Sopranos Stars Shocked Fans When They Passed Away
From losing James Gandolfini to Nancy Marchland, fans of The Sopranos have dealt with plenty of real-life heartbreak.
It sounds like once Sigler opened up about this topic, she felt that she wanted to be honest about her personal struggles.
The actress told Today about her fellow The Sopranos actors and the people in her life, "Them and my friends and my family, they have fiercely protected me over these years. They wanted me to come out, and encouraged me and I just wasn’t ready. I was afraid, but I’m not anymore."
While the actress hasn't explained why she got divorced from AJ Discala, Jamie-Lynn Sigler was interviewed on The MS Bean podcast in October 2022, and she mentioned splitting up with Discala briefly. She said, "I went through a divorce. It was a very stressful time. That's when things started to manifest. I started to have some issues with my gait, I started to have bladder incontinence again, things that were very uncomfortable and scary. I panicked."
She continued, "People didn't talk about things being wrong back then... We were still in this mentality like 'Everything's perfect, everything's fine.'" She continued "I hid all my problems, all the time."
What Happened To Jamie-Lynn Sigler And AJ Discala After They Got Divorced?
Today, Jamie-Lynn Sigler is still married to her second husband Cutter Dykstra. The two tied the knot in 2016 and are parents to their sons Jack and Beau.
The actress has also been working hard in Hollywood for several decades now. From the TV movie Signed, Sealed, Delivered to the TV drama Big Sky, Sigler has taken on several roles in the last couple of years. She is also an advocate for those living with M.S. and other chronic health issues.
Sigler continues to talk about her health condition and that includes sharing what it's like to talk about it with her two young children.
In September 2023, she told Us Weekly, “So my kids both react to it very differently. My oldest son is an empath. He’s very sensitive. If I ever apologize [to] him that I can’t do certain things or explain to him certain limitations I have, he’s always like, ‘Oh mom, I get it, don’t worry. It’s all right.’” she shares. “My little one … He is upset about it, he doesn’t like it. He’ll compare what I can and can’t do to other moms, which is totally OK.”
RelatedHow Drea De Matteo Really Felt About 'The Sopranos'
Drea de Matteo was on multiple season of The Sopranos but this is how she really feels about the show and her character getting whacked...
AJ Discala, however, was charged with a crime several years ago. In 2021, Page Six reported that when he was the CEO at a company called OmniView Capital Advisors, he was charged in May 2018 with stock fraud. He told people that shares were worth more than they were.
According to Page Six, Discala was responsible for fines of $2,484,873.
According to the official website of the United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, Discala's prison sentence was 138 months. CT Insider reported that on Feb. 17, 2032, Discala will be able to leave prison.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler doesn't seem to have commented publicly on her first husband AJ Discala's prison sentencing. It's likely that she wants to give him some privacy.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuobFdn66utcRmo7KmnmLAqrPLnqlmnpmnwLV5x66qm5memXqitoydoKybkaGubrPOrWSdoaakv6Sxw2g%3D