Fans defend Halle Berry after David Justice says he left because she "didn't cook or clean"

Fans are backing Halle Berry after new comments from her ex-husband David Justice . In a recent interview, Justice said he left the marriage because he wanted a “traditional” wife. He said he expected cooking, cleaning, and a strong maternal role. He also said counseling might have helped them stay together.

Berry and Justice married in 1993. They separated in 1996 and divorced in 1997. Their relationship was brief and highly public. Both were busy with work and spent long stretches apart. That distance came up in the interview as another strain on the marriage.

Justice described his views at the time as shaped by youth and limited relationship experience. He said he pictured a spouse who fit a narrow idea of home life. He added that if the two had tried therapy, the outcome might have been different.

The specific line that set off the backlash was simple and blunt. He said Berry “don’t cook, don’t clean, don’t really seem motherly.” Many readers felt that this reduced a complex marriage to chores and gender roles. The quote spread fast across social media feeds and comment sections.

Fans pushed back with equal clarity. They called the remark outdated. Many pointed to Berry’s long career, her parenting, and her public work on health and aging. The core message from supporters was direct. Household tasks do not define a partner or a parent.

Imagine expecting Halle Berry, the first Black Actress to earn $20m for a movie, The #1 most desirable woman in the world for decades, the first black woman to win an Oscar, to stay home to cook and clean. Men and audacity. https://t.co/jpMqPUZXDy

— NotBeyoncebutViolence (@ourhermitage) August 10, 2025

Others focused on the larger lesson that Justice himself raised. Therapy can help couples who are young, busy, or stuck in old patterns. Several posts said the admission mattered more than any single sound bite. That view did not erase the anger, but it added context to the debate.

There is also the question of timing. The story resurfaced decades after the split. Berry has not responded to these latest comments. She often avoids engaging with private history in public. That choice fits a pattern. She tends to move on, focus on work, and keep the message about well-being.

For many readers, the reaction shows how much public attitudes have changed. The idea that a wife must cook and clean to prove she is “motherly” feels dated. Today many couples share domestic work. Many also build families while both partners work full time. Fans said the comment ignored that reality.

If you as a man equate cooking and cleaning as being Motherly, then you want a slave, not a wife. Because a woman can still cook and clean and still make your life and the kids' miserable. Being a good wife or a mother has nothing to do with chores.

— NotBeyoncebutViolence (@ourhermitage) August 10, 2025

The interview also highlighted a real tension that many couples face. Fast engagements can skip hard talks about values and roles. Long-distance schedules can turn small gaps into big ones. Counseling can slow people down and force those talks. That was the quiet point inside a loud headline.

What happens next is simple. The clip will keep circulating. The anger will cool, then return the next time someone revisits the past. Berry may stay silent. Justice has said his views then were narrow and rooted in youth. That is a common story. It is also a reminder that private growth rarely fits into a viral quote.