Team Linda Evangelista
Normally I am not one who would ever say that $46,000 a month in child support is the right amount, but in this case I support Linda Evangelista one hundred percent. Linda is demanding that amount of money from the daddy of her baby and I think it has more to do with Linda just being ticked off about how Francois Pinault dumped Linda while she was pregnant because he got Salma Hayek pregnant and has been spending at least $100K on Salma's baby and nothing on Linda's baby.
Do I think Linda needs bodyguards and all of the other stuff she asks for? No, not really. At one point she asked a judge for $7500 in vacation expenses and he crossed through that. The thing is, I can understand why she feels slighted. Francois has never paid her a dime and never acknowledged the child is his. He has admitted to funding a trust to the tune of $50K a month for Salma's child but none for the one he has with Linda. How much does he spend on bodyguards and nannies for his child with Salma? I am guessing a ton, but says Linda does not need any of those things. I wish she had asked for way more than $46K a month.
I agree she should be paid, but why did she wait 4 years before taking this guy to court? I would have taken him Day 1.
ReplyDeleteI wish she'd harken back to the days of yore and ask for $10,000 per day. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe timing is rather curious. I find it hard to believe that she's just been negotiationg with him for the last 4 years.
ReplyDeleteI have to say though, this whole situation really makes me think less of Salma. Not sure how I'd feel about being with a guy (a billionair no less!) that won't even BEGIN to take care of his own child financially? Not much of a man is he? Heck even Jude Law is paying up even though he doesn't seem to involved with that last baby of his.
Hello. Excuse me. 7500.00 is per month for vacation expenses for a 4 year-old child. 90K/year in vacations for a 4 year-old. Are the reserving a full-time suite at Disney's Grand Floridian, for F-'s sake? They were never married. She spread her legs for him. That's it.
ReplyDelete@MacVixen: He has been supporting the spawn of his loins. However, Ms. Evangelistatute is looking for 46K/month in child support. Basically 5 million/year in child support.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he has doubts that the kid is his? You know, like on the Maury Povich show when the baby mama is certain she knows who the daddy is, and then the test shows he's not the father, so she moves on to the next guy who she is certain is the father. And so on.
ReplyDeleteIf he really didn’t want a child he should have used a condom. Apparently he didn’t. He should pay.. The 46,000 she asks is nothing compared to the money he makes every month.
ReplyDelete@Aly: If that is an appropriate percentage of his yearly earnings then that's what the amount should be. Why should he pay a lower percentage of child support than blue-collar fathers?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that Linda'a child should have at least what Salma's kid is getting, and a lot more for obviously, something must compensate for an absentee father.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I don't agree with Linda about not having time to raise the child for she has to concentrate on being beautiful. A lot of other more successful models (Gisele, all those Victoria's Secret mothers to name a few), and that are a whole lot more in demand than Linda, are doing great on their own without an army of nannies, and raising their kids just right without being absent all the time to beautify themselves when not working. How superficial and selfish. If that is the case, maybe someone should take over raising the child.
@Aly -- uh, Linda's son may be "illegitimate" (and oh, how I hate that term, but I suppose it's better than referring to the child as a "bastard"), but he's still got the same rich-ass dad as Valentina. And I'm pretty sure Valentina gets whatever the hell her heart desires. Money is seriously no object for F H-P.
ReplyDeleteSo....you're saying only men who were once married to their babymamas need to pay child support? That's remarkably unfair to the children who never asked their fathers to spread their seed or their mothers to "spread their legs" in the first place.
I think the child should be protected by full time security. He is the son of a billionaire and is at risk for kidnapping. A Nanny for when Mommy gets tied up at work is acceptable too. I think the beauty treatments and gym is a bit vain and excessive. She is 46years old, my age, there is only so much you can do to keep father time at bay. When does she ever spend time with her son? I do not think the amount is excessive considering the Dad's income, but she if is trying to keep up with what Valentina is getting, good luck with that. He is married to her Mommy and he is not an idiot. Should have used a condom, but not the village moron.
ReplyDelete@Ida :I absolutely agree. Calling a kid a bastard or illegitmate is very Stone-age. It's the same with that Monaco monarchy: Prince Albert has legions of children born out of wedlock, yet only his children who will be born from his prisoner bride (who btw is an olympic swimmer, no blue blood to my knowledge), would be considered legitimate.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I think Linda's kid should have more than Salma's in order to conpensate over the absentee father. When that kid grows up, he/she is going to learn that their father wanted nothing to do with them. Very sad.
I agree that he should be providing reasonable and appropriate child care support for his child with Linda.
ReplyDeleteYet I read yesterday that Linda is requesting full-time nanny care to be covered which made me sad. Her reasoning to the judge, was when she wasn't working, she was busy working on her "image" which included work outs, marketing herself, what have you, to help her get her next job, like an athelete (her words, not mine).
Okay, fine...You're an aging supermodel, with not a lot of opportunities like you had when you were younger. (Though she still makes bank every year with whatever she is currently doing...)
However, it seemed to me like Linda really isn't interested in being a Mom to her four year old son. She wants the spoils that come from the wealth of the father (like her asking for the $7500 in vacation expenses) but can't be bothered with much else since she is so concerned about working on her image and getting her next job.
Then again, I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, though there does seem to be animosity between Salma towards Linda and I'm sure there is more to the story than we know (not that I'm team Salma or Linda).
I'm sure I will get flamed but I don't care. I just think that is too much money. I agree he should pay child support. But $15,000 a month would more than enough. The guy has a right to spend his money on who he wants to. If he doesn't want to spend any extra on Linda's kid or want a relationship with Linda's kid, he shouldn't be forced to. As long as the kid is taken care of with food, shelter, clothing, medical and education that should be enough. Now if she was an ex wife, then the expectations would be different. Sounds like she was just a casual fling with no emotional attachment to either one of them. These dudes should really learn to wrap it, it could save them a life of hell.
ReplyDelete$46,000/month x 12 months = $552,000. NOT $5 million.
ReplyDeleteAnd not for nothing, but child support is based on parents' income. Hers and his. So half a million a year in child support is a perfectly acceptable amount in this case.
She should the same amount as Salma's getting for her child...married or not.
ReplyDeleteRemember he kept Hayek waiting until well after their baby was born before he married *her.* IMO Evangelista has been negotiating with his people for four years and got fed up with the back-and-forth-and-no-dolla. The real issue is getting the kid his own trust and making sure he's in Pinauld's will and insurance policy as well. Let's face it; Evangelista is not young, and bad things happen. She needs to protect her son's interests.
ReplyDeleteSalma actually broke up with him after the baby was born, yes? Or he broke up with her. Either way, he obviously knew what was happening with Linda. What a creepy guy. He should pay equally for both children. And yes, Salma should encourage him to support the boy equally as he is with Valentina.
ReplyDeleteMs. Snarky -- that's right; everyone was surprised when they got back together *and* married. I hope he got a vasectomy, at least. Wonder if part of the four years' delay was demanding a DNA test and then avoiding discussing the results? That may be why Linda's been so quiet;you don't want *that* kind of discussion in the tabs, and he knew it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, ms snarky. Someone's math was way off. Of course the vacation expenses were ridiculous, but that's how these things work. Ask for more than you expect to get, hope it comes down to something in the middle.
ReplyDelete@Rita - Giselle is a lot younger than Linda - ergo, it takes a lot more work to maintain a figure and a face at 46 than at 30 (or whatever age Giselle is). And how do we really know what kind of help Giselle has? Not to mention that Giselle is married to her son's father, and Linda is a single mom. There are so many reasons that Linda is working (and apparently, working very hard) and might require a full-time nanny. And I agree with bluebonnetmom - if H F-P acknowledges this child as his own, and since he is engaging with Linda it would seem that is what is happening - then Linda's child will need full-time security. These numbers are astronomical for the rest of us, but in their world, her requests are not unreasonable IMHO.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason this guy gets any is because of his $$$
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ReplyDeleteWhen this child was born, Linda played the 'I wanna be a single Mother card.' Mebbe she has been in talks with the father and his people or mebbe she just wants the money.
ReplyDeleteNone of this sounds like it's about the best interests of the child....there is a thing as too much money spent on a kid.
Linda is worth 8 million her own. The kid isn't starving. But I agree with the above posters. This is about the trust fund and legally being recognized as an heir for the will.
ReplyDeleteFrancois Pinault's father, also Francois just to keep things confusing, is listed in Forbes as the 67th richest man in the world, with a net worth of $11.5 billion. Francois the father has four children including Francois the son. Francois the son in turn has four children (two by ex wife, one by Salma and baby Evangelista). Taking the $11.5 billion, dividing by the four children and dividing by the four grandchildren leaves baby Evangelista as heir to just under $1 billion (yes, I've ignored estate taxes, favouritism etc.) All in all I think $552K per year is a perfectly reasonable request for a nearly billionaire!
ReplyDeleteShe may not necessarily plan to spend all the money on the kid, but to bank most of it it so he can start his own business when he's 25 or 30. The budget lines and amounts are put out there to justify the final total. Tho I do agree about the need for bodyguards. I gather wealthy people here in NY increasingly hire Irish, Russian and Israeli military vets as nannies/mannies/chauffeurs for just that reason.
ReplyDeleteI hope she gets that and more! Any guy (rich or not) is a sleeze for not paying or helping with expenses to raise their own child/ren, plain and simple. This is all the more douchy because he actually HAS the money and it would not hurt his money situation at all.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea of just having it based on a percentage of the father's income. Why isn't it done like that already?
ReplyDeleteI think the amount is completely reasonable. The rule of child support is that the child should have an equivalent lifestyle at the mother's AND father's houses.
ReplyDeleteLinda is a living legend model, she does still work, but she is becoming more and more 'niche' every day. Like Andie MacDowell, she will get the 'anti-aging cream' endorsements for a few more years, but otherwise Linda's really down to the last few grains in the hourglass, career-wise. So her desire to secure her child's future now is completely reasonable, IMO.
Not everyone can be a Carmen.
In NY State I think it's a minimum of 17% of the father's net income unless the parents can agree on an amount the court thinks is sufficient. (I base this information on my careful study of many L&O re-runs.)
ReplyDeleteI kind of agree with Good Grief. Baby daddy has a duty to pay for reasonable expenses for his child, but I don't think he should be forced to pay the same or more as he does for Valentina. Say you have two kids: one is in to all kinds of activities, sports, classes, etc., the other one isn't. Obviously, you are going to be spending more on the active kid. Does that mean you should have to hand over a wad of cash to the other one to make sure you spend an "equal" amount on each? I don't know where this idea came from that he should have to pay the same amount for his kids, but I don't agree with it.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I definitely agree that he should have to pay for his child's reasonable needs, which can include a nanny, security, and private school (not so much the vacations). But I think the moment Linda got pregnant she thought she'd hit the jackpot and would never have to "work" again. Well, even though she freely admits she "doesn't want to be left alone" with her own child, she is still his mom and bears some responsibility to provide for him. I don't think it should totally be up to Frank.
And to be totally rude, Frankie produces some pretty ugly kids. Salma and Linda for moms, and both of those kids look like trolls.
If it was my child, I couldn't live with the fact that my child was basically being told he wasn't as important as the other child. You don't think that will affect that boy when he's older? Linda didn't just "spread her legs"; they had sex, she got pregnant, they're both responsible. And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't Valentina already born when Salma & whatshisname got married? How is that ANY different?
ReplyDeleteThe only one here who should be on the receiving end of all this criticism & judgment is Pinault.
It appears to me that Linda wants the same treatment as his wife, which is undeserved. His responsibility is for the child ONLY... not to make sure Linda lives a life of luxury via the child. And to expect a man to shell out millions so that you have more time to be fabulous and beautiful is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteMy solution? Pay the child support into a trust and make sure the monies are accounted for. As for security and schooling, he can pay the providers directly. I get so irritated seeing women use their womb as a 401k. Get a job and your own husband Linda!
Texshan, there's a big difference between two children either choosing or not choosing to do activities and this. And yes, if both kids were able bodied and healthy and wanted to do sports or whatever, but one child got preferential treatment and was allowed to do them while the others interests were neglected, that would be an assholish parent.
ReplyDeleteHell yes he should take care of his son in the same vein as Valentina. They're both his kids and I'm sure his two kids with his ex-wife didn't live polar opposite lifestyles growing up as he lavished one, while just gave the other the bare minimum to survive. As a matter of fact, when his daughter got married a few years ago, he spent millions on her wedding so he is hardly suffering.
Bubbles, I'm not suggesting that people only focus on one kid and let the other one languish! I think you missed my point. There's no rule that says people have to spend the same amount of money on each kid they have. For instance, I went to a state university, while my brother went to a private college. Should I have demanded that my parents give me the difference between my tuition and his, so that they would be spending the same amount on us? No, that's ridiculous. It's the same thing here. Should Francois have to pay to send Linda and son on a vacation every time he and Salma take Valentina on one? No. He should be obligated to pay for half of his son's reasonable expenses. Any more than that is gravy.
ReplyDeleteI think what people tend to forget is that the mother, if she has the means (which Linda certainly does), should also be contributing financially to the child's upbringing. Don't "regular," intact families do this? It's not up to the dad to pay for everything. The only time this becomes an issue is during custody or paternity fights. All of a sudden, dad is a scumbag if he expects mom to contribute financially to their kid. That's not fair.
Again, I do believe that Francois should be obligated to pay for at least half of the expenses of raising his child in a manner comparable to the upbringing of his other children. But Linda's demands are, IMHO, outrageous. I think she's trying to use the kid to get richer than she already is.
Hey, Linda got a Billionaire Sperm Donor. Is she entitled to daddy's billions? I don't know. But that's pukey to go to court and demand child support of squillions each month just so she can outsource her motherhood. Doesn't seem like she cares about the kid one iota. She has plenty of money. Furthermore, if she really cared for the kid, she would be wrangling a huge trust fund of a 1 time payment, not monthly expenses for herself and her kid.
ReplyDeleteThe rule is NOT that the kid be provided an equivalent lifestyle in both households. Not in CA. It's "equivalent" up to a reasonable point, which is generally interpreted as providing for an upper-middle class lifestyle, not the life of Richie Rich.
ReplyDeleteOne of my kid's classmates was the by-blow of an NBA roundballer. Mom got a nice deal out of it by appearances, but nothing like a serious chunk of his money. I also used to see her around town out late on school nights with random skeevy guys.
My father did this to me and I'm team Linda! This boy is going to need a lot of therapy in his future for his father being such a douche nozzle. Salema really picked a complete A-hole.
ReplyDeleteJamie's Girl -- that may have been what took 4 years -- that he hemmed, hawed and eventually refused (or ignored) the trust fund request. I'm pretty sure that (at least in NY courts) you have to break down the annual expenses in order to obtain a court order for support.
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