Todd Bridges’ Divorce Raises a Qestion for Business Owners: Who Gets the Website?

A website can look like a small detail in a divorce involving a business. It may actually represent years of work, a recognizable brand, a source of revenue, and the primary way customers find the company.

That question recently surfaced in the divorce between Diff’rent Strokes actor Todd Bridges and his estranged wife, Bettijo Hirschi. According to TMZ, Hirschi has asked Bridges to make a decision involving his website as the couple works through their divorce.

The dispute is a timely reminder for business owners going through divorce: some of the assets worth identifying may never appear on a traditional property list.

Websites, domain names, social media accounts, subscriber lists, digital storefronts, and other online assets can carry financial value. Depending on when and how they were created, funded, and developed, they may also become relevant when marital property is identified and divided.

So, who gets the website?

The answer can require looking well beyond whose name appears on the account.

What Is Happening in Todd Bridges’ Divorce?

Bridges, best known for playing Willis Jackson on the television series Diff’rent Strokes, filed for divorce from Hirschi in April 2026.

A few months later, their divorce has raised an unusual property issue.

TMZ reported on August 11 that Hirschi asked the court to require Bridges to choose between paying her $20,000 for her interest in his website or allowing her to take in a profit-sharing deal that waives the fee but takes the first several thousand dollars in new profits.

It is an interesting proposal because the asset at issue is something many people would never think to include when listing property during a divorce.

For a celebrity, entrepreneur, influencer, consultant, or small-business owner, however, a website can be much more than a collection of web pages.

It can be part of the business itself.

A Website May Have Value Beyond the Domain Name

Buying a domain can cost very little. Building what exists behind that domain can take years.

Consider everything that might be connected to a business website:

• An established domain name
• Search engine rankings and website traffic
• Advertising or affiliate revenue
• E-commerce sales
• Customer and subscriber lists
• Original photographs, videos, articles, or other content
• Online courses or downloadable products
• Appointment or lead-generation systems
• Trademarks and branding
• Email accounts associated with the domain
• Analytics and customer data

A website that consistently generates customers or revenue may contribute to the value of the larger business.

The same issue can arise with other digital property. A business owner may have valuable social media accounts, an online store, a YouTube channel, a podcast library, a monetized newsletter, proprietary digital content, or intellectual property developed during the marriage.

That means divorcing business owners need to think about their digital footprint when identifying what the business owns and what it may be worth.

Whose Name Is on the Account?

It is tempting to assume the person whose name appears on the domain registration, website account, or social media profile owns the asset outright.

Divorce property questions can be more complicated.

How property is classified varies by state, and factors such as when an asset was acquired, how it was paid for, and whether marital efforts contributed to its growth can matter.

A spouse may have purchased a domain before getting married, for instance, but spent years during the marriage developing the website into a profitable business. Another couple may have launched an online company together even though only one spouse’s name appears on the accounts.

Business records, financial statements, tax returns, formation documents, contracts, and records showing how the business developed can become important when determining what belongs to the marital estate.

Who Created the Content?

The website itself is only part of the equation.

Someone may have written hundreds of articles, created a library of photographs, filmed videos, designed a course, developed proprietary software, or built a recognizable brand around the business.

Those assets can raise intellectual property questions.

Copyrights, trademarks, licensing agreements, proprietary content, and other intellectual property can be relevant when determining what a business owns. The American Bar Association has specifically identified intellectual property and licensing agreements as assets that need to be considered when assessing a company’s overall value.

For divorcing spouses, that can make it important to determine exactly what belongs to the business and whether any content or intellectual property is personally owned or subject to outside agreements.

How Much Money Does the Website Generate?

For some businesses, the website is primarily informational. For others, it is where the money comes from.

An online store may generate direct sales. A law firm or consulting business may receive a substantial percentage of its new clients through its website. A content creator may earn advertising, affiliate, sponsorship, or subscription revenue through online platforms.

That revenue can make the digital side of the business important to a valuation.

Business valuation professionals may review income, expenses, assets, liabilities, financial trends, and other information when determining what a closely held business is worth. The appropriate valuation method can depend on the type of business and the circumstances of the divorce.

A website that produces measurable revenue, attracts valuable leads, or supports the company’s goodwill may therefore deserve closer attention than its initial purchase price suggests.

Who Controls the Accounts?

Ownership and access can become two different problems when a marriage ends.

One spouse may control the:

• Domain registrar
• Website hosting account
• Business email
• Google Business Profile
• Social media accounts
• E-commerce platform
• Payment processor
• Customer database
• Advertising accounts
• Analytics
• Cloud storage

That access can be extremely important to day-to-day business operations.

Changing passwords, transferring a domain, deleting content, redirecting traffic, or locking another person out of an account during a contentious divorce can create additional problems. Business owners should talk with their attorney before making significant changes to accounts or digital property that could become part of the case.

Preserving records can be equally important.

What Happens to the Website When the Business Is Divided?

Identifying and valuing an asset still leaves another question: what happens to it?

Divorcing spouses do not necessarily have to continue owning a business together.

Depending on the circumstances, one spouse may retain the business while the other receives other property or compensation for their interest. A negotiated buyout may also be possible. In other situations, selling the business or certain assets may need to be considered.

Closely held businesses can add another layer because operating agreements, shareholder agreements, partnership agreements, or other governing documents may restrict ownership transfers.

The same level of specificity can be useful when dealing with digital property.

If one spouse keeps the business, the divorce agreement may need to address who receives the domain, website content, social accounts, customer information, email addresses, intellectual property, and administrative access needed to keep the company operating.

Don’t Forget the Digital Assets When Preparing for Divorce

Todd Bridges’ divorce puts an unusually modern asset in the spotlight, but the underlying issue is increasingly common.

Many businesses now depend heavily on assets that exist online. Some generate revenue directly. Others carry customer relationships, intellectual property, years of content, or the brand recognition that helps the business make money.

If you own a business and are preparing for divorce, make a complete inventory of its digital property along with its traditional assets.

That may include:

• Websites and domain names
• Social media accounts
• Online stores
• Email and subscriber lists
• Digital products
• Monetized content
• Business-related apps or software
• Trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property
• Customer databases
• Advertising and analytics accounts

Keep records showing when these assets were created or purchased, what they cost, how they generate revenue, and who currently controls them. Avoid transferring, deleting, or making major changes to potentially relevant property without first discussing the issue with your attorney.

A website may be easy to overlook on a divorce asset list. For the business built around it, its value can reach much further.

If business ownership, digital property, or other complex assets are part of your divorce, the family law attorneys at Melone Hatley, P.C. can help you identify the issues that need to be addressed and protect what you have built. As Your Partner in Divorce®, we help clients approach property division with a clear picture of what is at stake.