Forbes recently named Jon Cryer of “Two and a Half Men” fame as the second highest-paid actor on TV. Unfortunately, Cryer appears to have a little too much in common with his character on the show, who is plagued by disputes with his ex-wife.
Cryer and his ex-wife were married in 2000 and share a 13-year-old son. When the couple divorced in 2004, Cryer was initially ordered to pay $10,000 a month in child support.
In 2009, Cryer became concerned about his ex-wife’s supervision of his son and filed for a change in custody. That was denied by the court but, unfortunately, her second son was injured later that year. The California Department of Children and Family Services eventually placed both children in the temporary custody of their fathers.
Cryer then filed a motion to sharply reduce his child support payments or eliminate them altogether. The family court, however, only reduced it to $8,000 per month, and California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed that decision.
Cryer’s ex-wife has now worked her way back to a 50-percent time-sharing arrangement and is seeking an increase in child support — but not back to the $10,000 level. Instead, she is asking for it to be raised to $88,969 per month, according to reports.
The mom claims that she wants the money not for her own sake but because their son, who attends a prestigious private school, is humiliated by the contrast in his lifestyle when living with her versus Cryer.
“Currently [the son] experiences two different lifestyles depending on which parent he’s with,” her family court petition reads. “Fifty percent of the time [he] is able to compete with his peers on a level playing field and the other 50 percent of the time [he] is not able to compete on a level playing field.”
An expert consulted by ABC News didn’t view that as a legitimate reason for a child support modification, and it may well be denied. While it’s unlikely Cryer will be ordered to pay nearly $90,000 a month, parental income is one of the factors California courts take into account in child support orders. If a judge finds it in the child’s best interest for Cryer to pay more, some increase may well be ordered.
Sources:
- NJ.com, “Jon Cryer’s ex-wife seeks child support boost: From $8,000 a month to $89,000,” Vicki Hyman, The Star-Ledger, Oct. 25, 2013
- ABC News, “Jon Cryer’s Ex Wants Nearly $90K Per Month in Child Support,” Luchina Fisher, Oct. 29, 2013
