We knew the comments section always drums up some drama, but we didn’t expect a full thesis on child support from Halle Berry in hers!
The Oscar winner was NOT shy about expressing her thoughts on her hefty child support payments in an Instagram comment on Monday. Halle pays her ex Gabriel Aubry a whopping $16,000 a month to support their daughter Nahla, in addition to paying the 12-year-old’s full private school tuition, per E! News. (She also shares a son, Maceo, with her ex-husband Olivier Martinez).
Related: See Halle’s Clapback Comments From The SAME IG Post!
Discussion of the subject began after the X-Men star posted a graphic on her IG page that read “Women don’t owe you s**t.” Seems like an unlikely location for a nuanced conversation on child support, but a follower must have brought it up (the comment now appears to be deleted), because Halle replied:
“it takes great strength eryday to pay it. and BTW it’s wrong and it’s extortion !”
Another user commented to ask:
“Do you believe that men paying alimony and child support is wrong? And extortion?”
The 44-year-old came back with a surprisingly thorough response. She wrote:
“i’m not going to speak on alimony as i have never asked for it nor have i ever paid it. However, as for child support i feel i can speak on it as i’ve been paying it for a decade now. i feel if a woman or man is having to pay support that is way more than the reasonable needs to help SUPPORT the child, i think that is wrong ! i understand some parents (man or woman) may need help, but i also feel in these modern times both men and women have the responsibility to financially take care of their children and work hard and make every effort to do so.”
Halle continued:
“the way many laws are set up, people are allowed to USE children in order to be awarded money to live a lifestyle that not only did they not earn, but that is way above and beyond the child’s reasonable needs and that is ‘THE WRONG’ and where i see the abuse. the laws are outdated and no longer reflect the modern world. this is just my opinion i clearly don’t own the truth. i can say i’m living it everyday and i can tell you it’s hard. i do totally understand the feelings of those men who feel they are and have been taken advantage of by the system.”
Replying to another follower, the mother of two said:
“thank you for the love. i appreciate you. i don’t feel like i’m explaining nor do i feel the need. this is an issue that affects so many families and i feel it’s a topic worthy of our discussion!
“
“The original commenter apologized and expressed a desire to start a dialogue in support of children “being used as pawns.” The actress agreed:
“i didn’t take offense to what you said at all. i felt your support. And you are right, the children are the innocent victims .”
Related: Meghan Markle Celebrates Legal Win Over Associated Newspapers
An excessive child support payment is not the only complaint Halle has raised against Aubry. In court documents pertaining to their custody battle dating back to 2011, she accused him of emotional abuse and racism (and, shockingly, incest with one of his siblings).
We’re not sure if Halle will be able to amend her custody agreement to be more equitable, but we are happy to say she seems to be in a much better relationship now, with singer Van Hunt. We hope she continues to speak up about issues that are important to her!
[Image via Derrick Salters/WENN/Judy Eddy]
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