Olympic hero Ryan Lochte and his estranged wife Kayla Reid have fallen out in the wake of him taking a new job as assistant swim coach of Missouri State University, according to a new report.
Lochte and former Playboy Playmate Kayla, who share three children together, were married for seven years until she filed for divorce in March 2025, and an ugly fallout has followed after she hinted at a ‘betrayal’ when they split.
Lochte has since moved on with new girlfriend Molly Gillihan, but TMZ reports that the former husband and wife have more bad blood due to the ex-swimmer’s new job.
The 41-year-old, who remains one of the most decorated Olympic athletes in history, announced earlier this month that he is moving into the world of collegiate sports to become assistant swim coach at Missouri State.
The job will see him move – at least some of the time – from his home in Gainesville, Florida, to the university campus a 15-hour drive away.
TMZ claim that Kayla believes the move will be ‘challenging’ for their three young children, who are staying back with her in Florida – despite Lochte offering his estranged wife the house, everything in it, and $25,000 if she would let the kids go with him to Missouri.
Ryan Lochte’s wife Kayla Reid (right) filed for divorce after seven years of marriage this year
The pair have endured an ugly breakup and reports claim they’ve fallen out again this month
A source close to the ex-Playboy model claims that she is concerned the kids are at an age where they ‘don’t fully understand distance or what a long-distance parenting schedule truly looks like long-term’.
They add that Kayla’s ‘main concern has always been the emotional well-being and stability of the children’.
Lochte told TMZ he will return to Florida ‘every single month’ to see his children, as well as visiting them on breaks, holidays and summers.
The outlet also confirmed that Kayla has no plans to move the kids to Missouri, because they are established in the Gainesville school system.
Lochte, meanwhile, claimed that ‘Gainesville hates me’, and that the fallout to his new relationship with Molly was part of his thinking when it came to moving to a new city with a new job.
‘We are shunned here by the constant bullying and harassment we get on a daily basis from my ex,’ he said.
Lochte is now dating kindergarten teacher Molly Gillihan (pictured) following his divorce
The Olympic swimming legend has announced a surprise move into collegiate athletics
Reid and Lochte share three children: Caiden, eight, Liv, six, and Georgia, two. The couple’s split was officially announced in June 2025, three months after the initial filing.
At the time, Reid wrote in a lengthy Instagram post that she made the ‘hard decision to end my marriage after deep prayer and reflection’ following a season she described as ‘painful’ and ‘challenging.’
While she hinted at ‘betrayal’ in that initial announcement, Lochte was spotted cozying up to Gillihan shortly after, though he has adamantly denied any overlap between the two relationships.
Earlier this year, the swimmer confirmed he had moved into a new home with Gillihan, a 37-year-old kindergarten teacher, and her three children.
‘I fell in love with someone who shares those same values and who has three children of her own,’ Lochte told People in January, describing their new life as a ‘family of six kids.’
‘She’s my best friend, our kids have formed an incredible bond, and it became clear that being together under one roof was the right next step for all of us,’ he added.
Lochte’s new girlfriend will move with him to Missouri, but his three children aren’t joining
Lochte is seen with girlfriend, Molly, and his three children after his baptism
Lochte’s former swimming career was also not without controversy, meanwhile.
In 2016, he claimed to be among four American swimmers who were robbed by armed men in Rio de Janeiro while competing at the Summer Olympics.
Later, it emerged that the armed men were actually guards at a gas station where Lochte allegedly vandalized a poster, resulting in an apology from him and a 10-month suspension from USA Swimming and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Two years later, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspended Lochte for 14 months for receiving a ‘prohibited intravenous infusion’ of what he claimed to be vitamins. Lochte had posted a picture of the injection on social media before deleting it.
Missouri State has long been one of the nation’s best mid-major swimming programs. Its men have won 21 conference championships and its women have won 18 of them, and head coach Dave Collins has been voted the conference’s top coach on 13 occasions.
‘We are very excited to welcome Ryan to the coaching staff,’ he said. ‘Beyond his lengthy list of accomplishments as an athlete, Ryan has a work ethic that will translate very well on deck as a coach. When you have the opportunity to bring in one of the best ever in our sport, you do everything you can to make it happen.’
