It’s been a few weeks since Madonna/Team Madonna leaked a bunch of crap about her custodial dispute with Guy Ritchie. The custody hearing is today in NYC, and I’m not even sure if everything will be settled today, or if we’ll find out what happened tomorrow or next week. It seems like the New York family court system probably has more pressing concerns than where a rich 15-year-old should live, but here we are. Us Weekly has put the drama on their cover this week, and their quotes come directly from Team Madge.
Madonna has a rebel son. Six weeks after a Manhattan Civil Supreme Court judge ordered Rocco to return home to New York, the 15-year-old is still bunking at dad Guy Ritchie’s London home. And in the new issue of Us Weekly, a source close to Ritchie, 47, says the teen plans to use his February 3 custody hearing in New York to explain when he wants to live in England long-term.
“It’s really horrible,” says a source close to the seven-time Grammy winner, 57. “She feels incredibly hurt.” Also, very, very angry. An insider says Madonna blames her ex-husband for her son’s decision. The pair’s strained marriage turning into an acrimonious uncoupling in late 2008. (Without a prenup, Madonna was forced to hand over $75 million of her fortune.) Nearly a decade later, claims the Madonna insider, Ritchie’s contempt for her is still raw.
“Madonna thinks Guy is turning her son against her,” says the insider, who claims Ritchie often disses the singer in front of Rocco. “He’s telling Rocco he should stay with him. It seems like he’s trying to brainwash the kid.”
Madonna also believes he’s tempting him with a rules-free lifestyle. While the former wild child has said she’s a “disciplinarian” with Rocco and her other kids Lourdes, 19, David, 10, and Mercy, 10, Ritchie isn’t a fan of structure.
“I am anti-school,” The Man From U.N.C.L.E. director told Details in 2011. “And I am anti people putting so much pressure on kids and robbing their childhood by giving them so much homework. I think if kids want to arse around, then they should.”
To that end, says a Madonna source, while Ritchie is homeschooling Rocco in London, he isn’t forcing him to study for his May high school qualification exams.
“Madonna wants him to do those exams,” says the source. “Madonna thinks Guy has pretty much told Rocco that if he wants out of education, he can quit now.” Which is why Madonna believes Rocco prefers life with Dad. Says the insider, “You can’t blame him for wanting to live with someone who will let him run wild.”
Interestingly enough, Madonna will not be in New York for the hearing. She’s currently in Taiwan for the Asian leg of her Rebel Heart tour. I’m assuming Madonna’s lawyers will be at the hearing. Plus, Rocco has his own lawyers, and I think Guy has his own lawyers too. I get that Madonna is the “disciplinarian” parent, but I don’t think she’s completely off-side to be so focused on Rocco’s education. He’s 15 years old, of course he doesn’t want to go to school. He wasn’t going to school when he was working on her tour, which was fine in her book because she hired private tutors/handlers for him and forced him to study. And I guess he’s not going to school now that he’s living full-time in London and Guy is “homeschooling” him. If I was on Madonna’s legal team, I would make that the issue: Guy can have custody of Rocco, but they have to adhere to Madonna’s education standards.
Update: Apparently, the hearing which was supposed to go down today was pushed back to March 2. Guy and Rocco are still in London today and as I said, Madonna is in Taiwan. So, the showdown will have to wait.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
The magazine did magic with this cover cause she looks amazing.
Further proof that this is all Team Madge propaganda. In case anyone had any doubt, just look at which parent is slandering their ex and dragging their child’s life through the media….Guy is clearly the better parent. God willing the Court sees it that way too so Rocco can have some hope at a normal, stable PRIVATE life away from her.
Wow! I didn’t know guy got 75 million of her. I guess that’s how he and his new wife is financing their weekdays in Mayfair and weekends in the Cotswolds lifestyle.
I thought he was from a rich family and didn’t have to go after her money. This really changes my perspective on that marriage. Madonna was stupid to marry that man. He gained a lot from that marriage.
I know.
She wanted him, she got him.
He’s hardly worth $75–seems like a d bag.
Hi mother is a baroness. They do have property etc
Women divorce n take $ from their husbands all the time but when a man does it we look down on him. We don’t know the whole story but hers. Madonna is a hypocrite, she’s in Taiwan, how would he be attending school? She’s full of it, let the kid be with his dad if that’s what makes him happy.
Maybe I’m wrong but a few articles claimed the 75 million was the cost of the property they had. I know they owned a massive country home with a horse farm attached and a large London home. Both of which Ritchie got.
I just googled it. The house was one Of many parts of the settlement.. It’s apparently the largest celebrity divorce settlement ever. Heather mills “only” got 24 mill, and she was branded a gold digger. Go figure!
Ritchie got money in addition to the estate and a pub worth several million.
It had more to do with just divvying up property, so she could keep what she wanted to keep. Without a prenup, I assume normal rules applied to dividing up property between spouses.
Yes Ashcombe house is worth about 15 million and she also had her Marylebone(sp?) which was a huge 10 bedroom home. It looks like he got both those homes and possibly what was included in those homes. I just saw an article that claimed she owned a Picasso.
Russel Brand didn’t take a penny from Katy perry yet he got blasted as a douchebag. I swear Guy Richie has a great publicity team.
It wasn’t simply property and assets, he also received a HUGE lump sum.
$75M is downplaying what he received.
At the time he bragged about receiving $90M.
Which included her two English mansions (townhouse in London as well as that country mansion that he keeps showing off), and the pub.
FYI, Guy’s family hold a Baronetcy, but they don’t have any near Madonna money or even his level of divorce settlement money.
People think that as he is a successful director, he must be loaded, but all that is Madonna money.
When they met, he had some money, but nothing to shout about, his film had come out to great success, but it wasn’t personally successful for him ie he wasn’t a millionaire.
During their time together, his films bombed, but he continued to draw a nice salary from the steady work.
And he was chuffed at the settlement. So much that he bragged about it to a magazine.
Post break up, he mostly makes studio films, which is where he is making proper money. And still, even with the best will in the world, he wouldn’t be as wealthy as he currently is, without Madonna’s divorce money. His films aren’t that successful and most of the money goes back to the studio, not his own pockets.
Like others have said here I always thought that 75 mill figure came from their splitting of their shared property and business portfolio they had (which included a pub and production company). He got the properties in the UK and she got to keep the ones they bought together in the US.
Technically it was Madonna who bought those properties. Guy massively improved his net worth during his marriage to Madonna.
She was stupid not to get a prenup, is what she was.
Well, women have been getting loads of money in divorces for years. It’s not like Madonna can’t afford it. And at Rocco’s age, he needs his father. You can’t force teenagers to do things, it’s developmentally appropriate to rebel as a teenager. So if she wants an ongoing relationship with him, she needs to back off and let him decide who to live with. Not controlling everything doesn’t seem to be her strong suit though.
She really seems to be strong arming him and we all know how well that works on a teenager.
This seems to be about power along with hating on Guy in public which again never goes well with teens
She needs to stand back let him cool down then wait for him to come home. Just text along with phone to let him know you’re their.
Teenagers are a hot mess at this age. He’s going to love/hate everyone. She’s his mother and weather he wants to admit it or not boys need their mom sooner or later.
I kinda agree with Madonna then, I’m surprised.
I feel bad for Madonna. What Guy is doing with their son is not right. On another note, Guy certainly became a household name because of her. And there is the issue of the $75 million he received. He also told all and sundry about what an old hag she is. He’s not nice and is an ungrateful jerk.
I agree with your assessment of Guy, but you’re giving Madonna way too much credit. Guy was a household name (at least in the UK and the rest of Europe) years before he hooked up with Madonna. He did not need her help to raise his profile as a filmmaker there, and his films were never going to catch on in the US anyway( too cerebral). In fact, it could actually be argued that she did harm where his profile as a filmmaker is concerned–anyone remember “Swept Away”?
This. I live in Europe and I can assure there was plenty of hype around him when Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels came out (i.e. before Madonna). It was quite a blockbuster where I live and there was almost a Tarantino-hype around him. And his Sherlock movies hasn’t done too badly either. As you point out, his only flop was the one he made with Madonna…
Some or you are really exaggerating Richie’s career
He’d made one or two movies when he met Madonna. He’s sure was on the up and up. he was a young film maker with hype but far from an established director. I live in the uk and he definetly wasn’t a “household name” before he got involved with Madonna.
It’s untrue that his only flop was the one with Madonna.Man from uncle was one of the biggest flops of 2015. Like Lak says his current wealth is because of Madonnas money.
According to Wiki The Man from Uncle grossed $110 mil (on a $75 mil budget). Again not too shabby, even though expectations probably was higher. My point is not to defend Guy but to point out that he has a career without Madonna’s help. As for his wealth, yes that is at least partly due to meeting Madonna.
Brainwashing is only OK when it’s YOUR brainwashing. That’s why she is “very, very angry.” Someone interfered with her military operation, I mean parenting.
Anybody with a typical 15 year old knows the LAST thing they want to do is play by your rules. And you can’t treat them like toddlers any more. They live to be with their friends and to do new, mostly terrifying things. Madonna should loosen her grip, not reel him in like a little kid. (And Guy should get him into school.)
This.
You don’t know her kid so you have no idea how she should parent him or how tight her grip should be. He could be getting into dangerous things for all we know. And that’s my point: we don’t. Stop acting like any of us do.
-TheRealPinky
I was an incredibly well behaved 15 year old by most standards – and the last thing I wanted was my mom micromanaging me.
If she said it was night, I’d have said it was day, just because I was a 15 year old jerk – like all 15 year olds. Even the best behaved kids just have asshole tendencies at that age.
Totally agree Erinn. And it’s easy to say what parents should do and harder to determine the exact path when you’re in it. There are plenty of wrong and right ways to handle parenting situations. Good parents are just doing the best they can for their kid and trying to think out both the short and long term. And even if you’re a good kid, you don’t really see that bigger picture.
So Guy Ritchie wants to be the cool dad by allowing his son to skip school. After all, he has Madonna’s money to spent in case he ends up a sock mogul.
We don’t really know that. The homeschooling could be just a stopgap until custody is approved by the court. He might want to be in a school, just not maybe the type of rich kids school he was in before. Maybe Guy and Madonna already sorted out such things and the lawyers will just confirm that to the court.
If you actually believe Guy is “homeschooling” him, I have a bridge to sell you.
@holmes, how do we really know that Madonna was actually having him tutored while on tour. He was suppose to be helping out with the tour. We actually only know what “sources” say and therefore should take everything BOTH of them say with a grain of salt.
I hate the attitude that school is unimportant and that kids should do what they want. My parents thought as long as you speak well, read widely and count you were fine. They didn’t believe in encouragement and filled our heads with so much nonsense, nothing is important, do what you feel like right now…. Of course what makes you happy right now can lead you down a path that will make you miserable in the future. At least he’ll have a huge trust fund to keep him comfortable.
#TeamRocco. If he wants a break from his narcissistic mother, he should be heard about it. IMO it’s not about him going to school or not. He didn’t go to school when Madonna brought him on her tour. She just wants to be in control and is furious that he’s had enough.
“Brainwashing the kids” by far the most typical accusation made when divorces happen.
So true.
Yup. Witnessed that first hand about 10 years ago, when a close friend’s daughter decided she’d rather live with Dad. My friend couldn’t comprehend her daughter’s rejection, so she rationalized the daughter MUST have been brainwashed by her ex. Sometimes it’s easier to believe that fantasy than confront that your kid simply doesn’t want to be with you.
Or to accept that they have a relationship with a person you don’t have one with. For some reason some adults can’t fathom a perspective other than their own and realize their kid doesn’t have the same history and issues with the ex.
Is this whole thing starting to sound like Kelly Rutherford’s saga? If either of them were putting their son first these covers and rumors would not be happening.
Madonna flew into England to meet with Rocco last week I think it was. I don’t know how much of the US Weekly is true and how much is made up, as they do. I have a feeling they will come to an agreement, at least temporarily for this school year, before court.
Let’s just remember Guy dropped out of high school at 15 and said in his case he didn’t need school and he thinks people who go film school don’t make good movies.
Holy cow! This must be her worst nightmare, then. Rocco’s going to turn into Guy! Kids! If only they would fulfill all your expectations. 😏
Yes, because film school educated Scorsese is such a shit director and Guy Richie makes great classic. This man has a major chip on his shoulder. Hes clearly insecure about his lack of formal education.
I like Ritchie’s movies–for the most part–but he seems like a real douche nozzle.
Not all people are made for school. I get it, he’s 16 but that doesn’t mean he needs to be in an actual school setting. I know MANY students who could have finished at the top of their class but dropped out. I allowed my own daughter to drop at 16 (she had a child but that had nothing to do with my decision). I weighed the pros and cons (I am a retired teacher and so have watched many teens falter or succeed in school). She went on to get her GED and went to school for Medical Coding and Billing. She is doing great. Did we have some rough years – yes. But I still think her dropping out and moving on was a better road for her.
This is clearly HER side and her side only. I’d like to hear Guy’s. Rocco is being raised by a narcissist that’s obsessed with her looks and is flaunting her relationships with inappropriately younger men. To me, Rocco wants to get off the hamster wheel and have a “normal” life in England with his father. The only angle Madonna seems to have is that Guy was quoted once talking about school and how he doesn’t value it. She’s got nothing.
Personally, I believe that a stable home is the most appropriate thing for a 15 year old ( I have one right now). Stable home being, routine. School everyday, sports, activities, being with siblings and parents, spending time with parents and friends. Not being dragged around the world for a concert. He should be with his peers learning how to create relationships and friendships with people his own age. Being on a team, eating dinner at home every night.
Not to knock a working mom, but she has young kids and millions of dollars. She’s 57. Knock it off. Give your kids stability, while they are young.
Madonna goes on tour every few years. There’s travelling for a few months every 3 to 4 years. I’m assuming they have a normal life otherwise. I wouldn’t say that’s an unstable home.
Well, then, it sounds like she was doing a good job. He attends a regular school, lives in the same home he’s lived in since he was a small boy, except when she tours every three to four years for around five months to six months with a few breaks, the bulk of it in the summer.
The last tour Lola was in during her teens, she toured with mom during the summer and went back home with dad and started school in the fall while Madonna finished the rest of her tour for the next few months.
The photo of him with all of his friends she invited out to their summer house over the summer showed he had a lot of great friendships with kids his own age from school I assume.
I get at his age he had no interest in the tour, like he did back four years ago, when he enjoyed it and being in the show, So probably he should have started out staying with Guy. And this is the first tour she didn’t tour in the summer for most of it, but started in the fall. But to act like this kid doesn’t have a stable life while growing up with Madonna doesn’t really make sense, since you seem to skip that he lives a stable and structured life in NYC most of the time.
What a mess!
Of course Guy is against school since he is also against working for your money.
His advice for his son would be ‘marry a rich old hag, get her money in the divorce and finance a new young wife and perfect family. And don’t forget to appear extra-masculine while doing it, that way people won’t call you a Jessica Biel.’
Although I am not a huge Madonna fan I value her contribution to music and breaking of barriers in the 80’s and 90’s. Bedtime Stories had gorgeous songs that peppered soundtrack of my life in Manhattan in 1994. I know this is a gossip site, yet when we repeat this misogynistic drivel of her being deemed an “old hag” we are actively perpetuating ageism. Plus, the equation of a ” young” wife representing a “perfect” wife/
family is hogwash. That being said, it must be cringe-worthy as a son to see mom reduced to running around with no pants at various events.
I’d love for Madonna to try for being LESS relevant. She’d look great softened up. I’d love to see her in gorgeous dresses a la Helen Mirren.
(She’s much younger, yet you get my drift)! She’s a bad ass b&tch and
she can slow her roll… she’s proven she can do it all.
@Deanna: She’s a bad ass b&tch and she can slow her roll… she’s proven she can do it all.
Seriously. Whenever she starts with her whole “B!tch! I’m Madonna! Rebel Heart did it first!” I’m reminded of Tywin Lannister’s quote about how any man who must say “I am the king” is no true king. Which is not to denigrate her astounding career. Just… Madonna, don’t let our ridiculous ageist society or Guy Douchebag get you so down that you have to posture so hard.
I understand why Rocco wants and needs to be with his dad now, she’s wrong to deny him that. Also wrong to confuse her divorce bitterness with Rocco’s needs. Then again, $75 million can buy a LOT of bitterness lol
Then she shouldn’t have married anybody, because when you divorce – the property and earnings during the marriage are split. She knew that. No surprises here. If you want to keep more of the property, you fork over more of the cash. That’s what she did. Guy had plenty of money, just not Madonna level money. He also was well established in his career when they met. How much does $70 million represent as a chunk of her net worth, anyway?
I have no idea how much she’s worth, $200 million or so? They’ve both done extremely well.
@db At last check, Madonna is currently worth over $800 million, and Guy Ritchie is worth around $150 million. So about half of his money came from her.
She really needs to be at that hearing. She is totally sending the wrong message by not making the hearing her number one priority.
I don’t buy this US article, because the Judge said the hearing was set for both parents to be there. So the article saying Guy nor Madonna will be there doesn’t make sense. The hearing was set for them to be there.
Although Madonna did fly into London last week to meet with Rocco. Maybe things will get ironed out about him staying there this school year.
Right? I can’t believe she’s skipping it. That speaks volumes.
She nor Guy are skipping it. Reading that made no sense to me because the hearing was specifically set by the judge to have all three come to it. He stated that Guy and Madonna and Rocco have to be there.
The hearing was moved to a different date.
She probably is locked into something that she can’t get out of.
A lot of this is “Madonna thinks” or “Madonna believes.” Just because she thinks or believes something doesn’t make it true. This is all very Madonna-sided.
It is. believing your husband is trying to ‘brainwash’ your son is always easier than accepting the fact that your teenage son wants his distance from you. hope they work it out.
“Madonna also believes he’s tempting him with a rules-free lifestyle.”
Now THIS statement I believe. Divorced Dads are notoriously permissive and never enforce anything like regular meal times, bed times, or study times because that would make them the ‘bad guy’. Madonna is right on this issue – the 15-year-old needs to study for his exams.
Rocco needs to stay in school and attend university…it’s either that or he’ll become a DJ, just like all the other uneducated celebrity kids.
Ummm my husband runs a FAR more stable household than his ex. We are constantly having to deal with her forgetting to pack things my stepson needs, not giving him time for homework, not having a bed time, no rules for entertainment time and appropriateness, etc. It’s really not as simple as divorced men are permissive.
I bet Mercy and David miss their big brother. David really idolized Rocco.
Here Rocco is taking them to school one day back in the end of 2014..
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/02/article-2741168-20FFE2F000000578-710_636x382.jpg
So after going public about her son’s penis on her Instagram (and the post was still up last time I looked) and other photos to embarrass her son possibly to prove a point that she’s hip with kids Rocco’s age and now continually taking this custody case to public and slamming not only Guy but Rocco too, maybe she’s doing a Kelly Rutherford and screwing herself over by bad mouthing so much in public.
Too bad. I thought she was smarter and more in control of herself. I guess she isn’t.
The more she and her sources take this publicly by dissing Guy as a father and Rocco as a lazy, irresponsible teenager, the more Rocco will be reminded what it’s like to live with her 24/7 with no escape.
I’m actually starting to feel bad for Madonna..
Me too. Didn’t think that was possible.
Guy Ritchie was, still is & will continue to be a narcissistic jerk. He contradicted himself during the divorce saying he had no use for her money & then pushed for the 75 million dollar settlement. I’m still puzzled at how its okay to call Heather Mills a golddigger when she went after Paul McCartneys money byt attack Madonna for not having a prenup….sexist much? Guy’s no different than Madonna & yet she’s the one that continues to get bashed on this & other gossip sites so I’m happy to see that some people are starting to feel bad for Madonna. I still can’t believe anyone thinks it’s okay to have an attitude that an education is not necessary or that a 15 year old shouldn’t have rules or structure. Too many are anti Madonna to realize that maybe Rocco is a spoiled brat that is manipulating both his parents here.
Yeah I had no idea until I read this thread that he got that much out of the divorce. I agree with you about the double-standard too.
I agree it’s a double standard. Frankly I don’t really believe that anything being leaked is the whole truth. I’ll believe it when court documents are released. My husband’s ex has lied to my face about her stance on parenting issues, even after she’s copied me on emails that contain her wishes. We really don’t know what is going on with education at Guy’s house, nor do we know the whole story of why Rocco wanted to leave the tour or how education was covered there.
I don’t understand all the hate either and the armchair psychology happening here and elsewhere.
I’ve never liked Guy Richie and frankly, I don’t care for his movies either.
Madonna must have been ignoring the signs for months/years for the situation to get this bad. The courts are now involved, lawyers, $$$. That is too bad for everyone. Why in the world Madonna and Guy did not sit down and discuss their son is beyond me. I imagine everyone is up on their high horse, NOT thinking about the kids, only themselves. All four children are suffer here.
There is never ONE person at fault. Both parents are involved, both are doing their best within their own limitations. But blaming and calling names and lashing out is not a way to teach your kids how to handle difficulties. Madonna, like both my parents, is a narcissist. She will never understand why everyone in the world does not see life the same way she does.. Narcissists believe THEIR world is THE world. If Madonna wants to say the sky is red, then we are idiots if say it is blue because HER sky IS red.
When will the New Mommy Dearest book be coming out? And by which kid?
Don’t have kids but a little curious….but 15 seems a little old for brainwashing
Not a Madonna fan at all but Lourdes seemed to have turned out reasonably well so maybe there is some method to her madness.
My take: Rocco doesn’t want to go to school. Mom makes him complete his lessons with his tutor. He’s bored and crabby, dad has no requirements as to classes, BOOM. Easy decision, for now. If that is what happened, it isn’t fair to her and I hope she wins in court.
If he was mistreated on tour, I take it all back, but I’ve always read that she is a strict but loving mom with high educational expectations of her children.
Rocco is supposed to be studying for his May high school qualification exams? Hasn’t he already been in high school for a few years?