Child support payments are based on income not celebrity. Because celebs tend to earn more than the average person, they have to pay more to support their kids. How much they pay depends on their net worth, and their capacity to increase that worth. For example, if they’re movie stars without any films lined up, their future wealth is estimated on their capacity to work. It’s not the same for television stars, whose income can be quantified and thus their child support is more precise.

Celebs earn a lot for their work, especially the household names on this list. Most of their monthly support payments are greater than the average income in America, which is $50,000. If this is upsetting, keep in mind that celebrity couples break up all the time, and in the wake of their split are the kids they share. The kids didn’t ask to be dragged into a messy breakup or divorce.

No matter how you feel about mom or dad (or the extravagant child support one of them pays), you’ve got to admit the kids are innocent bystanders. They didn’t ask to be born into the super privileged world of celebrity coupledom. Plus, just like most kids, they probably wish their parents would stay together. Does that mean they should earn more in a month than you do all year? According to the courts, it entitles them to just that. These 15 celebs had the best lawyers in town, but even they couldn’t fight the long-arm of child support enforcement.

15. Charlie Sheen $110,000

Charlie Sheen has one of the largest child support payments in Hollywood because he has two baby mamas, each with two of his kids (for a grand total of four tiger-blooded Sheens). He pays his ex-wives, Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller, $55,000 per month each. That’s a grand total of $110,000 per month or $1.320 million per year. Those kids, especially crazy Brooke Mueller’s kids, are going to need that much just to pay for their therapists.

Charlie Sheen, the winner with tiger’s blood, famously told 20/20, “I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available. If you do it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.” Except, Charlie’s ex-wives married him and had his kids, so arguably they tried Charlie Sheen and lived to tell about it.

14. Eddie Murphy $59,950

When Spice Girls alum, Melanie Brown (Mel B), claimed to be pregnant with Eddie Murphy’s eighth child, Murphy denied the claim. He wanted nothing to do with Brown, or her unborn child. At the time, he already had five kids with his ex-wife, and two more children from two other women. There’s no reports on how much he paid to his exes for child support, but when the paternity tests concluded he was Brown’s baby daddy, the courts ordered him to pay $59,950 per month.

Back in 2008, when the baby (Angel Iris) was just eleven months, Eddie had this to say about his non-existent relationship with the innocent child:

“I won’t see my daughter because Mel B tricked me into having a baby.”

Murphy may still have resentful feelings about baby Angel because in December of 2016, he took a Christmas photo with eight of his nine children. Guess who wasn’t in the picture? Angel Iris. However, Brown told The Guardian that she and Murphy have a better relationship now than they used to, and has said they have dinners together and that everything is “fine.”

13. Paul McCartney $70,000

Paul McCartney’s child support payments were decided in his divorce settlement. Compared to the other celebs on this list, you may think he got off easy. He only pays $70,000 per year, not per month as the others do. That’s less than $6,000 per month, which seems a bit low when you consider his estimated net worth is $1.24 billion.

So why does McCartney pay so much less? It could have something to do with the nearly $50 million he was ordered to pay ex-wife, Heather Mills, in their divorce settlement. Mills was also awarded $15 million in real estate, including a seaside condo and a large country home. Beyond his child support, McCartney also must pay his daughter’s private school tuition and for her nanny. Mills was unhappy with the ruling, and famously told People Magazine that her daughter, Beatrice, “is obviously meant to travel B class while her father travels A class.”

12. Mel Gibson $20,000

Mel Gibson was divorced in 2011 from his wife of 31-years, Robyn Denise Moore. Although the couple had seven children together, only one was young enough to be considered for child support. Gibson pays for their 12-year-old son, but court documents were sealed and his support payment isn’t on the record; however, the $425 million he paid to Moore is. He also must pay her half of what he earns for the rest of his life.

In regards to his next relationship, Gibson’s ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva was awarded $20,000 per month for the child they share. She was supposed to receive $750,000 in settlement money after she successfully sued him for domestic violence, but ultimately only was paid $250,000. Grigorieva violated a gag order and the remaining settlement funds were canceled. In case you’ve forgotten, Gibson famous called Grigorieva, “a filthy little c—ksucker,” and told her she looks, “like a f—king pig in heat,” and said that if she were to get raped by a pack of [expletives], it would be her own fault for looking like that.

11. Sean “P. Diddy” Combs $41,782

Diddy holds the record for the highest child support payment in New York State history. He pays his ex-girlfriend, former model Kim Porter, about $20,000 in monthly child support. At that time, he was paying his other baby mama only $5,000 per month. His ex, Misa Hylton-Brim, had her child support altered. The court increased her child support to be equal to Porter’s, result in the nearly $42,000 per month Diddy pays.

Diddy seems like he’s a good and caring father. Not only does he pay for his kid’s private school tuitions, health insurance, he also paid Porter’s legal fees. In court documents, it showed that Diddy also pays for his kid’s vacations, clothing, and other luxury items totaling $120,000 per year.

It should also be noted that Diddy has two life insurance policies, each for $2 million, and each one naming one of his kids as the beneficiaries. Even if something happens to Diddy, his kids will be taken care of.

10. Britney Spears $20,000

Kevin Federline is reportedly worth $6 million. He was a complete unknown before entering a very public relationship with Britney Spears. The two were relentlessly stalked by the paparazzi, and their marriage was short-lived. The marriage produced two sons, Sean and Jayden James Federline. After an explosive public meltdown, Spears lost physical custody of her sons and was ordered to pay Federline $20,000 a month in child support.

Spears also pays Federline $15,000 in spousal support each month. Now, you’re beginning to understand how someone, who’s only claim to fame is a famous relationship, is worth millions of dollars. He’s making bank off Spears. In total, Federline makes $420,000 per year because of Britney Spears and he stands to make many more millions before his children are 18-years-old.

Although Spears seems to spend a lot of time with her kids, her child support payments haven’t been eliminated or reduced. She also remains under conservatorship with her father and lawyer running her financial empire. Despite these things, Spears seems to be doing well – thriving even – during recent interviews and stage productions.

9. Nas $51,000

Who can blame Nas for struggling to pay $40,000 per month in child support? That’s a lot of money. Despite being way behind on spousal and child support payments to his ex-wife Kelis (the “Milkshake” singer), a judge increased his support amount to $51,000 per month based on additional monies he’d earned that year.

$51,000 is a ridiculous child support payment and amounts to more than $600,000 per year. In 2010, Nas was $299,015 behind on his payments (which were $10,000 less at that time), but he seems to be having an easier time making his payments as of late. He’s also responsible for paying his ex-wife’s legal and accounting expenses. Those expenses total more than $200,000.

Nas has another child, Destiny, with an ex-girlfriend. There’s no information on what he pays to support Destiny, but whatever the amount is, it can be added to the $51,000 per month he already pays. In regards to family, Nas may want to consider legal agreements, such as a pre-nuptial agreement, before getting seriously involved again.

8. 50 Cent $25,000

50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, has been very vocal about his disdain for paying child support. Over the years, he’s openly criticized the amount, his ex-wife, and he’s even upset the child, Marquise Jackson. Back in September 2016, 50 Cent posted a countdown to his son’s 18^th birthday on Instagram, but it wasn’t meant to be sweet or sentimental.

The countdown was meant to iconify the last time 50 Cent would be asked to pay $25,000 a month in child support for Marquise. Under the countdown, he wrote: “Man real life is gonna start Sooners than you think… Sad part is I wish you well, good #Shaniquagetsajob.” Shaniqua is 50’s ex to whom he pays child support.

Both Shaniqua and Marquise responded to the countdown. Shaniqua said 50 likes, “to pick on women and children.” Marquise said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make u proud! Just don’t forget to tell me happy birthday that day cause u missed a few.”

7. Mos Def $10,000

Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def, was married for ten years to Maria Yepes, but the marriage ended in 2006. At first, the judge asked that he pay $8,000 per month to care for his two children, Jauhara and Chandani Smith. Due to his various successes at that time, the child support was increased to $10,000 per month, but Mos Def couldn’t keep up (or perhaps didn’t want to).

Back in January 2016, Mos Def was deported from where he was living in South Africa. He was deported because he had outstanding warrants here in the United States for (you guessed it) unpaid child support. He is more than half a million dollars behind in child support payments, which means he hasn’t paid for either of his kids in years.

The reason Mos Def went to South Africa is because the USA doesn’t have a child support enforcement treaty with the country. That doesn’t matter now because he’s been extradited to US soil, and will be forced to pay what he owes to his ex.

6. Mick Jagger $25,000

Mick Jagger is a good dad. He’s got eight kids and pays a lot to care for them, including taking care of their mothers without any complaints. To his ex-wife, supermodel Luciana Morad, he pays $25,000 per month to support their child. He pays £14,000 per month for his youngest child, a kid he had with ballerina Melanie Hamrick.

He has children with five women, and each of the mothers seems well cared for. There are rarely complaints from Jagger’s exes. For Melanie Hamrick, he even threw in a multi-million-dollar mansion for her to live in. That’s on top of the child support he pays for. It’s also been reported that Jagger is a great grandfather, and spoils his grand-children despite not legally obligated to be so charitable.

Jagger can afford to be generous. He’s reportedly worth $350 million, so he’s got more than enough to share. Although none of his relationships have worked out, he’s still on good terms with his exes and hands-on with his children.

5. Russell Simmons $40,000

For his two daughters, Russell Simmons pays his ex-wife Kimora Lee-Simmons $40,000 per month. This is on top of the $60,000 he’s forced to pay for transportation for the girls (until they’re 16 and can drive themselves). He has to purchase a new car, valued at $60,000, every three years.

Simmons seems like a nice guy, but he must have some issues because he’s not allowed to have unsupervised visitation with his kids. He must be accompanied by both a security guard and a nanny whenever he’s with the girls, and he only gets to see them every eighth week. That’s a strange custody arrangement and hints at some underlying issues Simmons may have.

According to Simmons’ attorney, “Both sides reached this settlement amicably, and are looking forward to moving on with their lives.” Hard to believe that anyone could amicably agree to such limited visitation with their children, but that’s what both parties are asserting.

4. Halle Berry $16,000

For their daughter, Nahla, Halle Berry pays $16,000 per month to her ex-husband Gabriel Aubry. Halle Berry’s net worth is estimated to be about $70 million, so she can certainly afford those payments, but the circumstances under which she lost custody of her daughter are grim. Many people have accused Aubry of being a gold digger, trashing Berry in court so he can assume physical custody and use his ex as a meal ticket.

Berry argued in court that Aubry refused to work, and uses her support to avoid getting a job. Gabriel argued that he would have a job, working as a model, if Halle’s husband Olivier Martinez hadn’t beat him up. Although Martinez shouldn’t have assaulted Gabriel, there’s no noticeable damage to his face. It’s a stretch of the imagination to believe that Berry is keeping him from getting a job.

3. Ludacris $10,000

Ludacris is father to three kids, and is currently married to one of his baby mamas. To his first baby mama, an attorney he fathered a daughter with in late 2001, he pays $10,000 a month. To his other ex, Tamika Fuller, he was nearly ordered to pay $15,000 per month. This would have made Ludacris one of the higher child supports on this list, but he was granted custody of the child (a one-year-old daughter), and now it’s Fuller who pays him child support.

The courts ordered Fuller to pay Ludacris $2,000 per month in child support because he is the now the custodial parent of their young daughter. It was Fuller’s actions in child support court that caused her to lose custody of the child. Apparently, she was being extremely greedy which prompted the judge to rule her too unstable to properly care for the child.

Ludacris denied he could afford the $15,000 per month she was requesting, and the court could confirm that he didn’t make much money. His expenses exceeded his income that year, and he requested to pay his ex $1,800. Fuller scoffed at this amount, and the court ruled against her.

2. Brendan Fraser $75,000

Someone explain to me how Brendan Fraser can afford $75,000 per month in child support on top of the crazy alimony he pays. He hasn’t been a leading man in quite some time, and seems to get most of his money from guest appearances and voice acting work. It’s hard to believe the former leading man is the millionaire he once was.

Back in 2013, Fraser admitted to being in debt in excess of $900,000 due to excessively high spousal support payments he pays to ex-wife, Afton Fraser. He is ordered to pay her $900,000 in alimony per year, which seems a lot for a former A-lister who is now a D-list actor.

Unfortunately for Fraser, he’s yet to earn less than $3 million in a year. The only provision in their divorce settlement that allows a reduction in support payments states that he must make under that amount to get a reduction. It doesn’t matter that Fraser claims his debts are more than he earns, he still has to pay his child support payments.

1. Tom Cruise $33,000

Tom Cruise strikes me as a deadbeat dad. He’s rarely photographed with his daughter Suri, and it was reported in 2016 that he hadn’t seen her in 100 days. This doesn’t seem to bother the scientologist, nor does he think it’s a big deal that he didn’t see his daughter for the better part of a year.

During a court deposition (he is suing In Touch for breaking the story of his absenteeism), he told a lawyer that the situation “was impossible.” He said he talked to her frequently on the phone, and that despite his absenteeism, “Suri is a very happy child, and confident, and has a good sense of herself.”

Of all the ex-spouses on this list, Katie Holmes got the worst deal. Cruise is very rich. He’s reportedly worth more than $250 million, but Holmes signed an iron-clad prenup when she married him. Besides the $33,000 he pays per month in child support, she doesn’t receive anymore money.

Sources: Daily Mail; ABC News