And the bitter lying begins! It’s been less than a month since Usher announced his divorce from wife Tameka, but we’re already getting a lot of different versions about the end of their epic love story. Usher claims that the pair have been separated since July of 2008 – nearly an entire year before he filed for divorce. However in legal papers filed on Monday, Tameka says that’s not true, and they had sex as recently as June 6th. As a result, she thought their marriage was just fine.

The wife of R&B singer Usher was surprised when the entertainer filed for divorce earlier this month and claims the two were intimate less than a week before he moved to end the marriage, according to court documents.

Tameka Raymond, 38, disputes Usher’s claims the couple have been separated since July 2008. She said in court documents filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court that she “had every reason to believe her marriage was intact” and that two were “intimately together as husband and wife as recently as June 6.”

Usher, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, filed for divorce June 12, claiming there is “no reasonable hope of reconciliation” and the marriage is “irretrievably broken.” He is seeking joint custody of the couple’s two sons, 1 1/2-year-old Usher Raymond V and 6-month-old Naviyd Ely Raymond.

Tameka Raymond has three children from a previous marriage. She said through her divorce attorney, Randy Kessler, that she has been a faithful wife and loving mother during the marriage.

In Monday’s filing, Tameka Raymond asked a judge to ensure that Usher continues to support his family while the divorce works its way through the courts, including paying her legal fees.

[From the Huffington Post]

I wonder what kind of pre-nup Usher and Tameka have in place. Most rumors indicate Usher always had doubts about her (he called off the wedding at the last minute but later tied the knot), so you’d think he’d have gotten her to sign something iron-clad. There’s also the issue of whether or not he was cheating on her or she was cheating on him – and if their youngest son Naviyd is actually his. That’s a lot of drama for one divorce, but certainly not more than you’d expect from this pair.

Gut instinct – and nothing more than that – tells me Tameka’s probably lying about having sex with Usher on June 6th. And even if they did, I doubt she was unaware that their marriage was in trouble, or thought having sex made it all okay. I’m sure the next few months will bring nothing more than a bunch of lurid accusations and confused denials.

Poor Kate and Jon Gosselin. In the wake of so many real celebrities dying, fake “reality star” celebrities have to go out of their way (more than usual) to get attention. Since Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both passed away last Thursday, there has been very little news about the epically tabloid-scandal-prone Gosselins. It’s almost as if we were shaken out of our reverie of actually considering the lives of these fake celebrities fascinating. But no fear, the Gosselins have reminded us that they still exist! They sent out a press release - all to publicly announce that they would be keeping their divorce private. Kate could just see the loss of all of that money, and she saw her one-woman reality show “Kate Plus Eight And Dates!” falling away as America lost interest in total. Thus, a public statement to announce that they will “no longer comment publicly or react to media stories and speculation.” The end quote was probably “…unless the price is right.”

One week after filing divorce papers, Jon & Kate Gosselin are speaking out – for what they say is the last time – and claim their focus is on their eight children.

“During this very difficult time we will be working to focus solely on the needs of our family,” the reality TV stars say in a joint statement posted on the TLC Web site. “This includes no longer commenting publicly or reacting to media stories and speculation.”

“Our goal is to do the very best for our children and that will be done as privately as possible,” the statement continues. “We appreciate the understanding, support and well wishes from so many. Thank you.”

TLC announced last week that Monday night’s episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 would feature a retrospective of the Gosselins’ 10 year marriage. The show will go on hiatus until Aug. 3 to give the family “some time off to regroup,” a TLC spokeswoman said.

[From People]

CB usually likes to give Kate the benefit of the doubt, but I find both Kate and Jon equally disgusting, and I tend to think this press release smacks of Kate’s sanctimonious, hypocritical voice. Not only that, Kate’s totally going to break this “promise” in two seconds! You know Kate’s going to be issuing statements and giving interviews all over the place.

Even though Star reported last week that Jon might be writing a tell-all book about Kate and their marriage, I don’t think Jon is the one who feels the pull of the spotlight. At this point, I think Jon’s just happy to be banging 23-year-olds, and he isn’t really planning for the future, you know? Not like Kate - she’s the one who’ll end up wh-ring her failed marriage, her kids and every little detail of her divorce.

A friend of mine feels sorry for Kate Gosselin. She says that Kate is misunderstood and although she can be a royal pain in the ass at least she’s working hard for her family and is trying to keep things together. Jon, on the other hand, is total dead weight according to my friend. She thinks that Jon is the one who is passive-aggressive and wanted out of the relationship and the responsibility while Kate desperately tried to make her marriage work. She doesn’t think Kate would cheat, either, and believes the stories about her romancing the bodyguard are either untrue or that the affair didn’t happen until after Jon took off.

I can see that side of it, but I don’t really agree. I don’t watch the show in full as I’m overseas and don’t have access, but I’ve seen plenty of clips that are condensed down to show Kate at her most bossy, and she certainly is bossy. She didn’t necessarily drive Jon away, but the demeaning way she treated him didn’t help. I think she’s trying desperately to milk her kids and the series for as much publicity and money as possible. This woman wore a bikini on her front lawn recently. It’s all about cash and freebies for Kate and she seems to be more concerned about her media career than her children’s well being. Jon isn’t exactly father of the year as Kaiser mentioned, either, and he’s acting like a drunken co-ed lately, so I can definitely agree on that point. To me, these poor kids don’t have a parent on either side who is looking out for their best interests.

Things might get even worse for these kids when they’re old enough to face the slimy media trail their parents left. According to Star Magazine, Jon Gosselin is planning a tell-all that will detail the end of his marriage and reveal that he didn’t get any from Kate for over a year before they finally split:

Star has learned that Jon is penning a scathing tell-all that threatens to expose Kate’s darkest secrets!

Jon, 32, has had enough of being portrayed as the bad buy - and he’s ready to defend himself in a book that could earn $10 million! He’s already written half of the manuscript, and when he starts shopping it around, he won’t be at a loss for publishing contacts, ironically, thanks to Kate, the author of two books!

Jon plans to reveal that he and Kate… hadn’t had sex in a year before she got so close to Steve, and even before that, they were seldom intimate, says the source. “She’d withhold sex when she wanted to punish him. Sex is important to Jon, but she didn’t care…”

In Jon’s book, which could hit shelves as soon as November, he plans to reveal that he began to fall out of love with his wife about three years ago, when she started alienating both of their families. (today, Kate has no a relationship [sic] with any member of her family). “It was like she was too good for them,” says the source. “Once Jon started to back off from her, Kate could sense it, and it made her crazy. That’s when she decided that money would be her new love…”

Now, with the breakup and having to help support eight kids, unemployed Jon desperately needs money coming in - and $10 million for his book is the payday he wants.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, July 6, 2009]

I don’t know if this is true or not - it’s Star Magazine after all, and I can’t see Jon’s book being worth $10 million. A couple million sure, but ten million seems way overblown for your average reality show tell-all. It could be a bestseller, though, especially since these two have dominated the tabloids for weeks. Reality shows can sure exacerbate a family’s dysfunctional tendencies while giving them plenty of opportunities to continue to cash in on their own downfall.

Photos are from 6/25/08. Credit: INFPhoto.com

Since none of us can stop watching the train wreck known as the Gosselins, we have some more information about the family. Monday night we heard that Kate and Jon officially filed divorce papers, and then yesterday, word came down from TLC (the cable network that carries Jon & Kate Plus Eight) that production on the show will be stopped while everyone goes to their separate corners and regroups.

This new information is of the same variety - it seems several tabloids and news agencies have gotten ahold of the divorce filing, and they’re analyzing this stuff up the wazoo. US Weekly reports that in the filing, Kate claims that she and Jon have been living “separate and apart” for two years. The filing also shows that Kate’s cause for filing was because the 10-year marriage was “”irretrievably broken”. However, TLC is calling bullsh-t on that report, and TMZ has the complicated rationale behind it - something about Kate checking “two boxes” and “hedging her bets”. Apparently it’s still up in the air as whether Jon will give Kate a no-fault divorce (which wouldn’t take as long) or if he’ll contest the whole thing, in which case Kate would try to prove they’ve been separated for two years, or worse yet, actually drag this stuff out for two more years.

Perhaps the biggest news from US Weekly is that Kate claims that she and Jon are unable to come to terms about how to divide that which they hold dearest - no, not their kids, their money, silly. Amongst the assets to be split: the $1.1 million home in Pennsylvania and all of the money they’ve earned from the show ($75,000 an episode)

No fears about the kids’ welfare, though! Star Magazine has a preview on what sounds like a battle royale that’s brewing for the custody drama. Star notes that Kate insinuates that Jon’s “activities” might be harmful to the kids:

After filing for divorce against husband Jon on Monday, Kate Gosselin released a dramatic and cryptic statement that evening saying that over the course of the previous weekend, “Jon’s activities have left me no choice but to file legal procedures in order to protect myself and our children.”

Kate has yet to explain what Jon’s troubling “activities” were that their eight children needed protection from — but Star has learned that she didn’t ask for custody of their kids in her divorce filing!

“The filing does not contain a custody count at this time,” Kate’s Norristown, Penn.-based divorce attorney, Cheryl Young, tells Star in an exclusive interview. “Both parties are trying to work this out together behind the scenes as amicably as possible.”

There was some mystery — and legal questions — as to why Kate, who lives with Jon in the Berks County town of Wernersville, filed her divorce forty miles away in Norristown, the county seat of Montgomery County. While Pennsylvania law states that a divorce action must be filed in the petitioner’s county of residence, “the action can be filed in a different county if both parties agree to it beforehand,” says Young. “That was the case in this action.”

The attorney adds that Montgomery County was chosen for convenience because both Jon and Kate’s divorce attorneys are based there. And given the media scrutiny of the couple, “we felt that filing in a different county might make for a calmer environment,” admits Young, who was referred to Kate by another attorney.

Jon’s attorney is not yet named on the court records listing of the divorce action, which shows that Kate and Jon listed a Sinking Spring, Penn., address — “possibly a business address,” says Young — rather than their home address in Wernersville. Per Montgomery County law, the actual divorce file is sealed and not available to the public.

[From Star]

Ten bucks says the fight over the money will be more contentious than the fight over custody. Most likely Kate will use the kids as a wedge to keep more of the assets. I’m just guessing, but I bet that at the end of the divorce proceedings, Kate ends up with the Pennsylvania house and a majority of the monetary assets, in exchange for being the primary caregiver to the eight children. Jon will get what he wants - a lump sum settlement, enough to make a down-payment on a New York apartment and a new life filled with twenty-something bimbos. And an occasional weekend with the kids, maybe. But I doubt Jon will lose sleep over it. I’d also bet that Kate figures out some way to revive the show with just her as the star.

Katie “dignified silence” Price just spent last week whoring around Ibiza with a spray-tanned male model while her estranged, spray-tanned husband took care of the couple’s two small children and had a teary reunion with his mother. It’s pretty clear who the media (myself included) is siding with in this split, since Katie can’t seem to stop acting like a total sleazebag ever since the couple announced their separation. The glamour model took to her Twitter account to call her ex the C-bomb and also defended all her recent partying by saying that she deserves to have fun after what she’s been though. Uh, pardon me, but when exactly has she NOT been partying- even before the split? And more importantly, who is taking care of Harvey?

JORDAN has lashed out at estranged husband Peter Andre in a foul-mouthed rant.

The glamour girl, real name Katie Price, used her Twitter page to vent her anger at her ex late last night, calling him a “true c***”.

Katie, 31, who has faced criticism over the last week for going on boozy nights out with new flame Anthony Lowther in Ibiza, wrote: “Loving Ibiza. Cant wait to see my children when there back from Cyprus!

“Pete being a true c*** to me! He left me nt me leave him (sic).”

Shortly afterwards another message was posted on her page which said it was from her pal.

It read: “This is Kates friend Julie. Kate is coping with things. This was not her decision an etting very unfair press (sic).”

Today the mum-of-three finally ditched her skimpy bikinis to jet back from Ibiza to London.

A bronzed Katie checked into the Spanish airport wearing ripped jeans and a bright yellow cardigan.

She later landed in Gatwick and was accompanied by a police community support officer as she walked through the airport.

In this week’s issue of OK! magazine, Katie defended her wild holiday antics.

She wrote in her column: “I’ve had a great time in Ibiza and people can slate me all they like.

“I work hard, I’m a good mum, I’m a young woman and I’m going through a split.

“There’s nothing wrong with going away and having a good time for a week after all I’ve been through.”

Meanwhile, Peter admitted he still loved his wife and said it was now too painful for him to watch their ITV2 reality show in his column in new! magazine.

[From The Sun]

So, let me get this straight. In addition to their new dueling reality shows, the Twitter pages, and the endless paparazzi and gossip stories, each of these dimwits also has their own magazine column? Ugh. This divorce can’t be over fast enough for me. Really, I think they’re both horrid people, but at least Peter seems to give the appearance of giving a crap about the children. If the divorce judge has any compassion, he’ll grant custody of the children to their nannies. They probably spend more time with them, anyway.

Katie Price is shown out in Ibiza on 6/20/09. Peter Andre is shown on 6/8/09 and 6/9/09. Credit: WENN.com

John and Kate Gosselin have officially filed for separation, surprising no one. Last week, TLC claimed that there was going to be some huge announcement Monday, and most people assumed it would be some sort of formal separation or divorce announcement. According to People, “documents” were filed at the Bucks County Courthouse Monday afternoon. Both People and Radar have “divorce” in their headlines, but the reports only indicate papers filed for legal separation. I guess it doesn’t really matter… it’s not like the two of them are going to work it out:

After months of speculation, the 10-year marriage of Jon & Kate Plus Eight’s stars Kate and Jon Gosselin appears to be coming to an end, a source close to the situation tells PEOPLE.

Documents to initiate a legal split were filed at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown, Penn., Monday afternoon.

Fans who have watched the couple’s popular TLC show – or read the voluminous coverage of the Gosselin marriage in the press – will hardly be surprised: The duo had long maintained a tense relationship, with Jon recently telling PEOPLE he wanted a less high-profile life, while Kate appeared to remain committed to their TV career.

In February, photos surfaced of Jon in the company of young women during a solo visit to see his mother, who was recuperating from surgery, in Huntingdon, Pa. The couple quickly attempted to quash rumors of problems. But in May, the scandal erupted again when 23-year-old Deanna Hummel was photographed driving Jon’s car home from a bar late at night.

When the fifth season of the Gosselins’ show premiered May 25, the couple admitted to having problems and not knowing where their relationship was headed. “Parents of multiples have triple the divorce rate,” Kate said through tears. “I was thinking we were going to beat that. I don’t know if I can say that anymore.”

TLC promotions of the show are promising a major announcement about the family in Monday night’s episode of Jon & Kate Plus Eight.

[From People]

I’m so over this couple, I could scream. I swear, they seem like two of the most self-involved, bratty, asinine people in the world. Which would be no big deal… if they didn’t have eight kids. Speaking of those kids, Life & Style has the “scoop” on Jon moving to New York - not so shocking since it seems like TLC producers and crew guys were helping him apartment-hunt in New York. According to Life & Style, Jon and Kate have agreed on a custodial arrangement for the kids - Kate will stay with them during the week, and Jon will come back to the Pennsylvania house on Friday and stay through the weekend. That’s nice. Kate will have her weekends free to do… her bodyguard, I suppose:

Brian Sep, a friend of reality-TV-star Jon Gosselin’s for more than 15 years, confirms to Life & Style that Jon and his wife, Kate, have already begun living separate lives.

“Jon is planning on living and working in New York during the week and staying home with the kids on Friday, Saturday and Sunday while Kate is away,” says Sep. “Jon hasn’t said anything about getting divorced.”

Even though Jon and Kate will be living apart, both parents want to be there for their eight children.

“Jon really seems like he’s back to his old self,” says Sep, who plans to visit his pal in New York City. “Whatever decision has been made, Jon seems to be at peace with it and in a good place. He doesn’t know where Kate is when he’s gone [but] I think that’s okay with him.”

[From Life and Style]

So Jon is “back to his old self”. And Kate is playing the victim to whoever will listen. It’s a shame they’re splitting up, they seem so perfect for each other. Except for the fact that if Kate stays in the room with Jon too long, she’ll get stabby. And except for the fact that Jon prefers the company of 23-year-olds. Maybe we should give them both knives, and whoever comes out of the ring, let that person have custody of the reality show. That’s the only thing they really care about, anyway.

Jon Gosselin is shown out with his kids on 6/21/09. Credit: PacificCoastNews.com

Sad news has hit Hollywood. Famously close, resilient couple Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek have filed for divorce. Whitford is most famous for his Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Josh Lyman through eight seasons of The West Wing. Kaczmarek is famous for her seven-times Emmy-nominated performance as Lois, Malcolm’s mother in Malcolm in the Middle. Bradley and Jane had been together for more than 17 years, and they have three children together: Frances, 12, George, 9 and Mary Louisa, 6.

Actor Bradley Whitford and wife Jane Kaczmarek filed divorce papers Friday in Los Angeles, PEOPLE has confirmed.

“He hopes the media will respect their wish for privacy as they focus on their children,” says a rep for Whitford.

The former West Wing star and Malcolm in the Middle mom were married in August 1992, and have three children, Frances Genevieve, 12, George Edward, 9, and Mary Louisa, 6.

[From People]
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20286482,00.html

Though their on-screen characters have tended to be on the crazy side, both Bradley and Jane are known are rather famous off-screen for their wholesome, salt-of-the-earth, family-oriented, charitable images. Both are Wisconsin born and bred, and they always seemed like one of the most stable couples in Hollywood - like the Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson of television. I have my fingers crossed that they’re not divorcing for some horrible reason like infidelity or some kind of substance abuse. I’m praying for “they just grew apart” or something like that.

Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek are shown on 11/1/07 and 6/7/07. Credit: WENN.com

When Billy Joel, 60, and his super-talkative child bride were on Oprah last year, I could tell that Katie, 27, didn’t get along with Joel’s 23 year-old daughter, Alexa Ray. Oprah asked Katie about her relationship with Alexa and she didn’t really answer the question, demurring graciously to say “Alexa is really a special person to me. She was my maid of honor in my wedding actually, and I’m always impressed by her. She has so much talent and grace. She’s just really special.”

Now that Billy and Katie have announced their impending divorce after five years of marriage, Alexa says she knew it was coming. In her statement she doesn’t sound all that broken up over it:

Billy Joel’s split from wife Katie came as no surprise to Alexa Ray Joel, the music man’s 23-year-old daughter with Christie Brinkley.

“I have a pretty good woman’s intuition, so I could tell,” Alexa told PEOPLE at the sixth annual Wayuu Taya Foundation Gala at the Stephan Weiss Studio in New York City Wednesday night. “I know my dad very well.”

The couple announced their separation in a statement June 17 after nearly five years of marriage. Joel says she first heard the news from her dad.

“He was the first person to talk to me,” says Alexa. “Of course, being who he is, you can’t just trust everybody. I like knowing that my father can come to me.”

Despite her parents’ troubled marriage record, Alexa says has hardly sworn off the idea of one day getting hitched herself – although she dispels rumors of a romance with John Mayer. “I would love to get married. Having seen what I’ve seen, sure I have a different perspective on marriage, but I’m a true romantic, and I will be having a wedding at one point.”

Meanwhile, Joel says she stands behind her dad: “He’s a strong man. He’ll get through this, and I’m going to help him.”

[From People]

Can you imagine if one of your parents remarried someone who was just a few years older than you? That’s got to be an awkward situation. In Katie and Billy Joel’s Oprah interview, Katie definitely seemed to have the dominant personality and did most of the talking. She claimed their relationship worked despite the over 30 year age difference because “He has this job that’s allowed him to be really immature for a long time - rock star, and I happen to be more mature for my age so we meet somewhere in the middle.” It’s not surprising that it didn’t last. I only wonder if we’ll hear more about their troubled marriage when their divorce proceeds. We sure heard plenty of explosive details when Billy’s ex, Christie Brinkley, divorced her last husband.

Alexa Ray Joel is shown on 6/17/09. Katie Lee Joel and Billy Joel are shown in 2007. Credit: WENN.com

Damn it! The National Enquirer got it right yesterday about Billy Joel and Katie Lee. The couple announced their formal split to the New York Daily News in a joint statement. They say that they’re totally separating, they still remain friends, and they still have “admiration and respect for each other.” The NYDN article then goes through three unnamed sources for theories on why the couple split. First theory: Katie was fooling around with Israeli designer Yigal Azrouel. Added bonus for this theory is that the alleged affair was the main reason given in the National Enquirer’s report, which turned out to be amazingly prescient. Second theory: Age difference and different interests. She’s a young city girl, he’s a 60-year-old with an affection for his boats. Third theory: Billy was screwing around on Katie just as much as she was screwing around on him, and they both decided to call it a day. Can I get a little bit of Columns A, B and C?

Looks like the third time isn’t the charm for the Piano Man. Billy Joel and his latest wife, Katie Lee, are splitting up, the couple confirmed to the Daily News on Wednesday.

“After nearly five years of marriage, Billy and Katie have decided to separate,” reps for the pair said in a joint statement.

“This decision is the result of much thought and consideration. Billy and Katie remain caring friends, with admiration and respect for each other.”

Rumors have swirled for months that Joel’s third marriage was on the rocks. Various reports have linked Lee, a 27-year-old chef and author, with Yigal Azrouel, a dashing 36-year-old Israeli-born fashion designer who has frequently escorted her to events.

Sources reported seeing them dirty dancing in Miami in January and have claimed that in unguarded moments Azrouel referred to Lee as “my girlfriend.”

Reps for the Joels insisted that Azrouel was just a friend and that Billy, 60, was happy to skip the parties, fashion shows and fundraisers that his younger wife enjoyed.

“Their decision to separate was absolutely unrelated to Yigal,” Joel’s spokeswoman, Claire Mercuri said.

“It was really the age difference that caught up with them,” said a friend of the couple. “They grew apart. She is very career-oriented. She loves going out. She loves the city. When Billy isn’t touring, he’d rather be on Long Island with his motorcycles and boats.”

Still, the friend added, “I can’t imagine the stories about Yigal helped.”

One ally of Lee said, “Billy is no one to talk. It wasn’t like he was a monk when he was on tour.”

But a longtime pal of Joel insisted “he’s always remained faithful to Katie. When he was touring with Elton John, he flew home almost every night. He rarely stayed in a hotel room. When would he have done this supposed fooling around?”

In recent weeks, Joel has been living on Long Island, where he owns mansions in Sag Harbor and Sagaponack. Lee is said to have stayed at the couple’s Manhattan townhouse, not far from Azrouel’s boutique.

While one pal denied talk of a big blow-up last week, both have retained lawyers.
Joel is believed to have a prenuptial agreement to protect the millions his many hits have made him.

Besides their New York properties, he owns a mansion in Miami Beach. Recent reports had him buying Lee a restaurant in Sag Harbor but Mercuri said he was looking at the space “only as real estate investment.”

He and Lee married in October of 2004. His nine-year marriage to model Christie Brinkley, the mother of their daughter Alexa, ended in 1994. His nine-year marriage to Elizabeth Weber ended in 1982.

Lee’s rep, Ken Sunshine, declined to comment beyond the couple’s statement.

“Billy’s doing fine,” Mercuri said. “He’s looking forward to resuming his Face2Face Tour with Elton John.”

[From The New York Daily News]

Nice little promotion there at the end, kind of like “Oh, another marriage down the tubes, but wait, you should come see him play with Elton John!” That actually sounds like a great concert, and I wish they were coming some place close to me. As far as theories behind the split, et cetera, I don’t really have some hardcore opinion. As I said yesterday, I wasn’t invested in this relationship at all - she seemed like a gold-digging child-bride, and he was plenty old enough to know better. It’s a wash.

In another Billy Joel-related note, Gwyneth Paltrow referred to Billy as “William Joel” is her last Goopy newsletter. Goop was describing some cookies Katie Lee made for a dinner party, and Goop referred to the couple as “the lovely Katie Lee Joel and her husband William…” Since it seemed like Billy was already going to be sending out his spokesperson for all of the separation stuff, the guy also dropped this comment into US Weekly: “No one calls him William.” I bet that gets Goop’s panties in a wad.

Header photo is from 5/4/09. Other photos are from 2007. Credit: WENN.com

Singer Kelis, 29, is due to give birth later this month to her first child with estranged husband Nas. Kelis has some hit singles under her belt, including “Milkshake,” and seems like she should be ok financially, but she claims through a lawyer that she’s broke and depends on whatever Nas gives her. Nas, 35, is a successful rapper and is swimming in dough but allegedly refuses to pay Kelis, who filed for divorce in April, a dime. He filed a motion with the court in May to deny Kelis spousal support. Many of you pointed out in the comments that he didn’t specifically object to child support, but doesn’t feel he should pay spousal support.

Now Kelis is ramping up the court battle ahead of the birth of their child. She is asking for spousal support, child support, birthing expenses, money for a nurse, and $20k in baby goods. I was with her until she threw in the $20k for a stroller and baby accessories. Can’t she have a baby shower and get some of that stuff as gifts? She doesn’t need designer stuff for a little baby. Kelis goes on to say that she’s used to living an expensive lifestyle and should be able to continue to squander money once her child is born:

Kelis claims estranged hubby Nas has left her high and dry … not offering her a penny in the wake of her impending birth … and she says she’s broke — “I have run out of money.”

Kelis filed legal papers claiming Nas isn’t paying her support, pre-natal expenses — nothing, even though she claims he is filthy rich.

Kelis is asking the judge to order Nas to pay spousal support, child support, all pregnancy-related expenses, and one-half of all medical expenses after the child is born. She also wants $3,500 for the baby nurse after the child’s birth, and $20,000 for strollers, cribs and other baby supplies.

Kelis says, “My survival is based on [Nas'] will at this time. If he does not want to pay for an expense, it does not get paid.” The couple was married in 2003. The baby is due this month.

Kelis says she’s entitled to maintain the lifestyle to which she became accustomed during their marriage — they have five homes, fly first class, go to fancy restaurants, and on and on. Most interesting — “There were many expensive pieces [of jewelry] such as a princess-cut diamond tennis bracelet that was recently appraised for $190,000. My engagement ring is an approximately nine-carat cushion-cut diamond solitaire. I have numerous watches…such as Cartier, Rolex, Frank Muller and Chopard.”

Her lawyer, disso-queen Laura Wasser, says in a separate declaration she’s asked Nas to ante up some $$$ for Kelis and the unborn baby but he hasn’t responded.

[From TMZ]

So Kelis admits in her court documents that she has all that jewelry, but still says she’s broke. It doesn’t seem to occur to her to sell her diamonds and high end watches to make ends meet until her ex coughs up some support. She has a single bracelet that’s worth $190,000. Most people don’t see that type of money in years. Nas should absolutely support his child and help ensure that his baby is cared for, but to ask for $20,000 worth of baby goods and to say she’s entitled to it is over the top. No wonder Kelis is broke if she spends money like that.

Nas and Kelis are shown on 2/10/08 and 8/21/06. Credit: PRPhotos