Here are some photos of Renee Zellweger at Thursday night’s premiere of Same Kind of Different As Me. Renee’s vibrant yellow dress is by her favorite designer, Carolina Herrera. I enjoy this, and I rarely enjoy yellow dresses. Renee pulls off the color though, and the vintage feel of the dress really works on her, like always. Some people are commenting on Renee’s face – the Daily Mail even put “remarkably line-free” in their headline. A few years ago, Renee did have some noticeable plastic surgery, and it really, really changed the way she looked. But after that, it was like her old face slowly started coming back over time. Do I think she’s “helped” that gradual process with fillers and Botox? Probably. Definitely. But I am happy that she looks like herself again.
Meanwhile did you know that Renee is still with Doyle Bramhall? She is. And apparently, she pays all of his bills?
Renée Zellweger has been supporting her boyfriend, Doyle Bramhall, financially. E! News obtained the court documents involved in the musician’s divorce from estranged wife Susannah Melvoin in which it’s revealed Zellweger has allowed Bramhall to live with her for free. Not to mention, the docs also state she’s been paying for his credit cards that have added up between $4,000 to $5,000 a month. The docs go on to state that the totaled expenses in 2015 added up to nearly $60,000.
Of course, this bodes the questions: Why does this matter and why did Zellweger get pulled into the divorce in the first place? Melvoin filed the information last year, noting she wants the judge to include the money Zellweger gives to Bramhall as a part of figuring out his owed child and spousal support.
According to the docs, Zellweger defended her boyfriend, stating that the credit card arrangement was agreed upon as a loan, and she expects repayment. Though she did say nothing was put on paper and Bramhall has yet to repay her, the musician asserted his understanding that he owes Zellweger the money. The judge ended up ruling that the actress’ contribution to Bramhall’s lifestyle should not be considered in what the musician pays in spousal and child support to his estranged wife. Zellweger and Bramhall have been together since 2012, following the musician’s separation in 2010. The former couple share two children together, India, 16, and Elle, 13.
My generation refers to this kind of man as a “scrub.” TLC really did teach my generation so much about men and relationships, you have no idea. Anyway, I have no problem with couples where the woman out-earns the man and all of that. There are many happy relationships and marriages where that happens. I’m irritated by the paying-off-the-cards thing mostly, because that says, to me, that she’s basically giving him an allowance. And that’s terrible. That’s like J-Lo and Casper Smart-level scrubbery. As for living together and Doyle not paying rent – that’s not a big deal whatsoever. It’s her house, she probably asked him to move in with her.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
This is the best she’s looked in years. Glad she stopped doing whatever it was she was doing before. It was a huge distraction in the Bridget Jones movie.
On the other hand, Renee, stop giving that dude money!
She does look great.
As for the BF money thing, that was her business until the court filing. If she wants to support her BF, let her. No one would blink if the situation involved a man supporting a woman.
Yeah, that’s how i feel about it.
I agree. She’s the primary breadwinner. No big deal to me.
Ditto. And who knows what he does to help her out in other ways? As long as she feels it’s fair and equitable.
She looks great = she finally started filling in her eyebrows again.
And while I personally couldn’t be with a partner that didn’t participate equally towards our household (percentage based on each persons income- assuming both partners are working full-time) I see nothing wrong with an older successful woman supporting her guy as long as she’s getting her $ worth in other ways lol
How is is possible that her face has “gone back to itself”. Seriously, she had an eye job that changed her look, and now she truly looks like her old self, even age appropriate and natural? That is a quality procedure, but I’m baffled. Regarding the dead beat dad, I think he’s just trying to get out of paying any kind of child support, and it appears Rene is either helping him to scheme, or she’s enabling him to earn absolutely nothing. This infuriates me- single parents should receive financial compensation, even if they have to wring it out of the donor.
She could have had a face lift with fillers and now it’s settled or worn off or both.
2017 – the year of Shameless Men. I’m so done.
And that’s a good color for her.
Would you call a woman whose credit card bills are payes by her boyfriend shameless as well?
She looks wonderful! Great dress.
Dump the guy.
I saw a trailer for the film and I felt so bad for her. It looks like that ‘Jennifer Garner’s daughter fell into a tree and found Jesus’ movie.
And what do we call a woman who expects their ex ‘ s new partner to pay her any money? Disgraceful to say the least
But doesn’t this set up affect child support payments, are they not based on keeping an equal standard of living for the kids when they are with either parent? So he is living that Hollywood life on Renee’s dime and the ex gets less because he has declared lower income that what he actually has? Legal types please chime in here.
in effect he is making an extra $60,000 a year that is now exempt from child support calculations because it is a “loan” that is not in writing anywhere.
That’s what my first instinct was – this is financial shenanigans due to his divorce/child support.
I too don’t take any issue with him living with her rent free (they’re a couple, not roommates) but her paying all his bills is a little sketchy. Hopefully he really does pay her back if she considers this a loan.
This is tough. Usually, child support is based on what you’re making or could be making (you can’t shirk), so if he’s choosing not to work and let Renee support him and he’s trying to avoid child support, then that sucks. But if he’s working and paying child support then I don’t think the fact that he has a rich gf should factor into this. Mind you, I’m biased because I’m the breadwinner who has to pay my ex a lot because he’s been in school for 8 years. I don’t want the kids to suffer and I pay all their expenses but at some point the support I’m paying doesn’t benefit my kids – it just allows my ex to stay in school and not work while I work like a dog. If, on top of that, I were to have to pay my ex more because my boyfriend can take me out to dinner or on vacation (he actually makes less than me but his kids are grown – that has a big impact on disposable income!), that would really seem unfair. But every situation is different because I’ve also seen rich exes screwing their kids because they want to hurt their ex, which sux and is wrong. It’s tough but the more I deal with my ex the less sympathetic I am to the idea that child support should be used to make sure that your ex’s life is as lavish as yours if the two of you had made different decisions/followed different paths.
But it’s not income it’s a gift.
@Squiggisbig a gift? I thought they called it a loan.
I don’t think the point here is that Renee financially supports the guy – really, who cares, it’s her money. The creepy vibe is from them calling it a loan, or many loans I guess, of $5000 a month. That is not a loan, that’s financial support. Which is fine. But declare it for what it is. If none of his legitimate income is spent on paying his bills, his board, etc, then he has a far greater disposable income available, one would think. New partners should definitely not be financially responsible for somebody else’s children, but he is, and if he is misrepresenting his financial circumstances for his gain and to the detriment of his children, then that is creepy. And worse than a scrub.
If his ex was receiving “loans” from a friend of $5000 a month, I wonder if he’d be pointing that out as a change in her financial circumstances?
This is avoiding paying child support, and it is shady as h.ll. When I was separated, my husband was never stingy and always made sure everything for our children was taken care of and all the bills because I decided to stay home. Nothing in our lifestyle changed, so I really have an issue with a parent, gender doesn’t matter, who would do something underhanded like this. To me, it speaks volumes about his lack of character.
Parents all over the world play by the rules because of their kids even if it is hard so what is up with this schlump?
This makes me think he DOES have a job, to the tune of 60k a year, and if he can rack up 5k/mo, he can pay some of that toward his parental obligation.
Leave Doyle Alone!
He’s a true blues musician and tours and travels all over.
He’s a well respected musician amongst his peers.
He’s not a druggie or party animal and having met him he is
a very genuine and kind human being! and truly loves Renee.
Who cares if she pays for most things??? She’s the millionaire.
Also, things weren’t very great with his ex-wife and their
relationship.
MYOB people.
My feelings precisely. Her money, her relationship, her business. If she’s happy, then that’s all that matters here.
She also wears the hell out of Herrera. They have one of the best ‘fashion’ relationships in the business.
Rumont, if he travels and tours, he makes money. He has children- must it all be on the active parent to pay for and care for while he claims to be “an artist”. This makes me ill-
hmm, I know that quite a few of my friends who are musicians can barely pay the rent, even when they “tour”. not getting paid enough for creative work is something people don’t like to talk about, so it keeps happening. you want/NEED to stay active and play concerts, but there are so many newcomers who will do it for much less money and, during their first years, simply for exposure. some of them will play for drinks, for free (!), or even pay for a slot, which shows how sick the system is. this is a Europe-wide phenomenon, btw. during a conference, a friend of mine had a presentation and asked whether performing had become something only the children of rich people can afford, as a ‘hobby’. that was very daring and painful, because it’s so true. the whole system is sick, yet MOST people play along because if you demand more, chances are bookers will tell you they can’t afford hosting you, which is usually BS. there is hardly any fairness in the music biz when it comes to payment. many of my colleagues have one other main job, especially the few who dared to have kids. just saying: it doesn’t mean anything specific if he’s “touring”, other than people obviously want to hear him play. but then I also don’t know what his tours look like. and maybe it’s also different (better) in the US. just my two cents.
Susannah the ex-wife was in Prince’s group The Revolution. Doyle has been pretty crappy regarding providing support for their 2 daughters and they have been going back and forth to court about it. Not sure what Zellweger sees in him honestly because she can definitely do better!
Really?? I thought Wendy (her twin sister) was in The Revolution and Susannah dated Prince? (Susannah is a singer songwrihter in her own right tho)
I thought both Melvoin sisters were in the Revolution?
That’s right it was the Wendy who was in The Revelation and Susannah did some of the writing for the group along with Prince.
True. But he and Susannah had a ton of debt between them. He does work and provide child support. But Renee has nothing to do with it and her income, and trying to bring her into it is not legal.
But I rolled my eyes a couple of years ago when I saw Susannah, who could go out and get a job, because her kids are in school, had a friend go on twitter asking Susannah’s friends and fans to contribute to an account on whatever that site is (it escapes me) to help Susannah and her kids out to stay in their home. Go get a job like many single mothers do. Some fans were very offended. I don’t think they got much.
@Jayna. You don’t think that caring for children IS a job??
Not when they’re at school for 6 hours a day @shlockofthenew, you can definitely fit in some part time work there. Hell, I run a company and raise 2 kids.
Susannah was in The Family. I think they had one minor hit, Screams of Passion. Wendy was in The Revolution. Their brother Jonathan was in Smashing Pumpkins and sadly overdosed a while back.
Meh, it’s her money.
Men have been paying for women for centuries.
If shes ok with it, carry on!!!
She looks fabulous btw. I want a Bridget Jones 4. I think Bridget Jone’s baby was my favorite of all the films!
Yes to this! Rich men have been supporting women FOREVER and no one says anything about it. Why are we even questioning what a capable, smart woman is doing with her money? It is her business. It is degrading to women to shame them for supporting a partner or spouse- regardless of the situation. She knows what she is doing and if she is happy that is all that matters.
Amen! Women are feminists until… lol 😂
Yup. I just paid for a weekend getaway with my BF. I dropped a LOT of money between dinners, tickets to beer fest, hotel etc. and I’m 100% fine with.
My BF is a paramedic and he’s in school and we typically go halfsies on most things but his student loan didn’t come through in time and he’s had to cut back on work hours due to school so money is tight for him.
And when we move in together he will pay what he pays now and I will cover the difference. I have no issue with it because I make a lot more money than he does. *shrugs*
This is kind of what you do when you love someone: you pick up the slack and you support them however you can–sometimes that means with cash.
And my BF brings so much to my life that is FAR more valuable to me than money so it’s no sweat off my back to pick up the tab sometimes.
Kitten, it’s been really sweet to watch as your relationship has progressed. Wishing you both a lot of happy times in your shared future. Plus, any paramedic has got to have skills that are without price.
When I met Mr Who, I made more and continued to for many years. Now he makes most of our income, freeing me up for essential Celebitchy time (actually, he likes his work so he wants to continue retire later than I did). Big deal. It doesn’t matter. As long as you pay your bills and save for the future, it doesn’t matter how it works. My only tip for couples is to structure the household to live on between 1 and 1.3 or 1.5 incomes, that way 1 person’s job loss doesn’t wipe you out (see Elizabeth Warren’s old work on what hurts middle-class families most). Don’t plan around 2 incomes. And you can get to this so many ways; it gives you more flexibility during employment too.
I love your post. It sounds like you have a good man you appreciate.
Ehh…I don’t know if that’s really a comparable situation because women weren’t given the social mobility to provide financial independence for themselves in previous centuries. Economics were a way of limiting and controlling women for several thousands years in many different societies. I agree that I don’t find this situation problematic because it involves consenting adults in a modern, relatively progressive culture, but saying “men have been paying for women for centuries” in reference to this particular scenario is false equivalence.
She is enabling him not paying proper support to his children. For shame.
x2
I feel like, so what if she pays his bills and pays his way? It’s kinda hard for a normal person to compete financially with a successful actor.
But if he’s in any way trying to short his children in the child support proceedings, then he’s a bitch.
If he is laying around at home, I would question it. But Doyle is a musician/songwriter/singer, and is he always out touring every year. He’s especially popular in the Austin area, I think. I know he put out some music a couple of years ago, but I’m sure it only sells to his core fans. So he works.
That is not what I would call a scrub. If there arrangement is that she’s the breadwinner and he’s the stay at home husband, than that’s their business. It’s none of our business. Although… he could still be a scrub.
In the past, back when I thought that man should be the provider and never the other way around, I would have been horrified. I grew up in a culture where the 1950s marriage roles were the norm.
However, since I realized I’m a feminist and try to live by the standards of equality of sexes, I stopped seeing a problem with women supporting men if they want to. Or men supporting women if they want to. Men and women should be able to do what they want, not what the society dictates.
If this arrangement works for Renee and her man – then it works for them.
I’m very sad we haven’t heard anything from Renee on the Weinstein issue. That could mean so many things. Or nothing. She’s not obligated to speak…but that Oscar campaign…sigh, I’ll leave it there.
You date a guy with kids the kids remain the priority, end of story. Oh and it’s a loan? 🙄
So agree with you Mia4s about Weinstein. I wrote the same thing in my comment below, then I read yours. Makes me wonder “what’s up with that??!!”
Can you clarify what you’re referring to here? Because if not, then please stop with the innuendo.
As much as I like Renee, I don’t think she will come out strongly against Weinstein. If we ever hear from her about this issue, she will likely release some sort of statement along the same lines as Streep and Lawrence. Renee is super private and secretive about a lot of things in her life, even when it is obvious such as her plastic surgery.
If their financial arrangement works for them and their relationship, so what? I make more than my partner of 13 years and pay more expenses, and it doesn’t cause a problem. He supports me in my career; I couldn’t do it without him.
Is the guy the one who should always pay for everything? No. If she doesn’t mind financially supporting him, there’s nothing wrong with it. She can afford it, $60,000 isn’t a lot of money for a millionaire like her to pay. It’s their relationship
You know, I have no problem with anyone’s financial arrangement as long as they’re happy with it. She has the money. She can spend it however she wants. And she positively glows in that color.
Whether she holds him to it or not, the credit card payments are listed as a loan with expectations of repayment, so it wouldn’t be counted as income. Haven’t seen where it says he is paying no child support but that she is seeking more due using RZ’s income as part of the financials for determining the amount. I’d also guess that for his gigs he has some salary/rate but also has to pay travel expenses upfront and gets reimbursed, so there could be slow income if he’s not submitting timely invoices. Seems the back and forth is due more to an acrimonious divorce than anything. Not like Dean McDermott where Doyle is regularly at risk of arrest/jail. And from what the public knows about RZ’s relationships, maybe Bradley Cooper aside, she doesn’t seem to be one to take endless crap; she cut Jim Carey and Kenny Chesney pretty quick.
I agree.
+2
Honestly it sounds like he’s skirting around paying the proper amount of child support by saying he’s dependent upond Renee. Sounds sketchy to me.
Otherwise it’s her $$!
And I’m glad she looks more like her old self.
I don’t think it does. He works. He’s goes out touring, but it’s smaller gigs. He’s not a rockstar. Like someone mentioned, he has upfront expenses also on tour to minus from his gross. But think of it this way. If he didn’t live free with his girlfriend, even more of his income would be eaten up by rent, and then the child support would be less.
She and Bramhall have been together for 5 years and live together. On what planet should he pay rent? They’re co-habitating, he’s not a roommate.
I think there are two issues:
1) Is it fine that she supports him? Yes, definitely.
2) Should her financial support factor into what percentage of his income he has “available” to provide child support? For example, if he earns $40K a year but is paying no rent or credit cards bills, would he be able to pay more? I think the common sense answer is yes, but I have no idea how courts normally approach this.
Wren33, agree on the first point, but on the second the fact that he doesn’t have many expenditures due to RZ doesn’t actually change his income. My understanding is that child support payments are strictly tied to income.
I just came on here because this was a non HW or female assault post. But now I want to say, “her face looks great”! I didn’t think there was any coming back from what she did but she looks recognizable again (a tad like SJP now though which I don’t recall before 🤔…). I hope she leaves her face alone now.
So what? If she chooses to pay for him that makes her no less of a woman and him no less of a man.
Let’s not project onto the situation just to start unneeded drama.
Because by judging him you are basically saying Renee’s dumb for doing what she wants for her money.
She looks a little better and more recognizable than she was during the time she denied having any work done to her face.
On a diff note: RZ has not spoken out about Weinstein. She has been pictured with him so many times as well as worked on his films. Makes me wonder if there’s something there…..
Me too. I went through Miramax’s films and she was in a lot! All the Bridget Jones, and Cold Mountain she won and Chicago nominiated, Miss Potter, Cinderella Man and then poof she disappeared!
Why is it when a man pays for everything nobody says a thing but when a woman pays the man is a loser/scrub? I think it’s shady that the ex is trying to get Renee’ s money. Maybe if they were married it would be different.
It’s his money, a gift given to him by Renee. He’s being given an extra (minimum) $60,000.00 per year just for credit card bills, who knows how much more he’s having taken care of by her. That frees up a lot of money that should go to helping the quality of his kid’s life. It sounds to me like he doesn’t want to pay her anything, so he’s doing as little as possible for his old family while living the dream.
For the record, I don’t think she deserves Renee’s money any more than Brandi deserved Leanne’s money through Ediot, but there is no denying these men have a lot of income at their disposal and financial freedom they are deliberately keeping from their kids to spite the ex.
Oh man a Bramhall thread makes me miss Kiddo so much….
Oh, Kiddo! Such a funny and wise poster. Along with others who no longer check in here, like GoodNames, for example. Sigh. Glad you’re still here, K!
+1
My husband is the bread winner and pays most of our bills, however I cover some other item’s we share, like groceries, cell phone bill and health insurance via my job. With him covering our mortgage and a lot of the bigger stuff, I try to pull my weight and make sure we support each other financially and just relationship wise. He does NOT pay my credit cards though! My shopping/purchases = my responsibility. This doesn’t sound like a fair balance where she makes more but they both pull their weight…. it sounds like he was getting an allowance and was a kept dude. Which is cool if she’s cool with it but call it like it is man. I don’t care if you’re a man or woman, you’re kept!
We have a bad tendency to consider contributions to a relationship to be purely financial. If somebody is taking care of the home and any potential children, that is absolutely a form of labor, just relegated to the unpaid domestic sphere. Where I think this situation is tricky is that he’s racking up bills that exceed his current income (whether it’s tour or divorce costs, I have no idea). Being a kept man would be fine if it’s consensual on the part of both partners, but he does have children that are relying on his income. If this is a rough period and he’s getting back on his feet, I don’t have a major problem with it, but if his costs are a result of him chasing after a career that hurting him financially rather than supporting him, then he needs to consider what’s best for his family in the long run.
@JA— Whether you realize it or not your husband is paying your credit card bills. If you had to contribute 50% you’d have far less money to shop with. It doesn’t really matter – it’s joint money for a family who pools their resources. But it seems silly to me that you make the distinction that you alone are paying for your shopping sprees. You clearly don’t “pull your [own]weight”, and you don’t have to, but don’t delude yourself. I’m happy to say that my hubs pays most of our bills, including my credit cards, and I kick in my salary, etc:, but I sure don’t claim I’m paying my way. I’m a member of a family who shares it all.
How does he have that much a month in credit cards? Traveling with Renee?
Shady the ex is trying to go after the lifestyle.
I stand to inherit a good chunk of change and I see what women are saying above, when I’ve gotten close to men, they expect a free ride. But not all men are like that. It’s probably hard for Renee to find someone suitable in her tax bracket. If this is her arrangement and she’ s happy, it is 2017 folks.
I’m definitely okay with their arrangement…example in Jessica Simpson and her man…she brings in boatloads of cash and has much more more earning capacity than he ever will…is is so awful that his main “job” seems to be spending time and attention on her and their two kids?? As the wife of a workaholic that doesn’t sound so horrible to me lol. Renee has always been realitively low key and seems to have a great head on her shoulders, I imagine she knows what she’s doing with Doyle. That said, Doyle should also be paying to raise his two children without any complaints but I don’t see how Renee’s income should be a determining factor in that.
She looks happy. Of all the celebrities I’ve ever met – she is the warmest. I was an actor once upon a time and was in Chicago. I had a large tattoo that needed covering and had to share her personal makeup artist as he was the only one on set who could cover it. She was kind, warm, funny, irreverent, and offered to take my dogs for a walk!! she (like me) has been unlucky in love. I choose to walk solo these days – but power to her if this guy makes her happy. She deserves it.
Awwww! I like her so I’m glad you have a nice story.
She seems like one of the more intelligent down-to-earth A-list stars in Hollywood, and that might be part of the reason why she left the H-wood scene for a while. Given what we are learning about the men in the entertainment business – Weinstein, Affleck, Damon, and many others – it was probably smart of her not to get seriously involved with the men she worked alongside with and choose to date a man like Doyle who isn’t as rich but probably treats her the way she deserves. She has plenty of money to live well for the rest of her life. I think her focus should be on being with someone who treats her with respect and kindness, not his bank account.
I always felt so bad for RZ in regards to Sims Ellison’s suicide. It happened not long after they broke up and I think she carried guilt about it for a long time. I love her in that yellow dress.
Totally shallow comment here … but she was on Colbert (I think it was his show?) on Wednesday night and she looked TERRIBLE … bad make up, weird filler cheeks, barely made eye contact and her hair was a greasy mess.
I haven’t understood her dirty looking hair for the last couple of years. She used to have great dye jobs and very shiny hair and nice cuts as far as shape to her hair.
I actually don’t have a problem with this. She isn’t a regular Jane making $50,000 a year and having to support a guy who doesn’t work or pay rent for her $1,500/month apartment in the city. I would tell a regular Jane to dump a guy who is smooching off of her limited hard earned cash. Renee isn’t making $50,000 a year. She is a multimillionaire. Just as there usually isn’t a problem when a rich man takes care of his girlfriend who doesn’t have as much money, I see no problem with Renee wanting to gift her boyfriend with a free place to stay in her home and a credit card if she loves him and has the means to do so. As long as she’s not a complete sucker and follows her attorney’s advice when it comes to a prenup if they ever get married, she’ll be fine.
If he’s going through a rough financial period and will eventually get back on his feet and pay dues as required, I am fine with it. You should be able to rely on your partner financially when you go through difficult times.
We can’t have it both ways, ladies.
Lots of men support women all the time.
I say her business. Good for her.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if they break up and he sues Renee for support(palimony)?
I never felt those photos everyone talked about in regard to plastic surgery looked convincing. If you really compared those photos to her old photos it really looked similar with the same eyelid and squinty eyes. It looked like camera angles and Botox, if you ask me.
As for her supporting the bf, it’s fine by me. I support my own bf and he stays home to raise our child and runs the household. It’s great having a stay at home man, especially one who is handy around the house. Oh and he cooks too!
I think she’s definitely had work done around the eyes, but that may have been as much for health reasons (strongly hooded eyes can affect eye sight in later years) than anything else.
No it wasn’t angles and botox lol. The problem with the work is it changed her face too much and should have been subtle.
Supporting her boyfriend is her call and couples make these decisions all the time. *shrug*
So is he paying regular child support or is he in arrears? Not sure if I missed it in the blurb or if it was unclear.
It really isn’t anyone’s business if Renee is supporting him, however if he is racking up credit card bills & living high on the hog (even on someone else’s dime) all while not providing for his kids…….that is just gross.
“The judge ended up ruling that the actress’ contribution to Bramhall’s lifestyle should not be considered in what the musician pays in spousal and child support to his estranged wife. ”
Gee- ya think? I can’t believe such a thing actually had to make it to a judge to being with.
This just reminds of how silly and ridiculous it looks when people pose. I think beauty should be captured in natural, candid moments. This red carpet posing, (some of which looks actually quite uncomfortable), just makes me giggle. So contrived.
But yeah, I’m glad she’s stopped with her face. It was so perfect and adorable before she got ‘refreshed’.
Well, she looks reminiscent of herself. I’ll say that but no more.