It seems that even celebs sometimes have trouble keeping up with their child support. Last week, I read that comedian Dave Foley (“The Kids in the Hall” and “Newsradio”) can’t return to his home country of Canada because he might be arrested for not paying court-ordered child support.
Foley and freelance journalist Tabatha Southey met in 1983 and wed in 1990. By 1997, they divorced, but in between those times, they had two sons. The sons are now 18 and 15, but at the time of their divorce, Foley was making quite a bit of bank. He was in the middle of his “Newsradio” stint.
However, after the show ended, Foley’s income apparently went down. The problem is the child support payments didn’t. According to Southey, Foley agreed in court that he would pay the same amount, $10,700 a month, regardless of whether his income increased or decreased.
Foley stopped paying child support years ago and tried to modify the payment plan in 2007, but lost in court. Last December, Foley tweeted “Family court in Ontario ruled I have to pay 1st wife 3X my monthly income or go to jail because I used to be rich.”
Foley went to Toronto last November and paid $20,000 in back child support. The problem is he still owes $589,082 and has to pay an extra $5,000 a month for that. The judge told Foley he would send him to jail for 10 days for each payment missed. He’s missed December, January, and February.
I have been a fan of Michael Madsen since seeing his roles in Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill I and II. Today, an arrest warrant was issued for the actor because he too is behind in child support payments.
Like Foley, he owes a lot in back payments – $570,000 to be exact. He failed to show up for a hearing last week for child/spousal support and so the judge decided to issue the warrant and the police are trying to find him. He filed for bankruptcy in 2009, stating that he owed director Quentin Tarantino $1 million and actor Pierce Brosnan $25,000 which he could not pay back.
You know, I like both of these guys, but if you have kids and get divorced, you have to pay the moms. Here’s hoping both can get their acts together and start paying some of what they owe.