Robert De Niro ‘forced to work’ to afford ex-wife’s lavish lifestyle, lawyers claim

Ever since the split from his wife of 21 years, two-time Oscar winner and undoubtedly one of the best actors in the history of film, Robert De Niro, has had a rough time affording to finance his ex’s lavish lifestyle.

De Niro was married twice and both of his marriages lasted long years. He tied the knot with his first wife, actress and singer Diahnne Abbott, in 1976. He and Abbott welcomed son Raphael De Niro that same year, and the actor, who was already considered one of the best of the best at the time, adopted his wife’s daughter from her previous marriage.

Some 12 years later, they divorced. Between his two marriages, De Niro dated model Toukie Smith for eight years. The two had twins together via in vitro fertilization and a surrogate mother.

However, things didn’t work out between them and they called it quits.

Source: Youtube/pureart

De Niro married his second wife, socialite and actress Grace Hightower in 1997. The two first met some ten years before saying I do while she worked at the famous Mr. Chow restaurant in London.

A decade later, they met again and knew they belonged together. Their wedding ceremony was an intimate one and took place at their home in Marbletown, New York.

Speaking of their relationship, Hightower said back in the day, “It was an ease-in. It wasn’t a whirlwind.”

Their son Elliot was born in 1998 and their daughter Helen came into the world in 2011.

Source: Shutterstock/taniavolobueva

Both De Niro and Hightower tended to keep their son and daughter, as well as the rest of De Niro’s children, out of the spotlight and away from the public eye, but that all changed when De Niro felt the need to speak openly about his son’s autism in an attempt to raise awareness about the condition which affects 1 in 54 children in America, according to 2016 data.

“Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined,” he said.

Source: Shutterstock

In 1999, just a year after Elliot was born, the Godfather actor filed for divorce. They co-parented Elliot for a year and took their divorce to court, but eventually, they managed to smooth things out and re-conciliated. De Niro and Hightower even renowned their vows in 2004 in the presence of some of their best friends, including Meryl Strip, Martin Scorsese, and Ben Stiller.

“They can make sure this one sticks,” De Niro said at the ceremony. But it didn’t. The couple split in 2018.

“Grace and I have two beautiful children together. We are entering a period of transition in our relationship which is a difficult but constructive process,” the statement from De Niro read.

“I honor Grace as a wonderful mother and ask for privacy and respect from all as we proceed to develop our roles as partners in parenting.”

Source: Shutterstock/Debby Wong

Today, reports are that De Niro has found himself in an unenviable situation having to provide for his ex’s lavish lifestyle.

De Niro, who is also an entrepreneur, was reported to have invested huge amounts of money in several restaurants, such as Nobu and the Tribeca Grill, as well as the Greenwich Hotel in New York City. However, because of the ongoing pandemic, his businesses have suffered millions in loses.

De Niro’s lawyer, Caroline Krauss, claims that Hightower has “a thirst for Stella McCartney” and has even bought a $1 million-plus diamond ring, as reported by Page Six. According to Business Insider, the actor has cut Grace’s monthly credit card limit from $100,000 to $50,000 in an attempt to cut down on her spendings.

Source: Shutterstock/ Denis Makarenko

“Mr. De Niro is 77 years old, and while he loves his craft, he should not be forced to work at this prodigious pace because he has to,” Krauss said during a virtual divorce hearing, as reported by Page Six.

“When does that stop? When does he get the opportunity to not take every project that comes along and not work six-day weeks, 12-hour days so he can keep pace with Ms. Hightower’s thirst for Stella McCartney?” she added.

“He could get sick tomorrow, and the party’s over.”

Source: Getty Images/Jim Spellman/WireImage

His ex’s lawyer, on the other hand, has been reported to have answered back, saying, “I’m not a believer that a man who has an admitted worth of $500 million and makes $30 million a year, all of a sudden in March he needs to cut down [spousal support] by 50 percent and ban her from the house.”

Monica Pop
Monica Pop
Monica Pop is a senior writer for Bored Daddy magazine covering the latest trending and popular articles across the United States and around the world.

More from author

Related posts

Latest posts

Teenager vaping the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day receives shocking diagnosis after coughing up ‘pints’ of blood

Wanting to fit in with his group of friends, Jayden Richardson, now 17, started vaping at the age of just 12. His vaping was...

5-year-old boy dies during treatment after hyperbaric chamber explodes

A five-year-old Michigan boy died in a bizarre, tragic incident during receiving treatment when the hyperbaric chamber exploded. The tragedy happened at The Oxford Center...

Flight data shows the American Airlines pilots made a desperate attempt to prevent the crash and save all on board

The pilots flying the American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided mid-air with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on January 29, made a heroic...

I Never Expected Such a Harsh Outcome

I was completely floored when I first read about this Man who burned his thumb loses both legs story. Seriously—how does a minor cooking...

I’m Still Reeling From This New Hollywood Bombshell

I honestly did a double take when I saw the headline: Musk Shocks Hollywood by dropping alleged evidence tying Sean “Diddy” Combs to some...

The black box and flight recorder from the crashed DC helicopter and plane provide crucial altitude data that may help explain the incident

The crash between the American Airlines plane and the US Army Black Hawk helicopter is one of the deadliest US air collisions in recent...