Why did Rachel and Dave Hollis divorce? All about their marriage and children in wake of latter's death at 47

Former Disney executive Dave Hollis reportedly passed away on Saturday, February 11, at the age of 47. News of his demise was confirmed in an official statement by his family.

According to Variety, Hollis took his last breath at his home in Austin, Texas. Although no immediate cause of his death was revealed at the time of writing, Hollis’ family shared that he was recently hospitalized for cardiac issues.

Dave Hollis’ former wife, author, and motivational speaker Rachel Hollis, also took to Instagram to share the news of his sudden demise. She posted a photo of a black square with white writing that said his family is “devastated” over the loss.

Rachel also mentioned that she has “no words” and her heart is “too broken” to find words to describe the situation. She also asked her followers to keep their children in their prayers while the family “navigates through the unthinkable."

Dave Hollis previously served as the distribution chief at Disney before leaving the entertainment giant to help his wife establish a career as a self-help author and influencer.

The couple tied the knot in 2004 and called it quits in 2020 after 16 years of marriage. Rachel Hollis shared a lengthy post on Instagram and wrote that the pair has “worked endlessly” to save their marriage over the last three years but realized it is “healthier and more respectful” to their journey as a married couple.

Nearly a month after the announcement, Dave Hollis addressed the divorce in a now-deleted Instagram post.

He claimed that Rachel allegedly filed for divorce two days after the pair celebrated their 16th anniversary. He wrote that she told him that he could “only become the man and she the woman [they] were each truly meant to be… apart."

He added that his wife’s post with their memories made him feel “embarrassed for a vision of a future that wasn’t shared.”

Dave and Rachel Hollis are also parents to four children. In her post, the latter previously confirmed that the pair would continue to co-parent their kids.

---

A closer look into Rachel and Dave Hollis’ marriage

Rachel and Dave Hollis tied the knot in 2004 (Image via Getty Images)

Rachel and Dave Hollis reportedly met after the former moved to Los Angeles, per Netline. The pair dated for two years and married in 2004.

While Hollis worked as the president of global theatrical distribution at Disney, Rachel rose to fame after her Facebook post about post-partum stretch marks went viral online. Following her online popularity, Rachel published a self-help book titled Girl, Wash Your Face in 2018.

The book spent 85 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and earned spots on Good Morning America and The Today Show. That same year, Dave Hollis quit his job at Disney and relocated to Austin with his wife.

Shortly after, the couple launched The Hollis Company to establish a business empire surrounding their marriage. They also began doing daily livestreams for their growing community of fans before starting their joint podcast called Rise Together.

On the podcast, the pair often spoke about their happy marriage life and relationships in general. The Hollises garnered further popularity as a couple and continued to portray themselves as an ideal family on the internet.

In 2019, the New York Times wrote that Rachel and Dave have eventually made encouragement their “full-time job.” However, the duo left people shocked after announcing their sudden split in 2020.

Rachel took to Instagram to announce that the pair have decided to end their marriage after 16 years. She wrote:

“We have worked endlessly over the last three years to make this work and have come to the conclusion that it is healthier and more respectful for us to choose this as the end of our journey as a married couple.”

The influencer continued that the pair had the “most awful” time of their lives for a whole month prior to their split and said that “every ounce” of her energy is now reserved for her children:

“I’ll be honest, the last month has been one of the most awful of our lives. I want to be strong and bold and optimistic for you now, but every ounce of my energy is reserved in being those things for my children.”

Rachel also mentioned that she and Dave would “remain dear friends,” co-parent their children and run their shared company as partners. The latter echoed a similar statement in his own post and wrote:

"Our marriage has been a triumph in so many ways... and it has run its course. Despite still loving and deeply respecting each other as friends, co-parents and business partners, Rae and I decided that the best way to allow each of those to thrive in the future is to end our marriage.”

However, nearly a month later, Dave Hollis shared another post claiming Rachel had initiated the divorce with him, two days after their 16th wedding anniversary. He wrote:

“Rae told she didn’t want to be married any more."

During their marriage, Rachel and Dave Hollis had three biological children, Jackson, Sawyer, and Ford, and one adopted child, Noah.

He also moved in with fitness influencer Heidi Powell. Hollis is survived by his girlfriend, his former wife, and his four children.