# So, someone just made his ex-wife pregnant **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 13, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722 "2009-02-13T18:57:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/1 "2009-02-13T18:57:06Z")
No not me, I have’nt been married ever. But the guy told me over drinks in the pub after work, he is a friend, he and his “ex” were married 5 years, had two kids, diovorced and have been divorced (at least in the eyes of the law) for 5 years, and both have had live in relationships since. I don’t know the full details (and not sure I want to know) but apparently this has been going on for a while. I am no one to attack the lifestyle choices of consenting adults, but bloody hell. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/2 "2009-02-13T19:01:31Z")
I think it’s actually pretty common – maybe not the pregnancy, but the continued knocking of boots, even if one or both parties are in other relationships. Marriages plant deep roots. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/3 "2009-02-13T19:15:05Z")
And the end of marriages pull those roots and lot of other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/4 "2009-02-13T19:16:04Z")
If I thought I would have to have sex with my ex again, I’d seriously contemplate just shooting myself. EW. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/5 "2009-02-13T19:23:22Z")
First thing I thought of, **Contrary**. Second thing was the character of Toby on the show West Wing, who while married to Andrea gave samples for fertility treatments that were presumably discontinued after their subsequent divorce. Years later, she pops up preggers and casually informs him after the deed is done, apparently she was still continuing treatment with his stuff on her own and yet oddly no character on the show questioned “Hey, so she never asked you, you’ve been divorced for years, without any extracurricular activities, but now you’re going to be a Dad, welcome to child support city?” In what universe would that be so casually accepted that the man never even questioned it?! ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/6 "2009-02-13T19:23:30Z")
This happened with a friend’s parents. Her parents had been split up for years and then bam … baby sister! My friend and her brother were in their mid to late teens when it happened. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/7 "2009-02-13T19:34:26Z")
That’s how Murphy Brown got pregnant! ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/8 "2009-02-13T19:36:40Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think it’s actually pretty common – maybe not the pregnancy, but the continued knocking of boots, even if one or both parties are in other relationships. Marriages plant deep roots. Apparently the guy has continued planting his root, too. Dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/9 "2009-02-13T19:39:52Z")
> [@Queen\_Tonya](#): > > First thing I thought of, **Contrary**. The first thing I thought of was Ron from the Ron Thread. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/10 "2009-02-13T19:40:40Z")
Perhaps he should talk to [Tony Danza](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Danza#Personal_Life) According to the late John Phillips in his autobiography, he had the same incidence twice with his first wife Susan. He had to arrange dangerous, illegal abortions both times. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/11 "2009-02-13T19:47:46Z")
Just when you think you’re out, your smaller, stupider head gets you right back in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/12 "2009-02-13T19:51:36Z")
Meh, one of my more skanky coworkers confessed to me that she is pregnant with her ex-husband-who-slept-with-another-woman-got-her-pregnant-then-slept-with-another-girl-and-got-her-pregnant-all-the-while-married-to-coworker-who-was-already-paying-for-his-other-illegitimate-kid’s-health-insurance. I asked her if she was in fact retarded. In case you didn’t catch that – he has 2 kids with her, his ex-wife and 2 kids with 3 kids with 3 other women – all while he was married to her, but now that their divorce is final, she’s pregnant by him again. Oh, yeah, and he doesn’t have a job, and refuses to work, because if he doesn’t have a job, he can’t be forced to pay child support. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/13 "2009-02-13T19:58:30Z")
> [@Litoris](#): > > Meh, one of my more skanky coworkers confessed to me that she is pregnant with her ex-husband-who-slept-with-another-woman-got-her-pregnant-then-slept-with-another-girl-and-got-her-pregnant-all-the-while-married-to-coworker-who-was-already-paying-for-his-other-illegitimate-kid’s-health-insurance. I asked her if she was in fact retarded. In case you didn’t catch that – he has 2 kids with her, his ex-wife and 2 kids with 3 kids with 3 other women – all while he was married to her, but now that their divorce is final, she’s pregnant by him again. Oh, yeah, and he doesn’t have a job, and refuses to work, because if he doesn’t have a job, he can’t be forced to pay child support. I heard a man on the subway telling a similar story, about how he has like 8 kids between 3 exes and he refuses to work because he doesn’t feel he should have to pay child support. Then he took off his hat and asked if anyone could spare some change. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/14 "2009-02-13T19:59:55Z")
> [@Queen\_Tonya](#): > > First thing I thought of, **Contrary**. > > Second thing was the character of Toby on the show West Wing, who while married to Andrea gave samples for fertility treatments that were presumably discontinued after their subsequent divorce. Years later, she pops up preggers and casually informs him after the deed is done, apparently she was still continuing treatment with his stuff on her own and yet oddly no character on the show questioned “Hey, so she never asked you, you’ve been divorced for years, without any extracurricular activities, but now you’re going to be a Dad, welcome to child support city?” In what universe would that be so casually accepted that the man never even questioned it?! That’s not how I remember it happening – they left it vague. How Toby told his co-workers was pretty casual, but they didn’t show how Andy told Toby, and they didn’t explain if the pregnancy was achieved the old-fashioned way or if it was a result of the fertility treatments (with or without Toby’s knowledge/approval) . (Why, yes, I have been watching the whole series again on Bravo, because I am a NERD. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/15 "2009-02-13T20:10:34Z")
Well, I always though the divorced couple got along amicably; I now know why. It was a contested divorce, the lawyer in me wants a bloody wasted costs order against them! I know there is no way that will happen, but its the principal of the thing. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/16 "2009-02-13T20:31:23Z")
> [@Queen\_Tonya](#): > > First thing I thought of, **Contrary**. > > Second thing was the character of Toby on the show West Wing, who while married to Andrea gave samples for fertility treatments that were presumably discontinued after their subsequent divorce. Years later, she pops up preggers and casually informs him after the deed is done, apparently she was still continuing treatment with his stuff on her own and yet oddly no character on the show questioned “Hey, so she never asked you, you’ve been divorced for years, without any extracurricular activities, but now you’re going to be a Dad, welcome to child support city?” In what universe would that be so casually accepted that the man never even questioned it?! Well, The West Wing was somewhat weird in its narrative structure. There was tons of stuff that happened off screen that we quite deliberately never got the details on, as an artistic choice; the idea seemed to be to force you to fill in the blanks with your own imagination. See also: Charlie breaking up with Zoe. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/17 "2009-02-13T20:43:16Z")
And Mandyville, and Sam never even being referred to after he wins the election, Margaret’s pregnancy etc. Even if **stargazer** is right and maybe they were kicking it, it should have raised a few eyebrows and remarkably no one, uh, remarked. I’ve recently re-watched the entire series on DVD and it bugged me even more this time when I knew it was coming and paid attention looking for reactions. I’ve heard of couples that have broken up and gotten back together, and more commonly I know some couples that are drama-addicted and Break Up and Get Back Together basically every time they get into an argument, but I can’t think of anyone I know that’s went back to tap an ex-spouse. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/18 "2009-02-13T22:09:35Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > I heard a man on the subway telling a similar story, about how he has like 8 kids between 3 exes and he refuses to work because he doesn’t feel he should have to pay child support. Then he took off his hat and asked if anyone could spare some change. :smack: So you met my ex-husband? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/19 "2009-02-13T22:17:35Z")
> [@Queen\_Tonya](#): > > First thing I thought of, **Contrary**. > > Second thing was the character of Toby on the show West Wing, who while married to Andrea gave samples for fertility treatments that were presumably discontinued after their subsequent divorce. Years later, she pops up preggers and casually informs him after the deed is done, apparently she was still continuing treatment with his stuff on her own and yet oddly no character on the show questioned “Hey, so she never asked you, you’ve been divorced for years, without any extracurricular activities, but now you’re going to be a Dad, welcome to child support city?” In what universe would that be so casually accepted that the man never even questioned it?! There are a couple of scenes where the other characters are encouraging Toby to get Andi to marry him. My interpretation of that, and the proposal at the house he bought her, was that they had started seeing each other again. Not that she’d artificially impregnated herself without his consent. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722/20 "2009-02-14T00:28:38Z")
He started proposing as soon as she told him, and continued proposing the length of her pregnancy. But it was definitely played as if Toby thought the kids should have married parents, and particularly that Andy shouldn’t run for Congress as an unwed mother. There was zero indication that they were knocking boots, in fact, the _previously on WW_ lead in to the episode showed us backstory about their infertility issues when they were married. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-someone-just-made-his-ex-wife-pregnant/485722.md?page=2)