How can we possibly know why these divorces occurred? Is this public knowledge? How long was he married the first time? This marriage was for 17 years. If each marriage lasted 17 years, this is not what I would choose, but what if someone else made the choice? What if this is his wife's decision? We know none of the details, yet there are an awful lot of people here sitting in judgment and supposing all kinds of reasons behind this.
According to his bio, the first marriage was five years, terminating in 1986. Interestingly enough, my wife and I attended a lecture DP and his second wife gave on marriage and family, of all things, at the Glendale Hilton some years ago.
They both spoke of how they met and the factors that led up to their marriage. When she (DP's second wife Fran) took the podium, she mentioned that upon their first chance meeting -- apparently, he came to her door by mistake -- she decided then and there that this was the man for her even though he was married at the time. She actually said just that.
Well, the audience ate her alive for that remark. How was her action appropriate, considering his marital status? How could she justify her conduct? Etc. etc. She tried to spin her way out of it (he was alientated from his wife, they were considering a trial separation) but she came off as a opportunistic gold-digger and homewrecking apologist.
At the time, my wife and I just shrugged this off, since we were big fans and not prepared to throw the baby out with the bathwater. But if Prager was susceptible to this kind of attention -- common to ambitious young men on their way up -- it wouldn't surprise me if it happened again, now that he is emperor of the conservative moral high ground and king of all he can see.
For all that, the news came as a complete surprise today, and I remain totally, completely absolutely astonished that it could happen. If anyone could be expected to navigate the marital minefields of life, I would expect it to be Dennis Prager.
Terribly sad that this happened.