CSIDU
Cidu Bill on Mar 29th 2009
Okay, that acronym doesn’t really work, does it?
Anyway, I read that actress Marg Helgenberger is divorcing her husband of 18 years and is seeking spousal support. Helgenberger has co-starred on the highly-rated CSI for the past 9 years and now that William Petersen is gone, she’s presuambly the best-paid cast member by far.
Can anybody explain to me the concept of spousal support — in 2009 — for a woman who is earning, and is continuing to earn, a monstrous salary?
Please don’t respond just to agree that this seems weird: there’s no sport in shooting fish in a barrel. I’d like to hear from people who can explain this.
Filed in Bill Bickel, CSI, Marg Helgenberger, spousal support | 12 responses so far
Norm Mar 29th 2009 at 07:36 pm 1
It’s always about the money. She can be making oodles now, but not necessarily for the rest of her career. So, she can ask for support to maintain her for the rest of her life in the style to which she has become accustomed. You didn’t say I had to make sense — just explain it. This is why people should have prenups. And, this is why greed makes me gag.
Winter Wallaby Mar 29th 2009 at 07:55 pm 2
From what you’ve described, I’m not sure there’s anything to explain. She’s just seeking spousal support, not necesarily getting it. People ask for all kinds of things. Because they like things.
Arvy Mar 29th 2009 at 08:40 pm 3
To elaborate on what Norm said, Hellenberger may be making an obscene amount of money now, but as a female actor of a certain age, she is, based on Hollywood trends, most likely in the last major role of her career. Her husband, as a male and as president of the SAG has a greater potential for steady earnings for a longer period of time. So presumably she is protecting herself against an inevitable steep decline in future income.
Of course, all she needs to do is bank a fraction of what she’s earning per episode now and she could live to age 110 more comfortably than most of us. But as Norm and WW said, what she asking for is not necessarily what she deserves or will get.
Cidu Bill Mar 29th 2009 at 09:38 pm 4
Her husband hasn’t had steady work in five years. I doubt anything he does or doesn’t give her will make any dent in her present or future lifestyle.
The request does, however, make her appear to be a bitch.
Rebecca Mar 29th 2009 at 11:37 pm 5
The idea behind spousal support is that, while they were married, Marg Heldnegrebuerwhatever contributed to her husband’s success by their marriage. Therefore she’s entitled to ask for some of his earnings. Doesn’t mean she’s going to get it, especially if she makes more than him.
Cidu Bill Mar 29th 2009 at 11:43 pm 6
If she contributed to his success, she seemed to have done a mighty poor job of it, given the whole “no steady work in five years” thing. She certainly didn’t put her own career on hold for the sake of his.
solarrhino Mar 30th 2009 at 12:34 am 7
Negotiating tactic? May even a preemptive strike, if she thinks he’ll seek the same thing from her.
Charlene Mar 30th 2009 at 06:32 am 8
Doris Day was the main wage-earner in her marriage. When she and her husband split up, she asked for spousal support because her husband had thrown away everything she had earned on bad investments, leaving her penniless. And of course she was laughed at when she asked for alimony; she was the star, the court said; why wasn’t she supporting him?
The same thing happened to Shirley Jones, Hope Lange, and quite a few other big female stars (and, interestingly, only female stars). Don’t ignore the possibility.
Jer Mar 30th 2009 at 08:41 am 9
I’d go with solarrhino here - from what I’ve seen, if the divorce is going to be acrimonious and the couple hasn’t already worked out a division of property before talking to lawyers (it happens - some people actually can be adults about splitting up), then the smart lawyers ask for the sun and the moon and the stars even if they don’t expect to get them. Because they know that the other guy is going to ask for the sun and the moon and the stars too. If you’re both starting out at the same absurd place it’s easier to negotiate down to “reasonable expectations”. If you start out reasonable and the other guy starts out at the extreme, you’re probably going to get screwed. That’s true of any negotiation, but probably even more true of something as emotional as an acrimonious divorce.
Lost in A**2 Mar 30th 2009 at 12:08 pm 10
From what I’ve heard, Miss Day was married three times.
The last ended in death: she was widowed, not divorced.
She sued her husband’s business partner because the two
of them had worked together to wipe her out. She won,
too.
Keera Mar 30th 2009 at 02:57 pm 11
Dammit, Bill, you made me go check out the gossip. Anyway, Marg is not only demanding spousal support but is also asking that her husband not be allowed to ask for any from her. It could very well be a Doris Day type of situation.
David A. Rooney Apr 5th 2009 at 09:49 am 12
I’ve always loved that phrase “lifestyle to which s/he has become accustomed”. If you can become accustomed to wealth, you can become accustomed to poverty. A lot of people have had to in this economy.