Halle Berry's Marriage History: A Look At Her Three Ex-Husbands

Love and marriage haven't always gone hand in hand for Halle Berry. The Oscar-winning actress has experienced some of Hollywood's most publicized romances, relationships that brought happiness and heartbreak... and a bit of controversy. At 60, she's preparing to walk down the aisle again, this time with musician Van Hunt, whom she's frequently celebrated as the partner she wishes she'd found much earlier in life. However, as she looks toward another wedding, one of her previous marriages has returned to the headlines under troubling circumstances.

Berry is currently embroiled in a contentious custody dispute with ex-husband Olivier Martinez, who has accused her of physically abusing their son, Maceo. She has denied the allegations, which have intensified an already difficult co-parenting relationship. The renewed attention on her personal life also brings her marital history back into focus. Berry has been married three times, to former baseball player David Justice, R&B singer Eric Benét, and actor Olivier Martinez. Each relationship unfolded under different circumstances, and the public conversation has continued long after the divorces were finalized.

Berry's first trip down the aisle came in January 1993, when she married former Atlanta Braves star David Justice. The pair had met the previous year, while Berry was establishing herself in Hollywood and Justice was already a prominent name in Major League Baseball. Their romance moved quickly, with Berry reportedly proposing after just five months of dating—or so said Justice. However, the marriage began unraveling within a few years. They separated in 1996 and finalized their divorce in 1997, though the reasons for their split would keep making headlines decades later.

In August 2025, Justice revisited their marriage during an appearance on All The Smoke, admitting that his expectations of a wife were heavily influenced by his traditional upbringing. "So, in my mind, I'm thinking a wife at that time should cook, clean, [be] traditional, you know?" he explained. Justice said he began questioning whether he wanted to raise children with Berry because she didn't fit his idea of a conventional homemaker. He also acknowledged that their demanding careers kept them apart and suggested that counseling might have helped them navigate their differences.

The comments drew criticism, particularly his suggestion that Berry didn't seem "motherly" enough. Although Justice attributed some of his thinking to youth and inexperience, his remarks revealed the expectations surrounding their marriage. Berry appeared to respond days later, sharing a playful Instagram post with Hunt captioned, "Phew…! cooking, cleaning and mothering." The actress has also pushed back against criticism, previously responding to someone who claimed she couldn't keep a man by asking, "Who says i wanna keep the wrong man? cuz....i don't."

A second chance at marriage brought R&B singer Eric Benét into Berry's life, along with a family dynamic she hadn't experienced before. The couple dated for approximately two years before marrying in January 2001, and Berry embraced her role as stepmother to Benét's daughter, India, whose mother had died years earlier. Their relationship initially seemed to offer the compatibility Berry felt had been missing from her first marriage. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, she reflected on how her divorce from David Justice had changed her expectations. "I understand better what I need and was able to choose a partner who was more compatible," she said.

However, their marriage encountered serious difficulties during one of the most celebrated periods of Berry's career. As she made history with her Academy Award win for Monster's Ball in 2002, she was privately dealing with Benét's infidelity. The singer sought treatment for what was publicly described as sex addiction, although he later denied having the condition. In a 2004 interview with ABC News, Benét acknowledged engaging in inappropriate relationships with other women. He also admitted that his behavior had betrayed his marriage. Berry initially tried to repair their relationship through counseling. However, the couple separated in October 2003. They finalized their divorce in January 2005.

The betrayal remained a painful subject for Berry, who has continued speaking about the lasting effects of infidelity. In 2026, she reflected on the experience while discussing Gayle King's account of being cheated on by her former husband. After Benét, Berry had long since moved on and entered a relationship with model Gabriel Aubry in 2005. The pair welcomed their daughter, Nahla, in 2008, but separated in 2010 without marrying. Her next trip down the aisle would be with French actor Olivier Martinez, although that relationship would eventually bring its own prolonged legal disputes.

A romance that began on a movie set eventually became Berry's third marriage, but its aftermath proved far more contentious than the relationship itself. She met French actor Olivier Martinez while filming Dark Tide in 2010, shortly after her split from Aubry. The two went public with their relationship later that year and married in France in July 2013. Berry was pregnant with their son, Maceo, at the time and welcomed him that October. However, by 2015, the marriage had deteriorated, and the couple announced their separation after just two years. In a joint statement, they said they would move forward with mutual respect while prioritizing their son.

Despite those intentions, the divorce became a lengthy legal ordeal. Although the marriage was legally dissolved in December 2016, unresolved custody and financial issues kept the proceedings active until 2023. Their eventual settlement established joint custody of Maceo and required Berry to pay Martinez $8,000 per month in child support. She also paid a percentage of her earnings, totaling more than $2 million. Even after the agreement, they continued to disagree over their son's care. The former couple returned to court in 2024 amid disputes over co-parenting therapy. Berry accused Martinez of failing to cooperate with arrangements intended to improve their parenting relationship.

Their conflict escalated considerably in October 2026, when Martinez obtained a temporary restraining order after accusing Berry of physically attacking and choking Maceo during a September confrontation. Berry has denied the allegations, arguing in subsequent filings that Martinez has misrepresented the incident and manipulated their son. Their dispute has also drawn in Berry's daughter, Nahla, who submitted a declaration defending her mother. Martinez seeks sole custody, while Berry wants to restore their previous arrangement.

Despite three divorces, Berry hasn't ruled out marriage. Her relationship with musician Van Hunt has given her another opportunity to consider that commitment, although her perspective has changed considerably since her first wedding. In a 2025 interview with Today, she explained that neither she nor Hunt needed to marry to validate their relationship. "I think we will get married just because, out of the people I've been married to, this is the person I should have married," she said.

Berry confirmed their engagement in February 2026, though the couple has yet to announce a wedding date. Whether or not they eventually exchange vows, her comments suggest she no longer feels compelled to pursue marriage. This time, it's a choice she's making on her own terms.