Melissa Etheridge’s ex, Tammy Lynn Michaels, has become a textbook example of how not to use social media in the wake of a high profile divorce. She’s complained repeatedly about being broke despite the fact that she gets $26,000 a month in child support for her twins. Michaels has complained about money problems for years, and you would think that she would have downsized by now and figured out how to live on $312,000 a year. In fact Michaels likely makes more than just $26,000 a month. Radar reports that she received a percentage of Etheridge’s royalties in her settlement, which brought in an additional $60,000 a month about a year and a half ago. (It’s unclear what she receives from Etheridge’s royalties at this point.)
So Michaels should be very well off in her own right, and she should have arranged to have insurance in case of an emergency. Only not so much. She was recently complaining on Twitter that she’s half a million in debt and has no health insurance to pay for needed surgery. Michaels tweeted that she suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome. In the wake of widespread criticism, Michaels took her Twitter account down, just like she removed her blog.
Melissa Etheridge‘s ex-partner and mother to their two kids, decided to offer more details to her followers after complaining about health and financial problems.
As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, Michaels went public Saturday with the claim that she is $500,000 in debt and has no health insurance but needed surgery because her insides were “exploding.”
This despite the fact that she receives $26,000 a month in spousal and child support and half of Etheridge’s music royalties, which at the time of their settlement 15 months ago, put another $60,000 a month in Tammy’s pocket.
Her troubles, Michaels says, include “continuous ovarian cysts that rupture, and an appendix that seems to be having fits.” She also offered a supporter a souvenir of her upcoming surgery.
“Want my rotten ovary when its out? Maybe make it a conversational centerpiece?”
Michaels and Etheridge, who were registered as domestic partners in California before their split, continue to battle over custody issues and were in court as recently as last month.
The singer hasn’t commented publicly on her ex’s bizarre revelations, but Michaels pulled down her Twitter page Sunday, maybe deciding to keep a few things to herself?
Are you kidding me? I manage to have health insurance as a self employed person making a fraction of that amount, as do several of my friends. You go online, fill out some forms, and decide which company you want to work with. It is complicated and there are hidden fees, but it’s a necessary part of being an adult. Yes I wish that health care costs were reasonable, but the point is that you need insurance in America particularly. You can think it’s unfair but you have to work within the system.
It sucks being sick and PCOS is no picnic. One of my friends had it and she ended up needing a hysterectomy. She had her own insurance though, she wasn’t stupid enough to think she could get by without it. I’m not talking about people who can’t afford health insurance or who are barely making ends meet, that’s different. I’m talking about a woman who makes more than a quarter million a year complaining about having no insurance. Did it ever occur to her that she should make arrangements for it? I bet it did now.
Header image is from 2007. Other photos are of Etheridge with her new partner, Linda Wallem, in 2013. Credit: WENN.com
Melissa sounds like no picnic as a person, an ex and just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
But this chick getting support just sounds bitter she can’t live the lifestyle she is used when she lived with Melissa. I am sure it is hard to go from having no budget, living with endless funds to 300K a year but I don’t feel sorry for her at all. She kept spending like she was still with Melissa I assume.
Why isn’t she working? Just because you have a child or 2, doesn’t mean you have to stay home until they are 18 or even when they under 5. Unlike most mothers in the US, or any country most can’t afford a nanny, or a full time babysitter. She can. Get to work.
She doesn’t have to be an actress, do something else! Geez.
Do what for a job though? I’m not being difficult, but what job does a person get when their previous job was years ago, and they don’t have “marketable” skills? This is what women who have been SAHMs face everyday when they attempt to rejoin the workforce. Even women with business experience and graduate degrees have difficulty finding jobs with a living wage, after several years out of the workforce.
Based on IMBD it does look like Michaels has been did recently complete some sort of project.
I’m so tired of women complaining about exes owing them more and more. Every woman should read the book “The Feminine Mistake” before ever thinking about getting married and having a family. The potential consequences of that choice are: one day you MAY find yourself a single mother, that’s just reality, folks. It’s about taking control of your own life and not expecting others to support you, and making decisions that protect you when you engage in a marital contract. Women need to wake up.
Well in this woman’s case she could have afforded to go back to school. Your comment only confirms my Borg that women or men should never make themselves dependent on a spouse for support and the higher earning spouse should never be fool enough to take on a dependent spouse unless they don’tind that person sucking the life out of th for the next 20 order years.
So for years now she shouldn’t work or go back to school? Melissa has those kids half the time I bet. Tell that to the woman I met who worked two-part-time jobs, went to law school and had children. I have no sympathy for Tammy Lynn this far after the divorce and being so young as far as working or planning for a career. If her acting career has dried up, go to freakin’ aesthetician school or something. Oh, she’s too good for that.
Gina I agree with you. The best feeling in the world is knowing you are in control of your life and when something happens, you know you’ll be ok. It’s time for more women to be in charge of their own lives and destiny.
@Jayna
That is in no way what I wrote. Please note that I wrote that even women with advanced degrees have difficulty with finding employment after a long time away from work. I’m not suggesting that she not work or go to school. I’m stating a fact, about the realities of how employers often treat women who have a large gap in the work history.
In Michaels case she continues to be her own worst enemy because even if she looks for a job, a simple Google search is going to upset a prospective employer.
Holly IIRC yes you do have to engage in a minimum amount of acting work to keep your SAG priveleges. So if she hasn’t had any acting work for a while (which I’m pretty sure she hasn’t) her entitlement probably lapsed.
She can go to school and find a profession. I’m a SAHM with the understanding that I would be able to work on further my education during that time so I have a more marketable degree once my children are in school full time. I mean seriously, what is she planning on doing when her children turn 18 and the child support train stops? She she think she’s owed a lifetime of support for a relatively short relationship with a rich woman?
I agree. Going from a professional to a “stay at home mum” position in this day and age is gutting to those when you try to re-enter the work force.
The technology is faster, they are younger, smarter, willing to be paid less, and more driven. You do have a stigma of being put out to pasture if you’re not climbing that ladder consistently and ruthlessly.
It is tiring to hear these things indeed and no one likes the poor me, but on the other hand, its not easy being with someone who wanted you to stay at home and then you find your lifestyle bubble burst – not to mention, everyone knows your dirty laundry.
I think its just her venting out of sheer frustration, albeit, she could probably downsize. However, in saying that, what are the custody agreements. Does she live close or can she move to a farther and cheaper state?
I thought that many actors remained in the Screen Guild even when not working (or perhaps there is a minimum amount of work that you have to do to stay in SAG?) just for the purpose of having health insurance.
I realize all insurance is different in terms of what it will cover & what %, but I’ve been under the impression that the SAG insurance was pretty good because people in the biz often need to stay on top of their health just to be insured for work and because acting work ebbs and flows and there’s a lot of uncertainty. Maybe someone else knows more about this and why she isn’t/wouldn’t be covered??
If she was in SAG she just needs to pay her dues to maintain. They do have insurance and it’s pretty good, but you still have to pay premiums… something you’d think she could manage since it would just be for herself.
I felt sorry for Tammy when Melissa cheated on her and dumped her. But now she is acting like a spoiled child. I suffer from the same illness and I actually do struggle to pay medical and other bills. Not only can Tammy afford great insurance but she can live very, very well with her settlement. Stop the pity party!
My heart goes out to you, Elizabeth. I hope it all works out for you health wise and money wise. All the best to you.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Tammy Lynn is working my last nerve. She’s really taken this victim thing on like it’s her job. We get it, your ex was awful… most exes are… now pull up your big girl panties and get on with it.
She’s getting more a month than a lot of people make in a year, I’m sure she could manage her premium and copay out of that. We’re small business owners and obvs don’t make $30k/month and yet we have great insurance for our family of 5. Get a grip.
She’s getting more a month than most people make a year.
No sympathy.
No f-cking kidding. The amount this idiot recieves in spousal support was MY single mothers yearly salary for years! She sure has hell got no help, no money from her ex. She had to get extra jobs just to be able to afford OTHER necessities like clothes for school and a freaking tank of gas so she could work.
Insurance was (and still f-cking is) a luxury for us Tammy. Get your shit together.
Seems like both Melissa and Tammy were wrong. They are a match made in heaven. Both selfish egotistical jackasses who love playing hero or martyr. Idiots.
No sympathy! Not a single ounce.
Is she serious? I have a good plan, and I don’t make $26,000 a month! I pay for it, that’s how I have it. It’s not that hard, Tammy. Call up your local insurance company, fill out some forms, and fork over your cash. They will help you out when you need a procedure. Or they probably would have if you had thought of this, oh I don’t know… A LONG TIME AGO. There’s no excuse to go without health insurance when you have that kind of cash coming in. None.
that’s just ridiculous. get a job, get some insurance and stay off twitter..
Will this trick ever stop complaining?? I mean yeah she treated you like shit, but guess what? : In Relationships sometimes you get what you get! No matter how good or dedicated or whatever a person you are, GET.Over.It!! Seriously how many women that get shit upon by their significant others ( me included) get dumb money MONTHLY that equates to what some of us make in a YEAR FFS!!?
Why is she acting like she cant budget?
Get a Nanny and actually PAY for the best education money can Buy?
Get her own insurance?
Get a job?
Surely with that kind of monthly income she could pay for the surgery in cash? I dont live in the States but could a fairly common gynae proceedure cost more than the 20,000 she gets a month?
Oh Sardinia, you have no idea. I just googled US appendix removal (total cost). A Californian study found charges ranged from $1,500 to $180,000. Average was $33k. They only looked at simple appendicitis cases, with hospital stays of less than 4 days … so that $180k isn’t some random “we went to remove the appendix, found 20 other things wrong, gave up and turned him into a gold-plated cyborg” case. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/study-hospitals-billings-shocks-researchers-appendix-removal-cost-1-500-180-000-depending-surgery-article-1.1066207
(I don’t live in the US either … but I did know their costs were ridiculous after hearing horror stories from online pals.)
Not only does our healthcare system suck here but every single kind of procedure you could need is exorbitantly more expensive here. Something that costs you a grand in the UK might cost you upwards of 3500 here and it’s freaking ridiculous. I don’t have insurance right now and can’t afford so I’m constantly praying that nothing goes wrong that will bankrupt me. All the time I wish that I was born in pretty much any Western 1st world country except for the US
As a noninsured person paying cash, she would pay far less than that when the bill is negotiated down and then she could set up a payment plan to them. I don’t buy her poor-me, everybody feel sorry for me routine.
Boy am I glad for the NHS when I look at those figures.
She should be able to pay for it out of pocket. Typically they will negotiate and if you pay up front they will give you a discount.
This! For years we were without health care and I saved a bundle on medical care by paying cash. Doctors were willing to reduce their bills by up to 75% of the amount they would typically invoice insurance companies for.
I actually think most Dr.’s here would prefer a single payer (i.e. National Health Care) system. All of my MD friends loathe working with insurance companies. Waiting months for payments that may or may not be what they charged, arbitrary code changes, etc. It’s a nightmare here!
She clearly should have bought insurance and behaved like a responsible adult, but then she couldn’t whine and play the victim! I was on her side in terms of getting the proper support from Melissa for the kids, but this is ridiculous.
not to support her mess but…
was it a “pre-existing condition”?
maybe that is why she was after so much money… she could not get insurance and knew she would need it to survive / live healthy enough to be an active mother.
i mean, it does make sense right? she lost her insurance after the divorce and probably could not get one after.
the system is cut-throat and i don’t see one picking up someone with a known disorder that would require a lot of treatment, medication, and eventually expensive surgery (esp considering the over-bloated prices in the USA)…
just saying…
My insurance company doesn’t turn people away with pre-existing conditions. I’m sure Tammy could find one if she tried. It cost a few hundred more a month, but again, she can afford it, so this is all crap.
Tessa, bluecalling is right.
Due to a pre existing condition, for six months I COULD NOT get insurance AT ALL, come hell or high water. We were very fortunate that a new work position offered a plan to cover me.
Even under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, it’s not until 2014 that insurance companies will be banned from discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition, and from charging higher rates due to gender or health status.
If you are already sick, getting insurance is mostly impossible.
Maybe you could share the affordable plan that’s not offered through the workplace you’ve stumbled across.
May I ask the name of the company?
I wonder what happened to her SAG health insurance? She would’ve been covered independently with her own plan under her SAG union membership. (If she let her SAG insurance lapse, then, given Melissa’s track record, Tammy Lynn was stupid)
Also, if that article is correct, she gets the $23k per month in support plus half of Melissa’s royalties per month, which came out to $60k per MONTH to Tammy Lynn. Some insurance company is going to cough up coverage for someone getting $83k per month. They may charge an arm and a leg in premiums but they’ll offer coverage with a monthly income like that.
If there is a preexisting condition at issue, why hasn’t anyone told this woman to look into high risk pools to get some coverage. With a monthly income like that, she should be able to afford it.
As a woman who is living without insurance and desperately needs contacts, a dental checkup, and basic healthcare needs all I can think to say to this woman is f*ck off. Talk about spoiled and petulant
Yeah, this woman Tammy is completely delusional. Does she have a gambling or credit card problem? Why would she have so much debt when she makes that much in a month? Most Americans, like me, will never make that in a year. I am one of those overeducated, underemployed types who has lived without life insurance for years. If I had that kind of money I could move out of my parents house and afford to go to the dentist, dermatologist, pay some student loan bills, and maybe even go out to dinner once in a while. PUH-LEAZE!!! Shut up, woman…you just don’t get what the rest of us have to put up with.
Where the heck is all her money going? Up her nose?
Exactly. How is she 500k in debt, with her ex paying for everything?
Spare me. I was always self-employed and had my own insurance. There are things I didn’t spend on because I had to have it. She has made a profession out of being a martyr. and victim.
I can’t stand Tammy Lynn.
I think Melissa Etheridge as a person is pretty cruddy, but Tammy is running low on goodwill at this point. If she’s this unable to function as a responsible adult, I could see why Melissa may have found it hard being with once she was no longer dazzled by her beauty.
I agree. I lost respect for the way Melissa treated her moneywise in the beginning, but for quite a while I figured out why Melissa dumped her. There are people in this world that whine all the time, that complain, that really love to play the victim role, and they are intolerable to be around. So while I’m no fan of Melissa anymore and her behavior towards Tammy Lynn during the divorce and her nutty beliefs, I really can’t stand Tammy Lynn anymore. I have a relative like her, and phone conversations with this relative are mind-blowing. My eyes roll into the back of my head until I can get off.
Apparently Etheridge is refusing to allow the kids to be vaccinated? Great, so the twins have two mothers of highly questionable intelligence and sanity.
They both sound too f-cking stupid for their own good. Like jeebus these two are right immature assholes.
While I am sure Melissa is a bully and beast, I am tiring of this woman and her constant complaints. Live in the real world honey and see what it’s really like to not have money for necessary things! If she can’t make it on $26k per month there is something very wrong with her budget.
This woman has some serious balls on her. There are people out there, prob a majority of Americans, actually, who have no insurance because they can’t afford it. She needs a reality check. Ugh.
Maybe it’s not lack of money (ha!) but the fact that Tammy Lynn isn’t responsible/adult enough to actually obtain insurance? Previously she had Melissa, or Melissa’s assistant more likely, to manage this kind of thing for her. Maybe she doesn’t know of to fill out forms, write checks, keep a household budget.
Then she needs to book an appointment with a financial advisor or a personal affairs organizer or pick up a book by Suze Orman. If she doesn’t know how to be responsible for herself, she needs to learn how.
So right. We’ve been uninsured since my husband lost his job last year. He works full-time in a retail job and overnight shifts in a service job. I work part-time and am in school for a nursing degree in the hopes that we will not be in this situation again. We have two little kids, and we are busting our butts to try and get ahead. We survive below the poverty line, with a yearly income just above what this woman takes in in a month.
When this woman has to worry about putting gas in her car, finding a doctor who accepts Medicaid so her toddler can get a three-day fever checked out, or works back-to-back 12:00pm-8:00pm and 11:00pm-7:00am shifts like my husband, she can talk. Until then, have a little decency for the have-nots.
What is she going to do when the kids turn 18 and the checks stop?
She’ll just have to cry all the way to the bank to cash her Melissa Ethridge royalties checks.
it will be a miracle if the kids even make it to 18 with those two idiots for parents. i don’t for a minute believe any of the crap that comes out of Tammy’s mouth- she is just a loon and a sympathy monger
Tammy’s whole sob story is that she put her career on the back burner to be with Melissa and raise the kids. She expected that Melissa would just take care of her forever. That is the story she keeps telling herself and she obviously can’t move on from it. She needs to stop blaming Melissa. With that kind of income she could do a lot of non acting related things, like rehabbing houses, starting a business, heck, she could probably teach kids acting.
It’s all relative. I don’t like the bitching about money when she is getting what is so much above the standard of the general population, but you know what? Etheridge is good for it, she can afford to pay for insurance.
This whole situation is ridiculous! How long have they been split up? I doubt Tammi was raised in luxury, or that’s where she would have returned! Grow up! You’re a grown woman with kids who need to be taken care of. I was a huge fan of Melissa, no more! Both women are over indulged, spoiled witches! They have more in common than they realize! They both act like their in High School, it’s insulting to women who somehow manage to make ends meet no matter the hardships!
This just pisses me off. If you don’t have insurance on 26K a month then you need to make some adjustments to the way you live your life. No sympathy here.
26 thou/month? Oh, cry me a river.
As Britney would say “Work Bitch”
I can’t with this self entitled twat. I was just denied insurance because pregnancy is a pre-existing condition and my husband was denied because he is married to someone with a pre-existing condition. The funny thing is we are paying for our second home birth out of pocket, and only need insurance in case of an emergency. I didn’t think highly of Obamacare but in 2014 I will be eligible for insurance I don’t have access to now.
Wait, your husband doesn’t qualify for health insurance because YOU have a pre-existing condition?! That’s just so wrong. This is why we need to fix our healthcare system.
Wishing you a very healthy, risk-free birth. And congratulations on your soon-to-be little one!
PCOS is no joke to have and yes treatment can be expensive but COME ON! She makes over a half a million a year in support alone. Get a damn financial advisor, get on payment plans to pay your bills off ,, take some classed to obtain relatable skills. In short..TAMMY LYNN GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER AND SHUT THE F UL FOREVER ABOUT THIS! SHE NEEDS MORE PEOPLE IN HER LIFE TO GIVE HER A REALITY CHECK!
I’ll start by saying that yes, Tammy needs to find a way back in front of the camera for work (and possibly find a good therapist). But this was a messy split and Melissa, who’s a giant piece of work, went out of her way to screw w/Tammy financially. There were extended periods of time where she didn’t contribute financially for ANYTHING and she actually seemed to enjoy it. Tammy also has huge legal bills from trying to get Melissa to the table to negotiate and Melissa had great attorneys keeping her away from the table. I’m not surprised that Tammy is deeply in debt despite the money coming in. I’m also reasonably sure, due to Melissa’s history w/her older kids, that despite any agreement they might have, Tammy has the bulk of child rearing responsibilities.
This is where I am on it, too. It could be her debt is what she owes her lawyers over the years, and that can add up pretty fast.
IANAL, but if they have kids couldn’t the court mandate that Tammy live fairly close to Melissa? If so, that might mean living in an area with a high cost of living, so $300K in NYC or CA won’t go as far as it would in Iowa. She can still learn how to better manage her money, sure, but I think there’s more to the story.
Her complaining about being broke when she is pulling in that kind of money is downright offensive. Maybe someday she’ll know what not having money is really like. Idiot.
I used to feel sorry for this woman, but she’s making it so difficult for me to do so these days. You bring home more in child support than my husband and me do with our combined income AND my child support from my son’s father. I understand California is a much more expensive state to live in compared to Louisiana, but there is no excuse for her to not be able to take care of herself and those children with that amount of money per year. NONE.
Tammy needs to shut her piehole. I raised three kids on 25K a YEAR, and she whines about getting that much a month? Boo fckn hoo.
Wow. One hates to play one-up-manship with their problems because it is truly individual for each person, but her entitlement is just plain asinine. She’s obviously grown accustomed to living a certain kind of lifestyle and is therefore completely out of touch with how to manage, especially when she makes what many consider to be a very reasonable income in relation to the average American family. And she doesn’t even work for it!!!
Seriously all of the families that are struggling to make ends meet on 50,000/year and less are like, “Bitch, please.”
No sympathy.
Tammy should have secured a better lawyer. She certainly could have negotiated health insurance as part of her settlement. Seeing as Melissa isn’t hurting for cash. 300k isn’t a ton of money after living the high life. The kids deserve to continue living in a similar manner as long as the breadwinner can support the lifestyle.
Here’s an idea, Tammy. Melissa is no longer your wife. She is no longer responsible for you and your needs. She supports your children generously & doesn’t owe you anything. You are responsible for yourself, dear. Or, you know, get a job!!! I’m surprised she didn’t blame Melissa for her cysts…
I’m dragging my comment that I left at Radar over here:
I’m pretty sure that ovarian cysts are code for tummy tuck and other cosmetic procedures that insurance doesn’t cover.
If she’s that stupid to be uninsured then screw her. Even if they ARE ovarian cysts, and she is uninsured she could afford to pay privately. I remember her complaining what a disaster her body was after carrying those twins. Dollars to donuts it’s cosmetic. And pulling her twitter down just lends credence to my theory.
How the hell did she get a half million dollars in debt so fast? I don’t believe a word out of this chick’s mouth.
Bingo!
Despite what everyone on the board says about self-sufficiency (which I mostly agree with). The very rich divorce differently than we do. Tammy’s debt is mostly due to legal fees. Even very simple divorces can cost a lot in CA and this one was anything but simple. Melissa had the legal power houses on her side during the divorce. Tammy couldn’t afford the same level of representation and it looks like it cost her. She should have gotten health insurance as part of their agreement, as well as a partial reimbursement of her legal fees.
There is no way she spent half a million in legal fees for her divorce, for a number of reasons:
1. They weren’t actually married, so it’s not a case of “how rich people divorce”. Those were settlement hearings. She could easily have qualified for legal aid if she was left as destitute as she CLAIMED
2. Acrimonious? Sure, not cheap? I believe it, but for even half of that debt to come from legal fees, as expensive as California attorney fees are, is a huge stretch, because…
3: At the time all of this was going down, she was playing the poor card in her blog to the point of disbelief. If it was true she was so poor she didn’t have money to pay the utility bills, She sure wasn’t going to be able to hire a powerhouse expensive lawyer.
I don’t even trust her story of being a half million in debt, unless she did something stupid like buy a huge house she couldn’t afford, (would have to be pretty damn big), or a ton of bling once the fat cheques started rolling in.
She’s disgusting and as much as I don’t care for Etheridge, Tammy’s behaviour makes me wonder what *really* was going on. All we ever heard was her side through her whiny blog and PR stories of woe is me/Melissa is the devil.
She’s pulled down her blog so I can’t get the quotes I’d like, but I remember wondering if her house had a dirt floor. That’s how hard she was working the destitute angle.
I learned late in life not to depend on another to carry you through life after giving up my career to push the ex in his and raise my son. When I divorced his sorry cheating ass I was left with very little. Lost everything but my soul. At 50 started completey over from the bottom of the barrel and in 4 years got a grip, worked my fanny to the bone, got a new career and am happily making a salary that I can support myself. Anyone with drive, motivation, guts,determination and willingness can do it. Ya just gotta stop looking to suck off other people’s tit to do it.
Good for you, Val.
This chick gets $86,000/month($26,000 child support & $60,000 royalties) and she can’t afford to pay for health insurance? What does she spend her money on? She is just being greedy and vindictive.
If you can’t afford health insurance with that income, you need to get your priorities straight, period.