Halle Berry Won’t ‘Keep Quiet’ Amid Coparenting Drama With Ex Olivier Martinez: She’s ‘Furious’

In her new movie, The Union, Halle Berry plays a spy who reconnects with her high school sweetheart and ropes him into a dangerous mission 25 years later. “I’m glad it’s you and me,” she tells her past love Mikey (Mark Wahlberg) after one close call. “And I’m really glad I walked back into that bar.”

It makes for a cute premise, but offscreen, the 58-year-old might be more apt to avoid her exes. After a series of messy splits, the Oscar winner is still battling with husband No. 3, eight years after their divorce. In an August 16 filing, Halle asked for sole custody of her 10-year-old son, Maceo, alleging that his father, Olivier Martinez, 58, “refuses to coparent or communicate in a child-centered way.” (A lawyer for Olivier said he would respond to the allegations in the coming weeks.)

“She’s furious,” an insider exclusively tells Life & Style. “She’s not going to sit around and keep quiet about this.”

Inside Halle Berry’s Rocky Dating and Marriage History

“I’m a hopeless romantic, and I won’t stop until I get it right,” Halle has said.

She’s sure tried. Her first marriage, at age 27 in 1993, to MLB vet David Justice was overshadowed by rumors of violence. The actress, who grew up with a violent, alcoholic dad, revealed that she had herself been in an abusive relationship. After she requested a restraining order during their 1997 split, whispers grew that David, 58, had harmed her. (“Not only did David Justice not do that,” he later stated. “David Justice never hit her, period.”)

She met husband No. 2, singer Eric Benét, shortly after their split. They wed in 2001 and she adopted the 58-year-old’s young daughter. (Her mom died when the tot was just 15 months old.) But that marriage also didn’t last. As she filed for divorce in 2003, Halle explained they’d had “marital problems for some time” and needed time apart. Later, Eric admitted to infidelity and sought treatment for sex addiction.

Things got more complicated with model Gabriel Aubry, who she didn’t wed, but who fathered the actress’ daughter, Nahla, now 16. At the time of their 2010 separation, the pair said they “remain friends and committed parents.” But things soon got ugly when Halle wanted to move to France with third husband, Olivier. The exes became embroiled in a custody battle, with a judge blocking the move and ordering the actress to pay the 48-year-old a whopping $16K a month in child support. Two weeks later, Gabriel and Olivier got into a physical fight at Halle’s house, leading to an emergency protection order against Gabriel.

“Halle was very irritated, many would say bitter, that she had to pay Gabriel so much money after all they went through,” says the insider. Indeed, she accused him of living off the money meant for their child’s upbringing.

Halle Berry and Van Hunt vs. Olivier Martinez

Now, she’s facing off with Olivier in court. Halle has called her ex “the life of the party,” but has serious qualms about his parenting. According to court papers, Maceo faces “educational challenges” and other behavioral concerns. While she has advocated for tutoring and therapy, Olivier — who receives $8,000 per month in child support — has been “oppositional” to such interventions, Halle claims. “From her perspective, it would be fair for her to have the final word on her kids’ upbringing if she’s the breadwinner,” says the insider. “She’s furious that Gabriel isn’t prioritizing Maceo’s education.”

Her bad luck with men has haunted Halle. “She’s had some lousy relationships that could have been avoided in hindsight,” the insider tells Life & Style. “Especially if she’d listened to advice from friends or taken notice of obvious red flags.” Perhaps she’s turned a corner with new love Van Hunt. She fell for the singer during the pandemic, leading Halle to gush that she’d found peace at last. “Finally, I’m exhaling,” she marveled.

And the 54-year-old is firmly by her side as she engages in the fight of her life. “It upsets Van," the source admits. “They’ve been divorced for almost a decade, but Olivier still seems to have an ax to grind with Halle. Van’s priority is making sure she feels safe and protected.”