As predicted, Bobby Flay and Stephanie March’s divorce has already gotten messy. We knew this was coming. Even as the rumors of their separation began to circulate last week, most media outlets noted all of the rumors about Flay’s wandering eye. Flay filed for divorce on Friday and over the weekend, there were the first moments of push-back from March’s camp. She’s being painted as a woman who has gone through some health struggles and is now taking care of an ailing mother. And even though March is famous for Law & Order: SVU, she really hasn’t worked much in the past five years or so. So even though there’s a prenup, March is looking to walk away with a nice settlement. But Flay isn’t playing. According to TMZ, they’re already fighting about money:
Bobby Flay’s estranged wife says the famous chef is a brute who’s using his fortune to bully her into an immoral settlement. Stephanie March has declared war on Bobby, who filed for divorce last week. Her lawyer fired off a letter to Bobby’s attorney, expressing outrage because the chef sent Stephanie a measly $5,000 check for monthly support. TMZ broke the story, they signed a prenup in 2005 which established support at $5k a month.
Stephanie’s lawyer returned the $5,000 check, along with some choice words — “We regard the support provisions of the pre-marital agreement as unenforceable (not to mention morally reprehensible).”
It gets worse. Stephanie’s lawyer says Bobby was “bullying through economic warfare” by cancelling the credit card she uses for household expenses, such as groceries and pet supplies. And there’s more. Her lawyer says Bobby’s trying to pressure her into issuing a joint press release saying the split is amicable. Her lawyer says that’s a lie, in no small part because Bobby’s demanding she sign a settlement agreement or else she can’t stay in the marital home with her sick mother.
Her lawyer ends by suggesting Bobby was unfaithful, but acknowledges he denies it. Her lawyer then says Bobby tried to sling mud by suggesting Stephanie had an affair, which she says is an absolute lie.
It’s smart of March’s camp to go to TMZ. For now, the New York-based outlets (Page Six, the NYDN) are still dutifully reporting whatever Flay’s publicist tells them. Like, a “source” went to Page Six yesterday and said, “Bobby is sad the situation has come to this and does not wish to add the unfortunate public airing of very private issues.” Of course, at the end of the day, all of the gossip outlets want to fan the flames. They want this to get messy. And it probably will get a lot worse. My gossip prediction? Some of Flay’s former employees are going to start telling their stories about what he’s like as a boss (with a staff full of young, attractive women).
As for the money stuff… I can sort of see the point of canceling the credit cards because she did sign the prenup back in the day. But now she wants the prenup nullified and she’s willing to wage this war in public. Flay has an empire and he could easily give her a generous settlement to make this all go away. That being said, I don’t really like “woe is Stephanie March” because she doesn’t believe she could live on $5000 a month. $5000 a month doesn’t go very far in NYC, granted, but I still don’t feel sorry for her.
Oh, and Flay told March that she has six months to move herself and her sick mother out of the apartment they shared in NYC. Now THAT is sympathetic.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
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