7 Celebs Who Lost Custody Battles For Their Children

Living life in the spotlight can be challenging, especially when young children are involved. For famous moms and dads, the details of their lives as parents are often made public for everyone to know -- especially when things aren’t going well. Unfortunately, for some celebrities, they end up in situations that aren’t suitable for their little ones or get involved in a messy split with an ex. And because of the circumstances, they wind up losing custody of their kids, whether it’s temporarily or permanently. Thankfully, over time, many stars are able to remedy their relationship with their children but it doesn’t come without some ups and downs. Find out why these stars lost their custody battles… 1. Britney Spears Britney Spears has had a troubled history with the custody of the two sons she shares with ex Kevin Federline. After their split, Britney shared 50/50 custody of Sean and Jayden with Kevin, but that all changed in 2007. Amid personal struggles and erratic behavior, a judge uncovered Britney’s “habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol” and she officially lost custody of her children. After a stay in rehab, Britney continued to fight for her children and eventually temporarily regained 50/50 custody. But things took a turn when Britney refused to turn over one of her children to Kevin when her allotted time was up. After locking herself and Jayden in a bathroom at her home, authorities intervened and she was taken to a hospital. Since then, the boys have primarily been in the care of Kevin. In her book, The Woman In Me, Britney shared that despite ups and downs, over time, she was able to see her children more. In 2019, she was seeing them several nights a week for dinner. In the past several years, Britney has had more of a strained relationship with her sons but they are working towards reconciliation. In 2023, Kevin relocated them to Hawaii with Britney’s permission. “Britney has always faithfully supported her children and wants them to be happy,” a source told People. 2. Hayden Panettiere In 2018, Hayden Panettiere relinquished custody of her then-three-year-old daughter Kaya to her ex Wladimir Klitschko amid personal struggles. Looking back, Hayden says she was forced to sign paperwork giving Wladimir full custody, which she called the “most heartbreaking thing” she’s ever had to do in her life. At the time, she was under the impression that if she got better, she would be able to see her daughter again -- but Wladimir has taken the little girl to live in Europe and continues to retain full custody. “I was gonna go work on myself, I was gonna get better, and when I got better then things would change and she could come to me and I could have my time with her but that didn’t happen,” she shared on an episode of Red Table Talk. Hayden continued, “She was almost 3 and it wasn’t fully my decision. In fact, I didn't even know it was happening until she was already over there.” While Hayden does not have custody of her daughter she says they are in regular contact and are very similar to one another. 3. Kelly Rutherford Kelly Rutherford was embroiled in a custody battle with her ex Daniel Giersch for over a decade. When they split, their son Hermes was two, and Kelly was still pregnant with their daughter Helena. At the time, a judge awarded them 50/50 custody. Unfortunately, the situation changed after Daniel’s work visa was revoked, forcing him to return to Monaco. A judge eventually ruled that the children should primarily live with Daniel in Monaco while Kelly would be granted visitation -- but only if she moved there or traveled to the country to see them. She continued to fight for custody and was eventually granted a six-week visit with her children on U.S. soil -- but things took a turn at the end of the trip. Seeing her children upset to leave and out of desperation, she refused to send them back to Monaco. Her ex-husband accused her of abduction. California and New York courts refused to hear the custody trial, explaining that they did not have jurisdiction over the case. The children were court-ordered back on a plane to Monaco. Kelly eventually was forced to take a step back from the spotlight after spending nearly $2 million in legal fees and declaring bankruptcy. She relocated to Monaco and says she now has a great relationship with her children. 4. Sharon Stone After Sharon Stone and her ex-husband Phil Bronstein separated, they battled for custody of their son Roan. They were given joint custody but the little boy was initially moved to San Francisco with his father to attend school. In 2007, Sharon fought to modify the order so Roan could go to school in Los Angeles and be near his younger siblings but a judge ruled that living with his father was the best situation for him. “The court does not fin