Jerry Lawler's Spouses Were Not Happy at the End of Their Relationships with Him

Publish date: 2024-05-21

Jerry Lawler is among the 100 greatest wrestlers of the 20th century. While he has a successful career, his love life is far from perfect. The WWE legend has been married thrice.

Jerry has had three wives. His longest marriage was to Martha Kay Williams. The pair tied the knot in 1970 and divorced in 1982. In Jerry's biography, "It's Good to Be the King...Sometimes," the legendary wrestler got candid about how most of his relationships began with passion.

Jerry and his first wife, Williams, had an intimate connection, but somewhere along the way, the passion faded away. Though Jerry admitted he was too hard on Williams, he revealed that having babies too soon in marriage might have also affected their relationship.

Jerry "The King" Lawler at McCormick Place on April 24, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois. | Source: Getty Images

Paula Jean Carruth was Jerry Lawler's spouse from 1982 to 1991. During their marriage, the pair had a passionate relationship for many years. In Jerry's book, he admitted that it was impossible to sustain his intimate connection with Carruth, so when their relationship ended, his eyes began to wonder.

Stacy Carter was Jerry Lawler's spouse for almost a year. Though their marriage lasted for a few months, it was short and sweet. In his book, Jerry confessed that when he and Carter were together, they experienced intense passion— he wanted to be with her every minute of the day.

Lawler Had a Stroke While in Bed with His Fiancée

Even though Jerry has been divorced thrice, he never gave up on love. Jerry's last public relationship was with Lauryn McBride, and the two were engaged. Though it's unclear if the pair are still together, McBride shared a sweet post about the celebrated wrestler on her Twitter page in 2020.

Jerry "The King" Lawler and Lauryn McBride at Sheraton Parsippany Hotel on April 26, 2013, in Parsippany, New Jersey. | Source: Getty Images

According to reports, Jerry, 73, and McBride, 34, have been together since 2011, though their relationship hasn't been a bed of roses. In 2018, Jerry revealed that he had a stroke while making love to McBride. The revelation came when he was hosting his podcast show "Dinner With The King."

Despite their age difference, the lovebirds seem to get along over the years; they support each other and even run businesses together. Based on McBride's Facebook page, she is a part owner at Jerry's restaurant, located along Beale Steer in Memphis.

Like Jerry, who has children from his ex-wife, McBride also has a son from her previous relationship. It seems like her son has a great relationship with Jerry, as McBride has previously shared several posts of the wrestler bonding with her son.

Jerry Lawler and Lauryn McBride at the Bridgestone Arena on June 6, 2012, in Nashville, Tennessee. | Source: Getty Images

Even though the pair have been together for many years, they've had their ups and downs. The couple was once arrested in 2016 on charges of domestic violence. The incident occurred at night at Jerry's East Memphis home.

At the time, Jerry was still married to Carruth, but when they broke up, Carter moved in.

According to the cops, they responded to a 911 call, and upon arriving at the venue, McBride told the police that she and her partner had gotten into an argument that turned violent. McBride claimed that Jerry had grabbed her by the kitchen counter, hit her head, and pushed her against the stove.

Jerry Lawler and Lauryn McBride at Cipriani, Wall Street on April 4, 2013, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

She added that when the argument got intense, Jerry brought a firearm into their kitchen and told her to go ahead and kill herself. On the other hand, the wrestler told the cops that the two had been arguing about where McBride had been.

He claimed the argument turned violent when McBride scratched his face, threw a candle at him, and kicked him in his private parts. According to Jerry, McBride, who was under the influence of alcohol, brought the gun into the kitchen after retrieving it from the garage.

Jerry also told the officers that he was trying to stop McBride from driving because she was drunk. Following the incident, the couple was arrested after the police could not decide who was the primary aggressor.

Jerry "The King" Lawler (R) and Lauryn McBride at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on September 12, 2015, in San Antonio, Texas. | Source: Getty Images

Recently, Jerry was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery after suffering from yet another stroke. According to reports, the celebrated wrestler appeared to be okay when he attended WWE's Royal Rumble Show in January, where he was a commentator alongside Peter Rosenberg and Booker T.

Jerry has had heart complications in the past; he suffered from cardiac arrest in 2012 during an episode of Monday Night Raw, and he also had another stroke in 2018 while in bed with his Fiancée.

Martha Kay Williams Was Jerry Lawler's Spouse for the Longest Time

Williams was Jerry's first wife. The two were married for over a decade, from 1970 to 1982, and share two children. The pair met while in high school and began dating. They would often go on dates at a local hangout, or Jerry would sneak Williams into their home whenever his mother had gone to work.

Jerry "The King" Lawler at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

After dating for a few months, Williams became pregnant with their first child. Scared of how his mother would have reacted, Jerry suggested they get married.

One morning, the pair drove 150 miles from Memphis to Florence, Alabama, to get married since it was the only state where one didn't need a blood test or waiting period to get married.

Williams and Jerry's mother never got along; to keep the peace between the two, they moved out and rented a tiny apartment. The pair welcomed their first child Brian Lawler in 1972, and ten months later, their second child Kevin Lawler was born. After their second child, Jerry opted to get a vasectomy.

In Jerry's book, he admitted that the marriage was difficult for both of them. Most of the time, Jerry was rarely there for his family; he traveled a lot because of work. He admitted he wasn't a devoted husband nor a great father. Their marriage eventually ended, but he would always visit his kids on the weekends.

Paula Jean Carruth Loved Being in the Spotlight

When Jerry met Carruth, he was still married to Williams, and Carruth was also dating. Her boyfriend was Dean Nichopolous, son of George C. Nichopoulos, who was Elvis Presley's doctor.

Jerry and Carruth met during the mid-south fair event, and after hanging out a few times, they started seeing each other when she had broken up with her boyfriend. But when Carruth found out Jerry had a wife, she wanted to end the relationship. Since Jerry was no longer in love with Williams, he filed for divorce.

Jerry and Carruth finally tied the knot in 1982, the same year he had divorced Williams, and Shelby county mayor Bill Morris officiated the ceremony in the continental ballroom of the Peabody hotel.

Carruth liked being on TV; she occasionally co-hosted with Jerry on his show. Wrestling was a centerpiece of their show, but they also hosted other guests such as Muhammad Ali and Mickey Mantle, among others.

Carruth finally broke up with Jerry in 1991. Jerry stated she wanted kids, and since they couldn't have any, that might have compromised their relationship. Carruth remarried a man named Larry though she has never had any kids; her husband has a son from a previous relationship.

Stacy Carter Had Her Own Reason for Leaving Jerry Lawler

Jerry's third wife was retired professional wrestler Carter. The two were briefly married from September 2000 to July 2001. The pair met when Jerry was at a softball team practice, and it happened that one of his teammates was dating Carter's mother.

At the time, Jerry was still married to Carruth, but when they broke up, Carter moved in. Before Carter pursued wrestling as a career. she worked as a bank teller. However, when WWE introduced women's wrestling, Jerry convinced her to join, and she eventually began participating in matches.

Carter and Jerry broke up in 2001. It was the same year Carter was fired from World Wrestling Federation. Their breakup devastated Jerry despite him doing everything to get her back.