Scott Wolf is opening up for the first time since announcing in June that he filed for divorce from his wife, Kelley Wolf.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the 57-year-old actor said his main concern is his kids. “My continued hope is to keep this very hard chapter of our family’s life as private as possible. But since my children’s well-being is at risk, they will always come first.”
He added, “There are serious challenges making this situation extremely hard and painful for everyone. I was told about very upsetting and completely false accusations made about me by my estranged wife.”
Text messages reviewed by PEOPLE show that Kelley, 48, appeared to tell Scott she planned to “make claims” against him, such as “psychological abuse, child abuse, child endangerment, and stealing with passports.” She repeated several of these accusations in a 911 call on July 26.
Scott explained: “She told me she would ‘make claims’ about me, even admitting she didn’t believe they were true, just to gain an advantage in what she sees as a court ‘battle.’ To protect my kids, I’m sharing her text messages so no one questions her intentions or the harmful purpose behind her false allegations.”
In one message, Kelley admitted she had been “advised to make claims that are possible, even though I do not believe they’re true nor would I ever say them to anyone.”
Scott said the worst part of her actions is how they affect their children. “Although her claims are completely false and dangerous, the real tragedy is the trauma this causes our kids. I ask anyone reporting on this to think about that before repeating information from an unreliable source.”
He ended by asking for privacy and thanking those who have supported his family.
When PEOPLE asked Kelley for comment, she responded: “I will be very clear when I say this: I don’t believe that Scott would [abuse our children]. I’ve lost my career, my reputation, my children, my integrity, and my marriage. I’ve done everything strategically, and I’m still hopeful for my kids.”
Scott’s comments come weeks after the temporary restraining order he received against Kelley in June was dropped. The couple also reached a new agreement in their divorce case.
According to PEOPLE, the July 15 agreement included rules about custody, visitation, finances, and communication. Scott was given temporary sole physical custody of their three kids — Jackson, 16, Miller, 12, and Lucy, 11 — while Kelley was allowed supervised visits and three supervised video or phone calls each week.
The agreement also placed a gag order on both parents, banning them from posting about each other, their children, or the divorce on social media. The long-term goal is for Kelley to eventually regain unsupervised parenting time.
Scott had originally been granted a temporary restraining order after claiming Kelley was showing “an escalating pattern of behavior” that threatened their kids. Days later, Kelley was detained by police after making alarming statements to her father and others. She posted video online of officers taking her to the hospital.
Kelley later confirmed she was placed under an “involuntary 5150” psychiatric hold, which is used when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. She was also placed under another psychiatric hold on July 6 after an alleged incident involving a knife.
The couple, who married in 2004 after meeting in 2002, first announced their split on June 10. At the time, Scott called it “the most difficult decision of my life,” stressing that their kids were the priority. Kelley said then that Scott was “one of the best fathers I’ve ever known and one of the best partners a woman could have the privilege of sharing life with.”
