By Tamlyn Canham
Halle Berry has slammed “outdated” child support laws that “no longer reflect the modern world”.
The Academy Award winner made the remarks after one of her followers commented on a post she shared on Instagram.
“Women don’t owe you s**t,” the image Halle posted read.
An Instagram user tried to shade Halle by asking her about all the alimony and child support she allegedly receives from her exes.
R240, 000 child support payments
One of the star’s followers clapped back, saying that Halle is the one forking out money for at least one of her former partners – her ex-fiancé, Gabriel Aubry – whom she shares 12-year-old Nahla Ariela with.
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“Halle Berry owes alimony and child support to that cracker that called her the N-word though.”
The ‘X-Men’ actress replied: “And it takes great strength every day to pay it. And BTW it’s wrong and it’s extortion.”
Halle, who according to Fox Business has a net worth of between $70-million and -80 million, reportedly pays the Canadian model $16,000 (roughly R240,000) every month.
Another Instagram user asked Halle whether if the roles were reversed and men had to pay child support and alimony, if she would have the same opinion.
That’s when the star shared some insight into her own situation.
“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 a man is having to pay support that is way more than they reasonably need to help support the child, I think that is wrong,” she wrote in a lengthy reply.
Using child support for your lifestyle
The 54-year-old said she understands that some parents – man or woman – need help but in “these modern times both men and women have the responsibility to financially take care of their children”.
“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 has been in and out of court over the past decade in an effort to lower the child support payments to Gabriel.
She reportedly wanted the payment to be dropped to $3,800 (R57,000).
“There is no case, no law, no logic that says a healthy, active man gets to simply live off child support that the wealthier mother earns,” she wrote in one court filing.
Halle and Gabriel are clearly still not on good terms. Her relationship with ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, appears to be much healthier.
The former couple share a seven-year-old son named Maceo.
