Celebrity divorces are rarely pain-free it seems. As the saying goes, more money, more problems . See, everyone — being middle class isn’t all that bad! There are perks!
One of the most famous men in the world cannot even escape the woes of a messy divorce. That’s right, Robert De Niro is allegedly struggling to pay spousal support to his ex-wife Grace Hightower.
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Fans of the legendary actor may recall the tumultuous relationship he had with his ex-wife.
Robert and actress Grace Hightower were first married back in 1997. The pair then split in 1999, only to renew their vows in 2004. Finally, the actor officially filed for divorce in 2018.
*Page Six* reported that during the couple’s virtual divorce hearing last Friday, Robert’s attorney, Caroline Krauss, told a New York judge that the actor is struggling with his workload.
“Mr. De Niro is 77 years old, and while he loves his craft, he should not be forced to work at this prodigious pace because he has to,” Caroline said.
She continued:
“When does that stop? When does he get the opportunity to not take every project that comes along and not work six-day weeks, 12-hour days so he can keep pace with Ms. Hightower’s thirst for Stella McCartney?”
Earlier this year, a judge ruled that Grace would receive $1 million per year in the divorce settlement.
Grace’s legal team claims Robert is worth $500 million, but his lawyer has argued that the pandemic has left the actor in a difficult financial position.
However, Grace’s lawyer, Kevin McDonough, claims that since the pair filed for divorce, the actor has been unfairly decreasing his payments to his estranged wife.
Vanity Fair reports that Robert has lowered his ex-wife’s monthly credit card limit from $375,000 to $100,000 as of January 2021.
Kevin went on to argue that his client is owed payments to “maintain the status quo” lifestyle she enjoyed when they were married.
However, Robert’s legal team countered that Grace has been going through money at a rapid pace, going so far as to claim she spent $1.67 million in 2019 alone, which allegedly included buying a diamond worth over one million dollars.
If you can believe it, it gets messier.
The actor’s lawyer went on to explain that in addition to demands Grace is making, Robert is also currently millions of dollars behind on his taxes, and that money from his next two film projects will have to go toward paying off that debt.
Despite this, Grace’s lawyer insisted that “there have been no cutbacks and no slowdowns in Mr. De Niro’s lifestyle whatsoever.”
“When Mr. De Niro goes to brunch Sunday in Connecticut, he charters a helicopter up there.”
“When he flies down to see his friends in Florida or wherever else, it’s a private jet,” he added.
Robert’s lawyer refuted the claims that her client takes helicopters to brunch, while Grace’s lawyer likewise denied she spent $1.2 million on a diamond.
During the hearing, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper offered both parties a *much-needed* reality check, much to everyone’s relief.
“There is nothing ordinary about these expenses. For 99.9999% of the world, these are extraordinary to an almost unimaginable degree,” he stated.
“I want to get these parties divorced. I want to get Ms. Hightower and Mr. De Niro to go their separate ways,” he clarified.
“They will still come out of this richer than almost any human being who walks this earth.”
This story is still developing.
h/t: Vanity Fair
