Mel Gibson Spends $600k Per Month on Personal Expenses

The actor Mel Gibson, who raised millions of eyebrows in his recorded racist tirade last month, is now in a dispute over child support with his former partner, Oksana Grigorieva. According to court records, Gibson's attorneys claim that he spends $600,000 per month on personal expenses. They then use this number to justify Gibson only paying $6,000 per month in child support for the baby that he and Oksana had together.

Gibson's daughter is an 8-month old girl named Lucia. In his recorded outburst, Gibson told Grigorieva that he would take care of his child, even as he said that it would be her fault if she were "raped by a pack of n*ggers." In the court hearings, Gibson also told the judge that he needs his $7.2 million "slush fund" to support his lifestyle.

It's been difficult to determine whether or not Gibson actually has any money. On one hand, the film he financed, 'The Passion of the Christ,' grossed over $600 million world-wide. He owns an island in Fiji, and has been a solid real estate investor for years. (Notice for black folks: owning and investing is the way to get wealthy.) He also had no problem landing acting opportunities until recently. On the other hand, Gibson is recorded telling his girlfriend about his financial problems, largely rooted in a long list of obligations to others. "I don't have any f---ing money! I have to support you and everybody else!" Gibson said to Grigorieva during one of ther horrible phone conversations.

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Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Myth: Women are the only victims of domestic violence.

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Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Myth: Women are the only victims of domestic violence.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Fact: Although women make up the majority of victims of domestic violence, men are not to be excluded. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, men account for approximately 15% of the victims of reported abuse by an intimate partner. Men often fail to report the abuse because they fear no one will believe them or take them seriously. Children are also victims. In a national survey, 50 percent of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Myth: Domestic violence happens only in poor, uneducated, minority households.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Fact: There is no "typical victim" of domestic violence. It happens in ALL families and relationships. Regardless of age, class, religion, marital status or gender, anyone can be a victim of domestic violence. However, some statistics show that "minority" communities have higher rates of domestic violence. Approximately one in four women are victims of abuse.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Myth: Domestic violence is only physical abuse.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Fact: Domestic violence can come in the form of physical, emotional, psychological, and/or sexual abuse. According to Verbalabuse.com, name-calling is abusive because it says that you are BLANK, instead of a person. Batterers define their mates as objects. It isn't healthy to be in the same room with a person who defines you, and it is harmful to children who witness it. Physical abuse often begins with and is accompanied by verbal battering.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Myth: If a woman doesn't leave, it must not be so bad.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Fact: Leaving an abusive relationship is easier said than done. Women stay in abusive relationships for many reasons. The victim may:
-Be afraid of what the abuser may do if he finds out
-Have financial dependency on the abuser
-Be in love with the abuser
-Believe the abuse is her fault
-Have no other place to live
-Stay for the 'sake of the children'; the idea being that two parents are better than one.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Myth: Women who are abused often provoke it.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

Fact: Abuse is often learned -- more than half of children who witness abuse will go on to be abusers -- and an abuser chooses to abuse. No one deserves to be abused and the abuser is the only one to blame.

Domestic Violence Myths and Facts

I am not sure why the actress Whoopi Goldberg stepped out in Gibson's defense. On her show, 'The View,' Goldberg argued that she knows Gibson and his family and that he is not a bad person. Goldberg also defended film director Roman Polanski, who pleaded guilty to raping a 13-year old girl, and Ted Danson after he used black face in an acting skit. Perhaps being rich and famous automatically makes you a good person in the eyes of Goldberg.

Either way, it appears that Mel Gibson's life is a mess. I would say that I wish him the best, but that might not be the truth. Instead, I look forward to seeing how all this turns out, and I hope that Gibson can confront whatever demons cause him to think of blacks and Jews in a derogatory way -- and to skimp on supporting his child.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.