Just when you thought Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston were getting along… or at least smoking pot together, which for them is getting along – turns out their custody fight is heating up. And how could it not, in the world of celebrities? I have yet to hear of anyone with a sane divorce when it involves kids. Scratch that, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis have been very cool to each other. But everyone else has been spitting mad and vengeful. Maybe this is de rigeur for a Hollywood divorce. Bobby Brown is claiming that since Whitney Houston has become daughter Bobbi Kristina’s sole support, she’s tried to cut Brown completely out of Bobbi’s life. He’s also claiming that he’s supported Whitney and Bobbi, even though by most printed accounts of court records, he has few assets.

“In newly released legal papers that were filed last month, Brown, 38, claims, ‘Since Whitney has been awarded sole legal and physical custody of Bobbi Kris, she has attempted to eliminate me from Bobbi Kris’ life.

“The former New Edition singer also states, ‘I did all I could to see my daughter … I also paid approximately $10,000 for Whitney and Bobbi Kris to live in a nice hotel while Whitney was going through rehab … I basically lived out of my car.’”

[From People]

That doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense. The last time Whitney was in rehab in March of 2005, the couple were still together. And if nothing else, they had homes. Why would Bobby be living in his car? I mean he’s an unusual guy, maybe he did it voluntarily or to martyr himself, but I can’t even guess why there’d be a logical reason for him to do so.

“Pointing an accusing finger at Houston, 44, Brown also says, ‘I have not seen or spoken to my daughter since early June and I have no prospect of speaking to her or seeing her anytime soon due to Whitney’s actions.’ In her declaration to the court, Houston claims that Brown has been ‘almost totally uninvolved in taking care of [Bobbi Kristina],’ and that she believes ‘Bobby is going to try to get child or spousal support from me … Bobby is fully capable of working and earning substantial sums of money if he would control her personal behavior.’

‘We have a daughter together and I would like him to be involved in her life,’ Houston says. ‘Frankly, I needed to be divorced from him so that I could get my life back on track.’ In May, Brown sued Houston for spousal support, child support and shared shared [sic] custody. Despite their legal problems, the couple were seen together earlier this month at Joe’s Crab Shack in Alpharetta, Ga., having dinner and even posing for pictures with fans, though Houston’s rep said the two were not about to reconcile.

[From People]

From the outside, it at least seems like Whitney’s make an attempt to clean up her life and get things back on track. I’m not saying she’s a model of health or wellness, but she seems like she’s got a better head on her shoulders, especially when she’s got her addictions under control. Bobby seems off his rocker to some extent no matter what. On his best day he’s referring to himself in the third person and hanging out with Karrine “Superhead” Steffans. Not exactly what you want your impressionable teenage daughter around. I think Bobby probably does want to see his daughter, but isn’t capable of understanding that he needs to behave in a more safe and rational manner to do so. He probably also wants a chunk of Whitney’s money and he could get that if he had joint custody of Bobbi Kristina. Ultimately, if he wants his situation to change, it’d probably serve him better to work on himself and his own issues for a bit and then come back to court.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Whitney with longtime friend Clive Davis at his 2007 Pre-Grammy Awards Party. Header image of Bobby at BET’s 25th Anniversary show with Lisa Ray. Images thanks to PR Photos.