‘George & Tammy’: Family of Tammy Wynette’s Fifth Husband Sues Showtime

Showtime is being sued by the family of Tammy Wynette‘s fifth husband, George Richey, for what it claims is a negative portrayal of Richey in the network’s limited series George & Tammy.

As reported by Variety, Richey’s wife, Sheila Slaughter Richey, and their daughter, Tatum Keys Richey, filed the suit against Showtime for depicting Richey “as a devious husband who abused Wynette and Richey’s prior wife, facilitated and encouraged Wynette’s addiction to prescription painkillers, and engaged in financial and managerial manipulation of Wynette.”

The White Lotus actor Steve Zahn portrayed Richey in the series, which premiered on Showtime on December 4, 2022. The show also starred Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette and Michael Shannon as George Jones.

A spokesperson for Showtime responded to the lawsuit, stating, “We see no plausible basis for any claim against Showtime,” as per Variety.

Steve Zahn as George Richey in ‘George & Tammy’; Dana Hawley / ©Showtime/MTVE / Courtesy Everett Collection

This isn’t the first time the Richey estate has filed a lawsuit over negative portrayals. The estate and Wynette’s daughter Georgette Jones previously settled a suit revolving around Jones’ 2011 memoir, with Jones agreeing not to disparage Richey or his family. George & Tammy was based on the memoir, and Jones worked as a consulting producer on the series.

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Richey and Wynette married in 1978, with the former later becoming the country music singer’s full-time manager. In her memoir, Jones claimed Richey was abusive towards Wynette and kept her away from her children and close friends.

Wynette died in her sleep on April 6, 1998, from what coroners determined was a blood clot in her lung. It was reported that Wynette felt a burning in her leg the day before her passing and was urged to go to the emergency room by a doctor. Richey later claimed that Wynette didn’t want to be taken to a hospital as she started to feel better.

Richey himself passed away on July 31, 2010, after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was buried in Nashville, Tennessee, near Wynette.