Family Fight! The 17 Most Intense Celebrity Custody Battles

For any child, a fight between divorcing parents over their care hopefully never happens. Sadly for the children, these 17 celebrity couples and their custody battle often made entertainment news media front pages.

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Many divorces are hard to forget, such as Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Their divorce happened years before they resolved their feud. And then Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry’s contentious custody fight even escalated to physical violence between Aubry and Berry’s then husband, Olivier Martinez.

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No one divorcing with children is immune to the custody battle — from reality TV stars (such as Rob Kardashian and Bethenny Frankel) and television superstars (Charlie Sheen) to movie mavens (Angelina Jolie). Each has one thing in common and that is what they perceived to be in the best interest of their children. Read on and get ready to discover the fiercest fights between some huge celebs and their custody battles.

Spears and Federline fell apart as quickly as they got together. Their divorce was finalized in 2007. It led to a prolonged and headline-grabbing custody dispute that even included the singer refusing to hand over her sons to Federline, which escalated to a four-hour standoff with the cops — as reported by Rolling Stone. Things got better between the two, and it appeared that the former celebrity couple could become poster children for peaceful co-parenting. Then, Spears scored that lucrative Las Vegas residency. Federline took her back to court and demanded more money. He was getting $20,000 a month for sons Sean and Jayden. How much more was he seeking? According to Us Weekly, three times as much! As reported by ETOnline, Spears added thousands a month to their agreement, but nowhere near the three times Federline was asking.

The Kardashian-Blac Chyna custody battle over their daughter, Dream, was as contentious as the decline of their relationship. When Chyna had a fight at Six Flags with Dream in tow, according to In Touch Weekly, it prompted Kardashian to seek full custody of their daughter. The brawl produced a legal document that firmly stated which behaviors Chyna can and cannot exhibit in front of their child. This came after Kardashian’s baby mama had been involved in a series of violent altercations in the weeks leading up to her Six Flags breakdown. They have since reached a deal, as reported in OK!, that splits financial responsibility for Dream right down the middle. The initial court-ordered child support amount that Kardashian had been paying Chyna was also altered. He was shelling out $20,000 monthly and that figure became … zero. It was revealed, via OK!, that he will get the majority of the time with the child. According to Us Weekly, even Chyna’s mom came down on the side of Kardashian spending the most time with the little one.

The “Control” singer did not seem to have any when it came to the custody battle that was brewing with her ex, Wissam Al Mana. Jackson called the police at one point when she received a worried phone call from a nanny who was at her ex’s home and concerned for her son Eissa’s safety. Their co-parenting issues started three months after baby Jackson was born, which was when the couple called it quits. Initially, as reported by Entertainment Tonight, Jackson was willing to share custody with the billionaire from Qatar. Then, she altered her position and sought full custody. A cultural block was holding up any kind of deal due to the fact that Al Mana sought to raise his son as is done in Arab countries but Jackson wanted the boy to have a western upbringing. Things remained tense. A source from Jackson’s camp told EW that “they literally can’t be in the same room together.” Stay tuned … 

The war of words between Mel B. and Stephen Belafonte started immediately after the two split. It took a year to hammer out the divorce details alone, and the exes had to grapple over custody. The Spice Girls singer sought full custody of their 6-year-old daughter Madison initially. In Life and Style, Belafonte said that she was an unfit mother. RadarOnline.com Online then reported that he wanted full custody. They were married for 10 years and it appeared from this very public custody fight that no adoration remained between the two. An agreement was finally reached, as reported in RadarOnline.com Online, that had Mel B. giving Belafonte $5,000 a month for child support. Everything else was split 50/50 down the middle.

Brad Pitt and Jolie were the model of celebrity marriages. With their beautiful brood in tow, they traversed the globe making movies and making a difference. Then they hit a brick wall of some sort and the beloved Hollywood couple split. What followed was a terrible custody battle that was hardly peaceful. Us Weekly was all over the details, and they reported in June of 2018 that a judge had decided that “not having a relationship with their father” would be “harmful.” Jolie had sought full custody. That temporary agreement allowed the two parents to share custody evenly over the remainder of that summer, except for Maddox. He was 17 and the court decided that he could go to either parent he wanted. This was a long way from where Jolie took all six of the kids away fearing for their well-being, according to E! News. Pitt went to rehab and has been sober for some time. Us Weekly went on to say that financial details were dragging. Pitt responded to Jolie’s August 2018 motion requesting more child support by saying it was “unnecessary.” He reportedly gave her $8 million to get a home with the kids and another $1.3 million for “the benefit of the minor children.” Jolie’s camp responded by saying that Pitt’s response to the August 2018 request was a “blatant attempt to obfuscate the truth and distract from the fact that he has not fully met his legal obligations to support the children,” all reported in that Us Weekly article. Amazingly, in November of that year, the two came to an agreement! The supervised visits of Pitt would come to an end, and the children are now allowed overnight visits with their father.

The Sherri Shepherd and Lamar Sally custody battle ventured into some rarely chartered legal waters. The former The View host and her ex decided to divorce, detailed in Us Weekly. There was one enormous issue between them that had to be ironed out. They had a surrogate carrying their baby, as reported in RadarOnline.com Online. It was a donor’s egg and his sperm. Shepherd believed she would just walk away from the whole thing, but a judge disagreed and decided that she had to provide child support for the child, even though it was biologically not hers. Fox News found that Shepherd responded by going public with the belief that she thought her ex-husband had set her up to get her cash. She believed that he knew she was going to set divorce proceedings in motion and that spurned the surrogate situation to ensure he would be financially set after they split. Soon after the baby was born, Shepherd changed her position and sought to gain custody of Jeffrey. And as Us Weekly reported, this story has a happy ending for the actress/host as she has gained custody of her boy.

Frankel and Jason Hoppy fell in love and fell out of love right in front of the world’s eyes. Their marriage barely made it three years, but it did produce a daughter, Bryn. When they split up, the custody of the child became wickedly fierce, as chronicled in Us Weekly. They split in 2013, but the divorce wasn’t finalized until 2016. That long and drawn-out divorce proceeding served as a preview of the fight for Bryn and her future. It all started when both parents filed requests for sole custody in January of 2013. Frankel got extremely emotional in a 2014 court visit when she (through tears, as reported in Us Weekly) stated that Hoppy told her (in front of their child), “We are going to war.” She also alleged that Hoppy would pit their daughter against her, calling her a witch and saying that he and Bryn were prince and princess. In 2014, the duo reached a temporary agreement. Then in 2017, Hoppy went to Bryn’s school unannounced and subsequently was arrested (detailed on MSN). That was followed by a six-month “stay-away order.” A year later, Frankel filed for full custody. In August 2018, another problem arrived. Frankel’s boyfriend, Dennis Shields, was found dead of a drug overdose. Hoppy responded by going back to court saying that he had “serious concerns” about her judgement. That fell on deaf ears. But, as Us Weekly reported, the couple went to battle over Frankel’s desire for full custody. Hoppy sought to keep the shared custody status quo. Their court-appointed co-parenting coordinator quit in March 2019 after a year, feeling that he was unable to get through to either party. He stated that he never had to remove himself from a case in 15 years of professional work.

After four years together, Berry and Gabriel Aubry called it quits in April of 2010. Given that they weren’t married, their split could have been rather simple. But the pair had a daughter together and a custody battle was born with the split. After a strong fight, the couple came to an agreement in 2012, as reported by The Huffington Post. The agreement was challenged when Berry questioned how Aubry was raising Nahla Ariela Aubry. And it started with hair? Aubry had dyed her dark hair blonde and straightened her natural curls — all without asking permission of Berry (detailed in the Daily Mail). The Oscar-winning actress felt it was a move to nullify the girl’s African-American heritage. The result: Although their custody agreement was not altered, the court ruled that their daughter’s appearance could not be altered without informing and getting the approval of either parent. The tension was still running high as a physical altercation occurred at Berry’s house between her then-husband, Olivier Martinez, and Aubry as he dropped off the then 4-year-old girl on Thanksgiving. Berry was paying Aubry $16,000 a month in child support since the agreement was reached in mid-2014, according to RadarOnline.com Online. That will remain in effect until the girl turns 19.

Superstar actor/model Tyrese Gibson and his ex-wife Norma Gibson were in a bitter custody battle over their daughter, Shayla, when they split after three years of marriage (detailed in RadarOnline.com Online). When it came to custody, at one point Norma requested a restraining order against Tyrese and was denied, according to Page Six. When it came to who would raise Shayla, Tyrese requested sole custody. His reasoning was that he lives in a larger house in Atlanta than she has with her mother in Los Angeles. Also, there are less paparazzi in the Peach Tree state. According to ET, he won the child support legal war and now has full custody of his daughter.

Jennifer Hudson and David Otunga were having all sorts of trouble before their resolution to the custody fight over their child. Court papers filed in April 2019 showed that Hudson was rejecting Otunga’s claims that he has been the primary caregiver for their son, as reported in Page Six. The Oscar-winning singer proved that cannot be true due to his busy schedule. Otunga has been working with WWE out on the road. Also, he was hoping that Hudson would take over payments on his house — as a necessity in the raising of their child. “Nothing entitles David to live in a home identical to Jennifer’s,” Hudson said in court documents obtained by The Blast. She was also saying that since they were never married, Hudson should not have to pay for putting a roof over his head. Custody issues look to be decided in a trial that is yet to come, as the Daily Mail reported. The couple had been together — and then engaged — for a decade before calling it quits.

Singer Ciara is living a charmed life on many fronts. Her husband, NFL superstar Russell Wilson, signed a contract extension that made him the highest-paid player in the league. She and the Super Bowl-winning quarterback are blissfully raising two kids, including Future Zahir, her son with rapper Future. Ciara sought to get a judge to give credence to her claim that her ex, Future, was a “bad parent,” as reported in Atlanta Black Star. Us Weekly detailed documents filed in the custody battle that claimed Future doesn’t spend adequate time with his kid. She is seeking a mediator to look into altering his visitation. It was also reported that the “Fine China” rapper had missed 37% of his scheduled visits. Often while he hosted his boy at his Atlanta house, he would drop him off at relatives’ houses. The “1, 2 Step” singer also documented how many of his cancellations on Future Zahir came at the last minute — wreaking havoc on her schedule (documented in Us Weekly). She also stated that this flying all over the country to see his father was causing health issues. Currently, Future is shelling out $15,000 a month for child support costs. Then, it got worse. Ciara sued Future for $15 million for defamation. That suit was dropped and Us Weekly detailed that the pair have reached an agreement that has Ciara spending most of the time with their child in Seattle with Wilson.

The Kelly Rutherford and Daniel Giersch custody battle was so intense that it even went global. The Gossip Girl veteran lost custody of her two children, Helena and Hermes — as reported in Huffington Post. The children went to live with their father, billionaire Giersch. Thing is, home for them is Monaco! Rutherford knew that meant opportunities to be a part of their lives would vastly change. The reason given was that the actress would have the means to visit Europe more often than Giersch, who was unable to visit the United States due to visa issues. Once, Rutherford refused to return her children to their father after a stateside visit, detailed at The Daily Beast. That did not sit well with the court and that was where her custody opportunities went out the window. The pair were married for six years. Four years after this fight, it appeared as if things have settled down. Rutherford reported seeing her children quite often, as she spoke with People, and said that they are doing “wonderful.”

Things were relatively fine in the divorce and custody arrangement for Madonna and Guy Ritchie. Then, their son Rocco Ritchie, ran away from home … all the way to his father’s house in England. Madonna reportedly wanted to send Rocco to military school to straighten him out after controlling his life as a teen. Madonna and Ritchie were set to return to family court when a surprise agreement was reached. Legal experts (quoted in the Los Angeles Times) said that she gave up her demands that the young Ritchie live with her to avoid the bad press — another court appearance and those pesky legal fees. He was now permitted to permanently move to London to live with his pa, as long as he promised to visit his mother often.

Even though Denise Richards and Sheen were only married for three years, their custody battle was seismic. During divorce proceedings, as Access Hollywood reported, Richards claimed that while married to Sheen, she suffered abuse at the hands of the Two and a Half Men star, unfaithfulness AND had to endure his addiction to porn. Therefore, the Wild Things star had difficulty feeling that her daughters were safe with Sheen. She insisted he have supervised visits with at least one nanny present. When Sheen married Brooke Mueller things got worse. Both newlyweds had very public issues with substance abuse and that only further inflamed Richards’ belief that their kids should not be alone with Sheen or his new bride. Mueller and Sheen had some serious legal issues and when they headed to rehab, E! detailed how they asked Richards to take over custody of their twin boys.

Usher may have been singing “Yeah” in one of his chart-topping hits, but he was singing a different tune after five years of marriage to Tameka Foster. The pair ended up in a custody battle that was epic, which the singer talked about in Us Weekly. As they went through divorce proceedings, their two children hung in the balance. XXL reported that the singer was accused by Foster of being an unfit parent. RadarOnline.com Online detailed the dramatic incident where their eldest fell into a pool at his home. She also had issues with his handing the children off to family members because his career was so demanding. In the end, the Los Angeles Times revealed that the judge awarded custody of the kids to Usher, bringing Foster to tears. With their battle over, Usher consoled his ex-wife in a heartwarming moment.

The Jon and Kate Plus 8 stars famously split as the world watched. With eight children in the mix, one had to know that a contentious divorce between Jon Gosselin and his ex would lead to a fierce custody battle. The first (of many) issues arosehttps://radaronline.com/tag/kate-gosselin/ at the height of the show’s ratings. Jon decided he didn’t want his children on television anymore, but Kate Gosselin disagreed. Upon their divorce being made final, the pair were ordered to share custody of the kiddos. When Kate joined Dancing with the Stars, Jon filed an emergency petition for primary custody, as reported in Us Weekly. The court rejected his claim and their custody arrangement remained the same where the kids would live with their mother and have visitation with their father. Over a decade later, things were still rocky when it came to custody. For example, in August 2017, the former couple had a custody dispute at the office of the family orthodontist. One of their daughters tried to go home with Jon and not Kate. A spokesperson for the Wyoming Police Department told Us Weekly that no one was arrested and that the child did, in fact, go home with her father. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jon Gosselin said that "I've been fighting for 10 years and I will (keep) fighting for as long as I have to.” For the Gosselin patriarch, there was some good news on the child custody front. According to ETOnline, he won temporary sole custody of his son, Collin Gosselin. The boy has special needs and had been living in a program for kids who share his challenges. Also now allowed to live with her father is Hannah Gosselin.

Whenever substance abuse enters a custody situation after a divorce, tensions have traditionally risen. And often, the law will get involved. That was the case with Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee over their kids, Brandon and Dylan. Throughout the custody hearing, Anderson accused Lee of not being the best parent as he was “a danger to others,” especially when he was intoxicated — as reported by RadarOnline.com Online. She also said that the Mötley Crüe drummer had passed hepatitis C to her. Lee fought back and stated that none of her charges were true and worse … that she was taking their personal fight public by trying her side of the custody fight in the media. Anderson backed off her demands for full custody when it became clear that her former hubby had sobered up, and the pair reached a shared custody agreement, according to Entertainment Weekly. By the end, the two agreed on joint custody, which worked out great… that is until Brandon punched his father in the face and knocked him out! As detailed in RadarOnline.com Online, Brandon said that his dad had been drinking again. This obviously won’t affect any kind of custody agreement as the boy is a full-fledged adult now!