Battling for their babies. When there are children involved, divorce can get messy and turn exes into enemies.
“We don’t see eye-to-eye. The friend that I was to Tameka, I don’t know that I could ever be again, because I really felt like we were friends. She made us enemies in a way that I never understood,” Usher said of his ex-wife Tameka Foster during a 2012 appearance on Oprah’s Next Chapter.
The “Burn” singer broke down in tears on the witness stand in May 2012 amid his lengthy battle against Foster for custody of their two sons, Usher Jr. and Naviyd. During the trial, the stylist’s lawyer accused Usher of infidelity and neglecting his children. Usher later admitted to being unfaithful during the two-year marriage.
After nearly three years of legal drama, a judge granted the Grammy Winner primary custody of the two boys in August 2012. Foster told Hollywood Unlocked that she hopes she and her ex-husband can repair their relationship one day.
“He and I are definitely cordial and we coparent very well. Are we friends? I’d say no. I’d like for us to be friends. I miss my friend, he was my best friend before he was anything else. That’s my homie. We [are] cool,” she said during the 2021 interview.
While the “U Remind Me” singer eventually got a happy ending — he welcomed daughter Sovereign and son Sire with girlfriend Jenn Goicoechea in 2020 and 2021, respectively — other stars are still fighting for custody.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have also been enmeshed in legal drama since the Maleficent star filed for divorce in September 2016. The exes — who are parents to Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox — are still working out a custody agreement of their minor children. In June 2022, a source told Us Weekly that Pitt had grown frustrated with his estranged wife’s legal tactics.
“It’s very clear to him that Angie has gone out of her way to delay and stall the process,” the insider said. “All he can do is work with his legal team and file the paperwork whilst responding to her claims. Month after month goes by with one piece of red tape after another, endless jumping through hoops and bickering between their lawyers with no resolution.”
The source told Us that the Fight Club actor was laying low to cope with the stress of the conflict. “Brad has been holed up at his place. He occasionally enjoys downtime at his art studio,” the insider revealed.
Scroll through for a look at Hollywood’s messiest custody battles: