Halle Berry got an effusive reaction from her fans and fellow celebrities alike over the weekend when she took to Instagram to share a slew of photos from her 57th birthday celebrations featuring her rarely-seen teenaged daughter Nahla.
In the photos of their trip to see Barbie with Halle's boyfriend Van Hunt, the 15-year-old towers over her famous mom in a pink dress and matching heels, leaving all of her followers in disbelief over how grown up she is.
The Catwoman actress doesn't often share photos of her daughter, keeping her largely out of the public eye — and with good reason, as Nahla was already at the center of a highly-publicized custody trial and estrangement between her parents.
Who is Halle Berry's daughter Nahla's dad?
Halle welcomed Nahla in March 2008 with her boyfriend at the time, Gabriel Aubry. Gabriel, a Canadian model, met Halle at a photoshoot for Versace in November 2005, and the welcomed Nahla in their shared home.
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In April 2010, it was announced that the couple split some months before, and a bitter, years-long custody battle ensued.
© InstagramWhat was Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry's custody battle over?
Two years after they split, the former couple were embroiled in a tough legal battle when Halle expressed her wishes to move to France with then-fiancé, French actor Olivier Martinez, along with four-year-old Nahla.
At the time, Halle accused her ex of essentially white-washing their daughter when, allegedly without Halle's consent, he dyed Nahla's hair blonde and straightened her curls, which Halle perceived to be a move to mask her daughter's African-American heritage.
© GettyTheir legal battle became even messier when Gabriel and Unfaithful star Olivier were engaged in a physical fight, and Olivier was granted an emergency protective order preventing Gabriel from coming within 100 yards of Halle and Nahla, plus Gabriel in turn obtained a restraining order from Gabriel.
Eventually, Halle and Gabriel agreed upon joint custody.
© GettyDoes Halle Berry have to pay Gabriel Aubry child support?
In 2014, the Oscar-winning actress was ordered by a judge to pay $16,000 a month in child support, a figure she has since both slammed as "extortion" and managed to slash to a lesser $8,000 a month, plus a percentage from her annual earnings.
In a 2021 Instagram post, she didn't hold back from saying how she truly felt about the situation, when she shared a photo that read: "Women don't owe you [expletive]," and then she wrote in the comments section: "It takes great strength [eryday] to pay it. And BTW it's wrong and it's extortion!" adding: "I've been paying it for a decade now. I feel if a woman or man is having to pay support that is way more than the reasonable needs to help SUPPORT the child, I think that is wrong!"
She continued: "I understand some parents (man or woman) may need help, but I also feel in these modern times both men and women have the responsibility to financially take care of their children and work hard and make every effort to do so.
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"The way many laws are set up, people are allowed to USE children in order to be awarded money to live a lifestyle that not only did they not earn, but that is way above and beyond the child's reasonable needs.
© GettyWhere do Halle Berry and her daughter Nahla stand with Gabriel Aubry?
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Little is known about Nahla's relationship with her father today. Halle went on to split from Olivier, with whom she shares nine-year-old son Maceo, in 2015, and since 2020, she's been dating her boyfriend Van.
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