If you and your spouse are divorcing, it is best to create a new Last Will rather than amend your existing one with a Codicil. Most states have laws stating that any gifts that you leave to them in your Will are automatically revoked once the divorce is finalized. Still, creating a new Will after your divorce is important so it reflects your most up-to-date wishes.
In these states, if you do not create a new Will after divorce and you pass away, any specific gifts your spouse would have inherited from your estate might pass to alternate beneficiaries. If the gifts do not have alternate beneficiaries, your residual beneficiary inherits them. If you do not have a residual beneficiary, the gifts will be distributed according to your state’s laws, similarly to if you died without a Will. To retain control of your estate, it is best to create a new Will.