Brendan Fraser's messy divorce from ex-wife Afton Smith who claimed $900k per year in child support

The American actor Brendan Fraser, known for his roles in George of the Jungle (1997) and The Mummy (1999), had the happy surprise to be rewarded this Sunday 12 March, during the Oscars 2023 ceremony. Winner of the best actor award for the film The Whale, in theatres since 8 March, he did not hide his emotion. He confided, before thanking his entourage:

I started in this business 30 years ago, and things didn’t come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped. I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgment because it couldn’t be done without my cast.

It must be said that Fraser has recently made a major comeback, after suffering from severe depression following a traumatic sexual assault. While he is now happily married to makeup artist Jeanne Moore, the actor who has just celebrated his 54th birthday had to rise up from a very complicated divorce.

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Brendan Fraser's ex-wife claimed $900,000 dollars of alimony

After nearly 10 years of marriage, Fraser and Afton Smith announced their divorce in 2007. While they were initially in agreement concerning the custody of their three children, things quickly turned sour after the court ordered Fraser to pay Smith $900,000 per year in alimony and child support. An exorbitant figure that the actress justified by the complete halt of her career to raise their children.

This was an impossible sum to pay for the actor who was in a poor financial situation after some bad investments. Fraser petitioned the court to reduce his alimony costs, claiming he could no longer afford the payments. His ex-wife then went to court accusing him of fraud and claiming he was hiding $9 million.

This was immediately denied by Fraser, who assured he was earning no money from acting and had no movie deals. In the end, Fraser was only allowed to reduce his alimony if he started earning less than $3 million annually.

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Are Brendan Fraser and Afton Smith still at war?

It's hard to say if relations between Fraser and Smith have calmed down. While the $900,000 demand had been highly publicised, the ex-spouses eventually reached a joint custody agreement in regards to their children.

Since then, both remain very discreet about their private lives and have never publicly argued. Smith has since converted to writing, and Fraser is making a triumphant return to the seventh art.

This article has been translated from Ohmymag FR.

Sources used:

Us Weekly: 'Brendan Fraser’s Family Guide: Get to Know His 3 Sons and Ex-Wife Afton Smith'

The Things: 'Did Brendan Fraser And His Ex-Wife Find Peace After Their Messy Divorce?'