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Lori Brice was married to comedian Ron White from 1981 to 1993, supporting him through years of financial struggle before his Blue Collar Comedy Tour success. She’s the mother of Marshall White and has maintained a deliberately private life, now going by Lori Brice Exline.
Lori Brice met Ron White in the late 1970s, years before he became the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking comedian millions would recognize. At the time, Ron worked for a company that didn’t pay him. The couple borrowed money from Ron’s father just to relocate from Abilene to Dallas in a U-Haul they couldn’t afford.
They had no job and nowhere to live. Their belongings sat on a truck costing fifty dollars daily—money they didn’t have. They turned off the car engine when driving downhill to save gas. This wasn’t romantic poverty. It was the kind that tests whether you actually believe in someone.
Lori believed. She married Ron in 1981, starting their life together in a tiny apartment while he chased comedy gigs that rarely paid enough to matter. Ron White joined the U.S. Navy at 17 and served near the end of the Vietnam War, but comedy was always his real calling. Lori saw that calling before anyone paid attention to it.
The twelve years Lori Brice spent married to Ron White tell a story most people never see about successful comedians. Lori was at the comedy club the night Ron made his big break, a pivotal moment in the story of Ron White’s first. She witnessed the years of bombing on stage, the nights with empty rooms, the constant self-doubt that accompanied Ron White’s early career.
She managed their household while Ron drove his beat-up Nissan pickup truck between comedy clubs, performing for audiences who sometimes numbered in the single digits. Their financial situation was tough in the early years, often requiring them to borrow money from Ron’s father to survive. This wasn’t glamorous. It was grinding, a testament to the challenges faced by Ron White’s first wife as she navigated their life together.
But Lori didn’t just tolerate the struggle—she enabled Ron to focus on his craft. While he refined his timing and developed the storytelling style that would eventually earn him millions, she handled the practical reality of keeping their life together. Ron wouldn’t join the Blue Collar Comedy Tour until 2000, seven years after their divorce. Lori never saw the payoff for those early years of belief.
In 1991, Lori and Ron welcomed their son, Marshall White. Marshall was born in Fort Worth and is described as one of the only people in his family who inherited the funny gene, like his dad, the famous American stand-up comedian Ron White. For Lori, motherhood became her central focus.
She worked to protect Marshall from the public spotlight, creating a loving and stable home despite Ron’s demanding career. The challenge was real—how do you give a child normalcy when one parent is constantly gone, chasing a dream that hasn’t paid off yet?
Marshall has mostly lived a life away from public attention, occasionally mentioned by Ron in interviews. That outcome didn’t happen by accident. Lori’s quiet strength is evident in how she managed motherhood without the trappings of celebrity—no paparazzi photos, no social media showcasing family milestones, no tabloid interviews. She gave Marshall something rare: the ability to grow up without being “Ron White’s kid” first and himself second.
Lori and Ron divorced in 1993 after twelve years of marriage. Neither has publicly detailed why they split. Ron described the separation as amicable, calling Lori “a dear, dear friend” and noting there was no bad blood between them, a sentiment echoed by many who knew the story of Ron White’s first.
As Ron White’s fame grew and his comedy career demanded more time and attention, the pressures on their marriage increased significantly. The irony cuts deep—Lori supported Ron through the years when success seemed impossible, then their relationship ended just as he stood on the edge of massive fame.
The Blue Collar Comedy Tour launched in 2000, touring 270 cities and grossing over $35 million. The filmed show became the highest-rated movie in Comedy Central’s history. Ron’s comedy specials drew millions of viewers. His albums went platinum. He became one of America’s top-earning stand-up comedians.
Lori watched all of this happen from outside their marriage. Ron went on to marry Barbara Dobbs in 2004, divorcing in 2008, and then married singer Margo Rey in 2013. Lori chose a different path entirely.
After her divorce from Ron White, Lori Brice chose to retreat further into privacy. This wasn’t weakness or hiding. It was a deliberate decision about how she wanted to live, especially as Ron White’s first wife, navigating the complexities of fame.
Lori now goes by Lori Brice Exline on Facebook, where she’s shared photos suggesting she’s found love again. She describes herself as a lover of Jesus, family, tacos, pecan pie, good music, cold beer, travel, and coming home to Texas, where she built her life away from the limelight of being Ron White’s first wife. These aren’t the interests of someone performing for an audience. They’re the actual preferences of someone living authentically.
In 2015, Lori posted on Facebook about nothing being better than a day spent playing with her family, sharing photos of loved ones in the pool. Simple moments. Real joy can often be found in the simple moments, much like those shared by Ron White’s first wife during their early years together. No monetization strategy.
Lori uses Facebook for charity work, raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for her birthday in 2018 and participating in a local 5k Heart Walk to support the American Heart Association. She engages with her community on her own terms, without leveraging her connection to fame.
Her Instagram account shows 47 followers and describes her as “Mother of Bobby, Alan, and Tucker & Nana to Mena”. The scale of her social media presence tells you everything—this isn’t someone interested in influence or attention. She shares her life with people who actually know her.
Estimates place Lori’s net worth around $1.5 million, though exact figures remain unverified since she’s never discussed finances publicly. Compare that to Ron White’s net worth of over $40 million, a figure that reflects the success that his first wife supported him in achieving. The financial gap measures more than money—it shows two completely different choices about how to spend a life.
Lori Brice represents a counterbalance to the chaos that often surrounds celebrity life. She knew Ron White before the fame, Netflix specials, and sold-out tours. She saw the early years of struggle and shared in those private battles.
Celebrity biography websites often reduce Lori Brice to a single identifier: “Ron White’s ex-wife,” treating her as a supporting character rather than recognizing her as an individual with her own experiences. But her story deserves better than that reduction.
Lori avoided interviews, didn’t write tell-all books, and refused opportunities to capitalize on her connection to White’s growing fame. In an era where every relationship detail becomes content, where ex-spouses write memoirs and give paid interviews, her silence speaks volumes.
She prioritized Marshall’s normal childhood and her own personal growth over the financial benefits of staying adjacent to fame as Ron White’s first wife. While celebrity gossip sites often present guesses as facts, respecting someone’s privacy means acknowledging what they’ve chosen to share about their life versus what others assume or invent, particularly in the context of Lori Brice’s life.
Lori Brice was born in 1962, making her approximately 63 years old as of 2025. She’s lived most of those years on her own terms, away from cameras and speculation. That takes more strength than most people recognize, especially for someone like Lori Brice, who supported an American stand-up comedian.
Her legacy isn’t tied to Ron White’s success or failure; rather, it reflects the untold story of Ron White’s first wife. It’s not measured in album sales or Comedy Central ratings. Lori’s story illustrates how ordinary people navigate extraordinary circumstances when their lives intersect with fame—and sometimes, the wisest choice is to walk away from the spotlight entirely.
