As easy as it may be to assume that celebrities are far removed from the troubles of reality, they, too, face the stress of divorce and custody battles. Far be it for stars to escape legal action when filing for divorce, they often face greater repercussions than the average civilian. When you have more to lose, your embittered spouse may work even harder to make you pay. Included here are a few celebrities who had to face some exceptionally nitty gritty custody battles.
Lakshmi and Dell
Top Chef host Lakshmi found herself knee-deep in a legal battle after giving birth to daughter Krishna. Padma refused to allow her daughter to have her father’s last name, Dell, which caused him to sue her for full custody and a name change. While Dell did not earn full custody, he gained more visitation time with Krishna and got his daughter’s name hyphenated to Lakshmi-Dell.
Rutherford and Giersch
Beginning with an ugly split while Rutherford was pregnant with daughter, Helena, the battle between Rutherford and Giersch has been embittered and ongoing. The custody battle has included restraining orders, scripted conversations and an online birth announcement. With Giersch living in France, Rutherford must now travel internationally to visit her children.
Basinger and Baldwin
In one of the most publicized celebrity custody battles, Baldwin and Basinger split after 7 years of marriage and engaged in a custody battle that lasted almost as long. While Baldwin alleged that Basinger was turning their daughter Ireland against him, Basinger claimed he was verbally abusive. In a voicemail that went global, Baldwin called his daughter a “rude, thoughtless pig” and was temporarily denied visitation rights.
Gosselins
What originated as a supposedly happy television drama titled “Jon and Kate Plus Eight,” turned into a life-changing custody battle over the couple’s 8 children. While Kate initially won full custody of their twins and sextuplets, Jon is currently suing her for custody due to her supposed “psychological instability.”
Kate has shown clear dependence on celebrity fame and some say she values her star status more than raising her children. While it is unclear whether Kate’s psychological state is in danger or simply a smear job, it is obvious she has had her fair share of meltdowns on television. When the parents have more trouble keeping it together than their 8 children, it may be time for an intervention.
Etheridge and Michaels
This same-sex split caused an ugly rift between the parents over the custody of their twins. Etheridge accused Michaels of burning one of the twins with a cigarette “accidentally” and requested that both homes become non-smoking. Michaels has recently demanded that her already extravagant spousal support be increased from $23,000 a month to $128,000.
