John Schneider Finds New Love After Tragic Loss
John Schneider, the beloved star of Dukes of Hazzard, has found love again one year after the heartbreaking loss of his wife, Alicia Allain. John, 64, opened up about his new relationship on the May 29 episode of Grace Begins, The Podcast, hosted by Cathy Cardenas and Catherine Sutherland.
Reflecting on the past year, John described it as “really rough” and admitted that he almost gave up on everything.
“God sent a widower to a widow and a widow to a widower who [gets] it, who understands,” he shared, revealing that his faith played a crucial role in helping him through this dark period. Gesturing towards his new partner off-camera, John expressed his disbelief at finding love again, calling it “a miracle.”
“I Because I tell you what, I was ready to give it up, all of it — everything. Then just when I thought the very notion of dating or holding another hand was repulsive, I met this one, that crazy Dame over there,” he said.
He emphasized that he didn’t want a new relationship initially, but it came into his life unexpectedly and gave him a reason to keep going. “I was done. And if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been here, there’s not a chance in the world,” he added, his voice filled with emotion.
Alicia Allain was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2019, and she and John decided to get married “in the eyes of God” in July, as John’s divorce from his ex-wife, Elvira “Elly” Castle, was not yet finalized. They were legally wed several months later, on September 27, 2019. John has often spoken about how much he misses Alicia, telling PEOPLE in August 2023 that he misses “every damn thing” about her every day.
“I have to get to the point where I look around and see where she is, not where she’s not. And I’m trying to do that, but that’s hard. Somehow I love her more every minute, but with that, somehow I miss her more every minute,” he stated.
He described the duality of grief, saying, “That’s the personality of grief, living like this, being pulled in two completely opposite directions at the same time … you want something with all your heart and soul, and you don’t want it with all your heart and soul, at the same time.”
“I want this pain to go away, but I don’t want it diminish her in any way. I want to laugh, and when I do, I feel bad. I want to smile and mean it, but I don’t,” he added.
In addition to his personal struggles, John faced public scrutiny in December 2023 for his controversial statements about President Joe Biden. In a since-deleted tweet, he claimed the president should be “publicly hung,” which led to a Secret Service probe. The tweet was a response to Biden’s comments about former President Donald Trump posing threats to the country. Schneider later denied threatening the president in a statement to PEOPLE.
