Halle Berry’s Ex-Husband, David Justice, Divorced Her Because She Wasn’t “Motherly”

Actor Halle Berry's beauty is so captivating that there are dozens of rap songs about how fine she is. Throughout her career, she's rarely had to worry about being single, as she's been married three times and has two children from past romances with her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, and her former partner Gabriel Aubry.

Halle was also famously married to Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer David Justice from 1993-1996. Their high-profile marriage was one of the most famous athlete-actor pairings of the '90s, and David has even compared their marriage to Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe's. However, David filed for divorce from Halle in 1996, and it was finalized in 1997. Years later, he opened up about how her lack of "mothering" skills led to them parting ways.

Let's dive into the drama.

During an August 2025 interview on All the Smoke Podcast, David spoke about his and Halle's marriage with host Matt Barnes. In the interview, he admitted that while they didn't have any issues regarding infidelity or abuse, he discovered he didn't see a future with her once they were out of the "honeymoon phase."

"I'm looking at my mom and I'm a Midwest guy," David explained. "So in my mind I'm thinking a wife at that time should cook, clean [be] traditional, you know?"

The former athlete added that, as time went on, he realized he also didn't want to have children with her due to her non-traditional ways.

"Then I'm thinking, 'OK, if we have kids, is this the woman I want to have kids with and build a family with?' At that time, as a young guy — she don't cook, don't clean, don't really seem like motherly, and then we start having issues."

David, who went on to marry Rebecca Justice (nee Villalobos) in 2001 following his and Halle's divorce, further explained that, overall, they may have managed to work out their marriage if they were both in therapy when they were together. He also shared how, looking back, he now knows that Halle "really loved" him due to how angry she was that the marriage didn't work out.

Later in the interview, David added more comments regarding his experience with Halle, including how he reportedly paid for all of their expenses because she didn't have any money at the time.

He also explained to Matt that one issue he still has with his ex was how she allegedly let the public believe he was involved in an abusive relationship she endured before they got together. Halle has been open about an ex hitting her so hard that she suffered from hearing loss. The actor has never shared who the ex who assaulted her was, and David said he's never forgiven her for not clearing his name.

"One thing I didn't like is 'but she let you think that, right?" he explained. "She let the world think that. She didn't come out and say, 'Oh no, it wasn't David, but I'm not going to say who it was, but it wasn't wasn't him.' She let the world think that it was me. That I never appreciated with her. I thought she was dead wrong for that. I thought she could've handled it better."

Soon after David's interview, many of Halle's fans trolled him for bringing her name and their marriage up nearly 30 years after their divorce. The Losing Isaiah star also joined in on the troll fest on social media. In an Instagram post celebrating her 59th birthday by sharing snaps of her on a tropical vacation with her longtime boyfriend, Van Hunt. The photos included her looking fabulous as ever, along with a birthday card gifted to her by her kids, Nahla and Maceo-Robert.

To make the carousel even better, the social media maven's caption threw shade David's comments.

"Phew…! cooking, cleaning and mothering," she wrote.

Halle's message to David was quite clear and was appreciated by her fans, many of whom stated her ex's remarks were a sentiment to how he likely regrets ending their marriage all these years later. While we don't know if that's the case, the bombshell is living her best life with the two children she birthed in her 40s and a man who seems to adore her.