Halle Berry is mom to two kids: 12-year-old Nahla and 7-year-old Maceo. Halle has found herself in the position of being obligated to pay child support to the fathers of each child — and that support is to the tune of $16,000 a month.
Halle recently opened up about the child support obligation, which she describes as extortion. She also implied that even though she pays a hefty amount of child support, she still finds herself having to hire people to help care for her child.
She posted on Instagram: "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!"
Halle went on to say that both parents should do their best to work hard and take care of their kids:
"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 even says that she thinks people use the child support system to their benefit just to get money they haven't earned:
"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."
Halle also empathizes with men who feel like the system takes advantage of them:
"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."
A judge ordered Halle to pay her ex Gabriel Aubrey $16,000 back in 2014. The pair have 50-50 custody of their daughter, and Halle pays her daughter's private school tuition. The decision came after a contentious court battle, and Aubrey blocked Halle's bid to move to France to live with her then-husband, Olivier Martinez.
Halle had also filed a protective order against Gabriel Aubrey after he showed up at the home she shared with Olivier and attacked him. At the time, E! News reported that "a radio call came in around 10 a.m. to respond to the 1100 block of Doheny Drive. When officers arrived two male individuals were involved in a physical altercation."
Aubrey was arrested, and his bail was set at $20,000. Court documents released in 2019 also revealed that Halle accused Aubrey of failing to identify Nahla as biracial, and the actress accused him of incest, racism, and emotional abuse.
Halle added that Aubrey engaged in a sexual relationship with a family member, and that this relationship impacted their own. "After the first six months of our relationship, our sex life diminished and after one year we had sex less than three times per year. [Gabriel] refused to either recognize or accept responsibility for these issues. Instead, he criticized my body in ways which are very demeaning to women … I finally convinced [him] to go to a joint therapist to address these issues."
Halle went on to marry Olivier Martinez in 2013, but the relationship wasn't meant to last. A source close to the couple explained to People, "They both have fiery personalities and don’t like to compromise. Halle has threatened to file for divorce several times after arguments."
These days, Halle seems really happy with her boyfriend, musician Van Hunt. The two began dating in 2020, and the relationship sounded serious from the start. People reported, "They are spending a lot of time at Halle's Malibu house … She really seems to enjoy the quiet time. Van has met her kids, so it seems pretty serious."
