Rev. Al Sharpton, 66, files for divorce from his estranged wife 17 years after their

The Rev. Al Sharpton has filed for divorce from his wife Kathy 17 years after they separated.

The 66-year-old civil rights activist and Baptist minister submitted the paperwork on Thursday. They have lived apart since 2004.

The pair met in the 1970s when he was touring with James Brown and she was a back-up singer.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and his wife, Kathy, leave the Canaan Baptist Church after renewing their marriage vows, Sunday, August 26, 2001, in New York. They separated in 2004 and Rev Sharpton filed for divorce on February 11, 2021

Rev Al Sharpton, pictured at his 65th birthday party in New York in 2019, filed for divorce on Thursday from his wife of 41 years, Kathy. The pair had been separated since 2004

Rev. Al Sharpton and NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio attend the National Action Network’s annual event on December 25, 2020 in New York City. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, NAN’s annual Christmas celebration became a two-day event with a toy distribution on Christmas Eve and a southern style holiday meal that’s available to go on Christmas Day

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Rev. Al Sharpton exit after having lunch at Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem, February 21, 2019 in New York City. According to Sharpton’s civil rights organization National Action Network, the two discussed criminal justice reform and other critical issues. Harris dined on a dish of chicken and waffles.

(left to right) Reverend Al Sharpton, daughter Dominique Sharpton, Rachel Noerdlinger, daughter Ashley Sharpton, Tamika Mallory and estranged wife Kathy Jordan attend the Sharpton Entertainment Official Launch Event at Parlor on January 23, 2013 in New York City. The year he was first pictured with girlfriend Aisha McShaw

They married in 1980 and were together for 24 years before their split. Sharpton and Jordan share two daughters Ashley, and Dominique, who married Dr. Marcus Bright in 2017.

Since 2013, Rev Sharpton, the founder of The National Action Network, has been linked to Aisha McShaw, 42.

They were first pictured together in July 2013 at the New York County Democratic Committee Award Ceremony when McShaw told those gathered she was his ‘girlfriend’.

At the time she told reporters she was a ‘stylist’, though her LinkedIn page described her as a personal banker at Wells Fargo.

On McShaw’s website, where she sells customs designer clothes, she said she ‘began her fashion journey as a stylist, styling housewives, corporate women, celebrities, and attending numerous red carpet events herself.’

She claims she is ‘influenced by old Hollywood glamour.’

She showed off her collections at New York Fashion week, and said in 2018 that ‘every woman wants to feel beautiful, confident and empowered’.

The divorce filing, reported by TMZ, has sparked rumors that he may be preparing to wed McShaw.

He allegedly filed for a contested divorce in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, court records show.

Rev Al Sharpton and girlfriend Aisha McShaw, 23-years his junior, pictured in 2013 at Kedar Massenburg’s 50th Birthday Celebration at Water Fall Mansion in New York City. The filing for divorce has sparked…