Six months after announcing her separation from Daniel Zelman, Debra Messing filed for divorce on Tuesday.

The actress is seeking joint custody of their 8-year-old son and is requesting spousal and child support. Court papers say the pair separated in February 2010, although they continued to live together for the sake of their son.

She has hired attorney Neal Harsh, whose past clients include Halle Berry and Camille Grammer.

Debra, 43, met Daniel, 44, when they studied at New York University. They tied the knot on Sept. 3, 2000. She reportedly began dating her Smash co-star Will Chase this past December.

Will & Grace star Debra Messing and her husband Daniel Zelman split earlier this year after 10 years of marriage.

“Debra Messing and Daniel Zelman privately separated earlier this year after a 10 year marriage,” her rep tells Us magazine. ”The decision was mutual, and they remain supportive of one another and committed to raising their son as a family.”

While the couple are separated, they still reside in the same residence for their 7-year-old son Roman‘s sake.

“They have been separated the better part of the year but continue to live together in New York for Roman,” a source explains. “It’s very amicable.”

Debra, 43, met Daniel, 44, met each other when they studied at New York University. They tied the knot on Sept. 3,  2000.

- Lindsey DiMattina

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3. Amy Adams — Totally Adorable At Her Baby Shower — And Holy Baby, She’s About to Pop!

HollyMoms, do you think I’m weird to want to wait until 30 to get married and start having kids? Or do you feel the same way? Share your thoughts with me!

It’s a new generation and a different time! Women in the United States are waiting until later in life to start their families. 30 years ago, the average age for an American women to get married was 20, but according to a recent study, the median age for college-educated women to get married is now 30! Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being is a new in-depth look at American women’s reproductive and socio-economic trends commissioned by President Obama.

So what does this mean? Like Friends star Lisa Kudrow and Will & Grace‘s Debra Messing, it’s more than common (and wise, in my opinion) for women to wait until their thirties to get married and start having kids. And for me, this is the very track I hope to be on, though I admit: you never know when life will throw you a curve ball and change the direction of your game plan!

Lisa and Debra are two brilliant women who set perfect examples of what generation Y and young members of generation X desire out of life. Lisa graduated from Vassar College with a B.S. in Biology. She got married at 31 to French advertising exec Michael Stern and gave birth son Julian at 34. Debra met her husband Daniel Zelman on the first day of graduate school at New York University. They married when she was 31 and she gave birth to their son Roman at 34. These two ladies truly have it all: an education, a career, a husband and babies!

I’m 24, and I know it’s been an unspoken dream of my own mother’s to see me married and popping out babies as soon as possible. So if you are in the same situation as me, this is what you can tell those nagging mamas — that it’s OK to wait until you’re older to start in on that facet of life because it’s actually a smart move.

Here’s why — statistics prove that women who wait to get married until after the age of 25 have lower chances of getting divorced. Also, women who graduate from college usually lead a more financially stable life.

And when it comes to getting pregnant, experts agree that women are in their prime till the age of 35. At 35, that’s when you start seeing a very small decrease in fertility, but not enough to scare future moms.

At 35, “that’s when things start to go downward,” says Dr. Joel Batzofin, Medical Director of New York Fertility Services in NYC. “But at 38, the fecundity rate drops by 30%.” That’s when “the egg quality’s not so good and fallopian tube function’s are not as agile,” he adds. But he also says that many older women can still get pregnant without problems.

A woman who has not contracted a STD in her past should have no issue getting pregnant until the age of 35, agrees Dr. Tara Solomon. But if a woman experienced just one episode of chlamydia or gonorrhea, her chance of getting pregnant drops by 10 percent.

Waiting to get pregnant until 30 is normal for women today. “Since many women are aiming for not only college, but graduate or professional degrees (M.D., J.D., etc.), many modern-day women delay marriage and/or childbearing,” says Dr. Melody T. McCloud, an obstetrician-gynecologist and author of Living Well, Despite Catchin’ Hell: The Woman’s Guide to Health, Sex and Happiness. “This has become “normal” for women of our time.”

- Lindsey DiMattina