17 Of The Ugliest Celebrity Custody Battles: Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt And More

No child should witness a custody battle between their divorcing parents. Such events can leave a child traumatized for years, even a lifetime. And being a child of celebrities is even worse because these custody battles often make it to the front pages of Entertainment news media.
Many divorces, such as Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, are difficult to forget. Their divorce occurred years before they reconciled their differences. The custody battle between Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry then evolved into physical violence between Aubry and Berry's then-husband, Olivier Martinez.
When you have children, you can’t escape from custody battles when you and your spouse decide to file a divorce. In this list, we will cover some of the most heated celebrity custody battles, from reality TV stars (such as Rob Kardashian and Bethenny Frankel) to television celebrities (Charlie Sheen) to movie moguls (Angelina Jolie). For what it’s worth, they all did what they thought was best for their children. Continue reading to learn all about them.

#1 Janet Jackson & Wissam Al Mana

Source: Splash News

Janet Jackson's divorce from Wissam Al Mana was a difficult one, with Janet even calling the cops on Wissam over concerns for the well-being of their then 1-year-old son Eissa. Janet reportedly received a distressing phone call from her nanny, who was "terrified" by Wissam's behavior, causing her to call the police.

#2 Christina Haack & Tarek El Moussa

Source: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Though Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa divorced in 2017, the tension between the former Flip or Flop marriage hasn't ceased since. Christina, Tarek, and their husbands Josh Hall and Heather Rae Young were recently seen arguing at a soccer game, and their altercation was captured on camera by paparazzi for the Daily Mail. Soon after, their son, Brayden, was admitted to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy, which helped them put the situation into perspective.

#3 Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt

Source: Getty Images

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce drama has been going on for years, and it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. Brad attempted to appeal the court's judgment on custody of his children with Angelina in 2021 but was denied. Angelina stated at the time that she hoped the family could "move forward cooperatively."

#4 Jon & Kate Gosselin

Source: The Learning Channel

Jon and Kate Gosselin may no longer have a reality show together, but there's more than enough drama to rival the housewives. And, given the turmoil surrounding the former Jon and Kate Plus 8 couple's custody battle — even years after their 2009 split — it's probably not a bad idea for them to keep off the TV. Jon ended up with primary custody of two of their children, Hannah and Collin, amid charges that Kate had "brainwashed" them against him.

#5 Britney Spears & Kevin Federline

Source: Getty Images

It's hard to believe Britney Spears ever lost custody of her children, but it's true. Britney filed for divorce from Kevin Federline in 2006 (it was formalized a year later), resulting in a contentious custody battle, including a four-hour standoff with police after she refused to give her ex custody of her two sons. She's believed to visit Jayden and Sean "periodically" now that they're teenagers, though who knows whether that will alter now that she's been released from her conservatorship?

#6 Kelly Clarkson & Brandon Blackstock

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Though Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock's divorce in 2020 was already rocky, it only became worse when it came to custody of their two children, Remington and River Rose. While they were still working out the precise details of the agreement in court, their co-parenting relationship deteriorated to the point where a judge granted Kelly primary custody of the children in December 2020 due to "trust concerns" between the singer and Brandon.When their divorce was finalized in March 2022, Kelly was ordered to pay $45,000 per month in child support, despite Brandon only having the kids one weekend per month.

#7 Rob Kardashian & Blac Chyna

Source: Splash News

Where do we even begin with these two? Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna were involved in a difficult custody battle for their daughter, Dream, from the beginning, and it has stayed public over the years.
Most recently, Chyna tried to call Rob out for being a bad father, but Rob had a quick response: he doesn't pay her child support because he has primary care of Dream from Tuesdays to Saturdays and handles all of her major costs.

#8 Kim Kardashian & Kanye West

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Despite Kim Kardashian's public divorce from Kanye West, he hasn't kept his thoughts about their custody battle over their four children, North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, to himself. Kanye accused Kim of making it difficult for him to visit his children during an interview with Hollywood Unlocked in January 2022.
"I told her two things: security isn't going to be in between me and my kids, and don't have my daughter wearing lipstick on TikTok," he remarked at the time.

#9 Mel B & Stephen Belafonte

Source: Splash News

Mel B and Stephen Belafonte's custody status is anything but messy. After uncovering domestic violence allegations against Stephen relating to his other child's mother, the former Spice Girl battled for sole custody of their daughter Madison, securing a temporary restraining order amid claims Stephen physically beat her. Stephen, who had been married to Mel for ten years, responded by accusing her of drug and alcohol addiction.

#10 Mama June & Sugar Bear

Source: Splash News

Mama June and Sugar Bear of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame decided to divorce in 2014 after ten years together. There was a lot of drama regarding child support at first, with Sugar Bear's new wife even getting involved, but the most recent news was surprising. June lost custody of her adolescent daughter, Alana, in 2022 after battling substance misuse and even an arrest. Alana presently lives with Lauryn, her older sister.

#11 Bethenny Frankel & Jason Hoppy

Source: Splash News

Anyone who has seen The Real Housewives of New York City (or the 2010 spin-off show Bethenny Ever After) is aware that Bethenny Frankel and her ex-husband Jason Hoppy have had one of the most heated custody battles. Aside from their eight-year divorce, Jason and Bethenny were still in disagreements over their now 12-year-old daughter, Bryn. Jason was jailed in 2017 for "aggravated harassment in the first degree" after an altercation with Bethenny outside their daughter's school. Bethenny was granted full custody of Bryn in December 2021.

#12 Jesse Williams & Aryn Drake-Lee

Source: Tom Meinelt / Splash News

Paging Dr. Avery. All jokes aside, Jesse Williams' custody battle with his ex-wife is no joking matter. First, Aryn Drake-Lee filed court documents against Jesse, alleging she needed an increase in her $50,000 a month child support for their two kids, daughter Sadie and son Maceo because she pays "100% of the kids' bills right now." Aryn also made some serious accusations against Jesse in the past, claiming he threatened a neighbor, flaunts random women around their kids, and has deep anger issues. The final decision was handed down in February 2022: Their custody arrangement would remain the same, and they were advised to return to court if they need to duke it out further.

#13 Halle Berry & Gabriel Aubry

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When it comes to co-parenting their daughter, Nahla, Halle Berry and ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry haven't had the best connection. In addition to Halle paying $16,000 per month in child support to Gabriel — and her alleged attempt to reduce child support payments by 75% — these two have had years of back-and-forth drama, including a 2012 incident between Gabriel and Halle's ex-fiancé Olivier Martinez, which resulted in Nahla's father suffering from a broken rib and head injuries. Yikes!

#14 Jennifer Hudson & David Otunga

Source: Splash News

Jennifer Hudson's breakup with David Otunga was unexpected, but what was even more startling was that the Grammy-winning singer was served with a temporary restraining order (which she eventually dropped) against her ex-fiancé of nearly a decade. Many people got concerned about Jennifer and her son, David Otunga Jr. Jennifer and David finally reached an agreement in 2019, albeit the facts were never made public due to the gag order they signed.

#15 Ciara & Future

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As cute as Ciara and Russell Wilson's family is, life isn't always full of smiles and laughter for the R&B singer. Ciara and her ex-fiancé Future, who allegedly cheated on her when she was pregnant with their son, Future Jr., have a contentious relationship when it comes to custody. In January 2017, they were able to settle on joint custody after Ciara called out her ex for missing visits with their kid.

#16 Kelly Rutherford & Daniel Giersch

Source: Gregory P. Mango/Splash News

Kelly Rutherford and Daniel Giersch, who have been married for six years and have two children, have found themselves in the heart of an international battle. Kelly and Daniel fought for sole custody, with a California judge determining that the children must live with their father overseas because "Daniel (who lives in France) has fostered the children's contact with Kelly... and Kelly just has not done so," according to TMZ. Kelly reportedly defied court orders for her children to be placed in the custody of her ex, fighting to keep them in the United States, which resulted in Daniel receiving full custody of Hermés and Helena, and Kelly being "only permitted to 'exercise her visiting and accommodation rights exclusively in France and Monaco.'"

#17 Charlie Sheen & Denise Richards

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When stars Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards split in 2006, they had their first custody battle. Things recently got heated all over again. A judge ruled in 2021 that Charlie would no longer be required to pay child support, and a source told People at the time that Denise was "surprised" by the ruling.