Halle Berry may be dutifully paying $16,000 a month in child support to her ex Gabriel Aubry to help with the costs of raising their 12-year-old daughter, Nahla, but the actor made it very clear on Instagram that she’s not at all happy about the situation.
Berry posted a quote to her Instagram account on Saturday that read “Women don’t owe you shit,” sparking a heated debate in the comment section about traditional gender roles and expectations. The actor reportedly replied in a since-deleted comment, writing, “it takes great strength eryday [sic] to pay it. And BTW it’s wrong and it’s extortion!” When asked by another fan if she thinks that men paying alimony and child support is also wrong, Berry added, “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.”
She continued, “I feel if a woman or a 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 that 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. 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 they did 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“The laws are outdated and no longer reflect the modern world,” she reportedly added. “This is just my opinion I clearly don’t own the truth. I can say I’m living it every day 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.” She later thanked her followers for their love and support, saying, “This is an issue that affects so many families and I feel it’s a topic worthy of our discussion!”
The 2014 child support ruling was based on Berry’s and Aubry’s respective incomes at the time. The Oscar winner made roughly $4.7 million in a nine-month period in 2012 compared to the $192,921 Aubry earned from October 2011 to October 2012, according to legal documents obtained by E! News. On top of child support, she pays the full tuition for Nahla’s private school as well. Berry also has a seven-year-old son, Maceo, with ex Olivier Martinez, for whom she does not currently pay child support as the former couple’s divorce proceedings—in which the actor filed a petition to represent herself—are still ongoing.
