Alimony Helped Kill Robin Williams

You already know that Robin Williams killed himself a few days ago. Hearing the news made me feel a little sick. Williams was a genius, a man I grew up watching as a child and teenager and studied as an adult for my own professional speaking. I hate hearing news like this.

-By Caleb Jones

You’re going to hear a lot about Robin Williams over the next few weeks, but there’s one key aspect about his death you may not hear a lot about.
His suicide was due to depression. True. He was a genius and geniuses like Williams often live very difficult lives. Also true. He probably suffered from bipolar disorder or something similar. Also true.

Given all of that, now I’m going to give you one of the biggest reasons for Williams’ depression:

It was alimony.

Sound crazy? As always, I will be as objective as possible in covering the facts, and you can make up your own mind. Let’s take this step by step.

Williams married his first wife in 1978. As usual with men, he did not demand a prenup. I’m sure he used the standard excuse many of you give me. “I don’t have any money, so I don’t need one.”

Then he became rich and famous. Oops. Now he needs a prenup. But oops, he’s already married, so it was too late. (See why not getting a prenup because you “don’t have any money” is stupid? Do you plan on NEVER having any money at any time in your future?)

As famous Alphas always do, he cheated. He gave herpes to one woman he cheated with, and she sued him. They settled out of court, which is a nice way of saying he had to pay her a shitload of money.

Then he started having sex with his nanny. Of course his wife didn’t like any of this, so she divorced his ass. Without a prenup, he was forced to pay her millions of dollars. He hints about how much money he lost and the pain he suffered during the divorce right here:

Should he have cheated? No.

Should he have gone around giving people herpes? No.

Should he have fucked his own family nanny who lived with him and his wife? No.

These are all reckless, high-risk, high-drama actions that will do nothing but cause trouble and chaos for you and everyone in your life. Cheating is bad and I’m completely opposed to it. Open/poly relationships are far superior to cheating because you can have sex with anyone you want without sneaking around like a thief in the night. Secretly cheating, hoping your wife/GF won’t find out, is wildly incongruent to what a man truly is.

Here me on this: I’m not defending Williams’ above actions.

That being said, as I’ve said many times before, women married to rich, famous, powerful Alpha males know god damn well that these men cheat. There is no surprise and these women need to expect this behavior from men like this, especially crazy Alphas like friggin’ Robin Williams. (I mean, Jesus lady, you married Robin Williams. What the fuck did you expect?)

Moving on, Williams married the nanny right after the divorce. Once again, he did not get a prenup. There’s no way to know what he was thinking of course, but having spoken to a multitude of men about this very issue, I’m reasonably confident he was thinking things like, “We don’t need it. She won’t do anything like that. We’re in love. She’s a good Catholic girl. She’s Not Like The Rest™.  She wants to be married forever. It’s what she’s always wanted. She hasn’t fucked a lot of other guys before me. She’s a Good Girl™. This will work. We don’t need a prenup.”

As everyone knows, Williams has always had trouble with drugs and alcohol. He was 20 years sober, into his second marriage, when he relapsed in 2008.

His wife’s response? She divorced his ass.

While Williams entered rehab and by all accounts has remained sober ever since, “the trust was broken,” says a close friend of the couple. “She’s hurt.” They quietly separated on Dec. 31 (she stayed in their San Francisco home with Cody; he moved to Marin County), but “the marriage,” says another pal, “has been over for a long time.”

Isn’t marriage wonderful?

Because he had no prenup, he had to pay out massive cash to a woman yet again. Total cost of both divorces? Around $27 million, which was pretty much everything he was worth. Never mind the fact that during his marriage he raised millions upon millions of dollars for charity in various ways through vehicles like Comic Relief, St Jude Children’s Hospital, the Red Cross, the USO, and several others. Nope, none of that matters. He’s the man, she’s the woman, so he must pay her millions, or he goes to prison.

Almost bankrupt, having no way to pay all these bills, he was forced to do television work, saying:

“The idea of having a steady job is appealing. I have two [other] choices: go on the road doing stand-up, or do small, independent movies working almost for scale [minimum union pay]. The movies are good, but a lot of times they don’t even have distribution. There are bills to pay. My life has downsized, in a good way. I’m selling the ranch up in Napa. I just can’t afford it anymore.”

The “appealing” part and the “in a good way” part were bullshit. He later admitted he didn’t want to take the job. He was forced to because of his financial condition.

When asked about all the money he lost in his divorces, he responded:

“Well, not all. Lost enough. Divorce is expensive. I used to joke they were going to call it ‘all the money,’ but they changed it to ‘alimony.’ It’s ripping your heart out through your wallet. Are things good with my exes? Yes.”

So he took the stupid television job, a new series called The Crazy Ones, which was quickly canceled. Then Williams was even more depressed, having no way out, and no way to pay his ridiculous alimony…

The actor recently confided to a family friend that he had “serious money troubles,” and was worried about his family’s financial security.

According to a family friend who had spoken to Williams recently, “All he could talk about were serious money troubles. There were clearly other issues going on and Robin sounded distant during the telephone conversation. Robin was known for being so generous to his friends and family during the height of his success, and would help anyone out that needed it.”

“There was also frustration that Robin expressed at having to take television and movie roles he didn’t want to take, but had to for the paycheck,” the source said.

Just a few weeks later, Robin Williams went to his bedroom, secured a belt between the door and the frame, and hanged himself.

Yes, the man had other issues, but look at the above facts and ask yourself if alimony had nothing whatsoever to do with his death.

Societal Programming destroys yet another great man.

And yes, we’ll all nod sadly and talk about how horrible it was he died, and how unfair and evil alimony is.

But will alimony be repealed?

No.

Will men start demanding prenuptial agreements more often?

No.

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39 Comments
  • Dawson Stone
    Posted at 07:40h, 14 August

    I agree with what you are saying but wow was he an idiot. I didn’t realize all that background info. That’s insane.

    Marrying the nanny? I mean come on! Because that worked out so well for Tiger Woods (someone else’s nanny).

    But since guys aren’t gonna get pre-nups (and those lose a lot of teeth once there are kids anyway) and since alimony (all the money…damn that’s funny) isn’t going away why do famous people keep getting married?

    The only freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy is about to get engaged…idiot!

    It is just a mystery to me.

  • Jonathan Silverman
    Posted at 08:36h, 14 August

    I was very saddened to hear of Robin William’s passing. Reading the financial blow-by-blow he suffered from exorbitant judgments makes me even more sad.

    I hope to take the lessons in this article to heart.

    RIP Robin Williams

  • Caleb Jones
    Posted at 09:42h, 14 August

    I agree with what you are saying but wow was he an idiot. I didn’t realize all that background info. That’s insane…It is just a mystery to me.

    Robin Williams, and men like him, aren’t idiots. They’re delusional. They think the laws of nature don’t apply to them.

    Even with high publicized divorce rates, and regular divorce stories like this, hundreds of thousands of extremely intelligent men get married without prenups every year.

    It’s a tragedy.

  • Jon
    Posted at 10:12h, 14 August

    I can understand being delusional the first time around. I was guilty of that too, but one of the important lessons I learned was that I’m not special; stats apply to me just like everyone else. Like Samuel Johnson said, “A second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.”

  • lifeofalovergirl
    Posted at 11:03h, 14 August

    Uh…if he didn’t catch on after the first or second time that he would have to pay alimony in the event of a divorce, then that is really not an excuse to blame “alimony”. It’s not like other people in the world don’t have financial troubles and not kill themselves either. There’s a lot more to it than that. I’m sorry to see him do that though. Its always a shock when someone takes their own life and there are always things people look back on to wonder how it could have been prevented.

  • Jack Outside the Box
    Posted at 11:28h, 14 August

    BD, he lived in California. What the fuck would a prenup do over there?

    Also, you forgot to mention that he married a third woman after the nanny! That’s a level of stupidity I can’t even fathom! He was still married to her on the day of his death. But guess what? They were sleeping in separate bedrooms, for some reason. There were rumors that they were getting divorced as well. That’s probably what killed him – the thought of having to pay a third set of alimony every month!

    I’m sorry, but he was a dumbass! I too am saddened that it had to come to this, but wow, what a moron!

  • Caleb Jones
    Posted at 11:55h, 14 August

    It’s not like other people in the world don’t have financial troubles and not kill themselves either. There’s a lot more to it than that.

    Allow me to repeat what I said in the article that you seem to have missed:

    Yes, the man had other issues, but look at the above facts and ask yourself if alimony had nothing whatsoever to do with his death.

    BD, he lived in California. What the fuck would a prenup do over there?

    Haha! Great point! Than guess what? As a California resident he should have never gotten legally married in the first place. He he wanted to get “married”, he should have had her sign a co-habitiation agreement and just moved in with her. (And temporarily moved her out a few years later to avoid common law marriage.)

    Also, you forgot to mention that he married a third woman after the nanny! That’s a level of stupidity I can’t even fathom! He was still married to her on the day of his death. But guess what? They were sleeping in separate bedrooms

    Yes! Insane!!!

    I’m sorry, but he was a dumbass!

    100% agree!

    My point is that millions of men make these same mistakes. And will keep on making them despite what happened to him.

  • ines
    Posted at 12:59h, 14 August

    I have a strong urge to throw garbage at his ex-wives. Blood-sucking vampires. If you quit your job then you don’t get paid anymore. If you quit your job as wife then you shouldn’t get paid anymore either.

    And I’m a woman!

  • Jack Outside the Box
    Posted at 13:33h, 14 August

    Nah, I doubt a cohabitation agreement in California would do anything more than a prenup. Also, even without common law marriage, if you live with a woman even for a little while, you may still be recognized as a “domestic partner” and have to pay palimony upon a break up (as distinguished from alimony after a common law marriage or official marriage/civil union). He should have either moved or just never moved in with anyone.

  • Lovergirl
    Posted at 14:08h, 14 August

    The latest news says he was in the beginning stages of Parkinson’s. Maybe that was why he killed himself.

  • ines
    Posted at 14:49h, 14 August

    Then he should have taken a rest, which he certainly deserved. Not signing on to a tv show with a grueling schedule. Or continue making movies as well. But the blood-sucking vampires don’t care about his well-being.

  • Jeff
    Posted at 14:58h, 14 August

    Not for a moment do I see how in the world he had money problems. Yes, divorce is expensive, yes it sucks to lose millions to ex wives, but no I do not believe he had money problems. Not only his his ranch up for sale worth 30 million (if he was having money problems THAT bad he should have listed it for like 10 – 15 million) but he also has FOUR movies coming out. he was also paid 165K per episode of his latest sitcom.

    Money problems? I’m not sure how.

  • Eldm
    Posted at 15:38h, 14 August

    The reason why the super successful males act so insane and irrational when it comes to marriage&love life is that they are crazy to begin with – one doesn’t get that successful without a having few screws loose in the head.

    So why be all surprised when these Hollywood types act completely looney tunes and get married without prenup?

    (Yes, most people are irrational – but I’d argue the SUPER successful ones are more insane and irrational than the average joe)

    Stefan Molyneux’s got a great breakdown of Robin William’s life leading up to his death:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diyuAXzN7yo&list=UUC3L8QaxqEGUiBC252GHy3w

  • maxsnafu
    Posted at 17:30h, 14 August

    I don’t understand your enthusiasm for prenups. Judges frequently invalidate them. The solution? Do NOT marry. EVER.

  • Steve
    Posted at 05:26h, 15 August

    You are 100% correct. I did read about his massive alimony debt situation online somewhere, before I read what you’ve written here. As a fellow INTJ, I endorse your logic in this matter as sound. Further, I’d like to point out that he LIVED with whatever his problems were for 63yrs of his life. What was the one thing that got worse throughout that time? HIS ALIMONY DEBT! Imagine making millions of dollars, being ultra famous, nearing retirement age, and hardly having any money in your pocket to show for it? Even only using my imagination, I’m horrified. RIP Robin Williams.

  • cecilhenry
    Posted at 06:09h, 15 August

    Stefan Molyneux did an outstanding analysis that should be heard everywhere.

    Why isn’t Stefan interviewed by the MSM.

    Oh yeah, they have an agenda and he doesnt fit in with it.

  • Thermals tort
    Posted at 07:07h, 15 August

    It’s very naive and emotionally immature to point to anything, other than the act of procreation, as the “cause” for someone’s death. Everyone is going to die, obviously, and there are many ways or can happen, obviously. But to point to this or that and place blame on it? That’s the humans way of dealing with it to lessen the blow on our egos, to deluding ourselves into thinking “things could have been different.”

  • Diggy
    Posted at 09:39h, 15 August

    Saddened as well… the stand up on Broadway was the most beautiful meeting of cocaine and genius Ive seen.

    A question. Does alimony automatically stop after death? No guarantee after death? Seems short sighted to drive a man this far and end your 10k plus a month payday. He could have left everything to his kids and left the women to look for work. Just a thought.

    I also agree with the statement that he didnt have money problems as much as spending problems. PUA had some strange reverberations in my life. I gave up on a life of money. House gone. Lexus and BMW, gone. I live a low key life. My overhead is around $800 a month. I earn 2-3 times that a month from my home with less than 5 hours a week. I still have the young GF. I eat some of the best foods on the planet…some home grown. I have friends. My home has the basics. I still enjoy my life…maybe more than ever. Now I just dont have the stress of lack of time and a high overhead. Robin Williams could have got off the train he was riding at any time. Money buys freedom! Either way…. He will be missed.

  • Caleb Jones
    Posted at 10:32h, 15 August

    Not for a moment do I see how in the world he had money problems.

    Watch the long version (1 hour) of Molyneux’s Robin Williams video where he talks about the famous comedian/actor from Canada, who had movies and TV shows, super rich, divorced, his income dropped, couldn’t pay the huge alimony anymore, asked the (female) judge to reduce it, and was told fuck you, pay up or go to prison, and now he can’t ever re-enter Canada again to see his own children.

    It’s a common misunderstanding to believe that just because someone makes millions of dollars it’s automatically impossible for them to have any major financial problems.

    Now if you want to say that Williams himself contributed to these financial problems, then of course I agree.

    I don’t understand your enthusiasm for prenups.

    I have no enthusiasm whatsoever for legal marriage, prenuped or otherwise.

    Judges frequently invalidate them.

    No they don’t. Successfully overturned prenups do occur but are the extreme exception to the rule. Even then, in the vast majority of these cases, it’s because of paperwork errors, or because the prenup was not enforceable as I always warn.

    The solution? Do NOT marry. EVER.

    You know I completely agree. The problem is this blog is for the manosphere public, and at least 95% of men in the manosphere are going to get married someday whether you or I like it or not. So me screaming NEVER GET MARRIED EVER would fall on deaf ears and waste my time. This is why my advice is always “Don’t get legally married. But if you can’t control yourself and you do anyway, then do it like this…”

    This “why do you tell guys to move in?” or “why do you tell guys to get a prenup?” thing is becoming a common complaint; I’ll have to make a blog post to clarify the difference between rendering ideal advice, and the reality of people actually taking that advice.

    Does alimony automatically stop after death?

    Yes, but most states require that you place a life insurance policy on yourself, with your ex as the beneficiary, for an amount equal or greater than your outstanding alimony balance. So alive or dead, Ms. Independent Ex Wife Who Doesn’t Need A Man will cash in one way or the other.

  • Richard Lawrence
    Posted at 03:22h, 17 August

    I agree that payments to his ex wives will have hurt but lets be honest here. Pre-Nups are for people who don’t really understand marriages are forever.

    That is what marriages are for.

    If you think you aren’t man enough for it then don’t do it.

  • It-Began-In-Africa
    Posted at 09:31h, 17 August

    Richard Lawrence, are you mad? I didn’t think so.

    So here is an idea. Start reading again slowly from the top of this article. If that’s too long or difficult, watch the video provided. And please comment AFTER you have done that, you poor sod.

  • Richard L
    Posted at 02:09h, 18 August

    I don’t need a pre-nup because alimony is practically unheard of in the UK, child support is more the thing and that is right and moral.

    I also didn’t need a pre-nup because I was lucky. We both were. 🙂

    I think pre-nups are essential for second marriages where there was a child born during the first, otherwise family members get stiffed in the the will if one parent dies. I’ve seen it happen too often.

    I guess what I’m saying is you can marry, stay married, stay monogamous, be happy, and not have a pre-nup as a safety net. Heck, we own everything together anyway. We started with nothing.

    People need to be realistic about who they are when they get together, who the other person is, and also how much they can really claim is their’s alone. Me? I have nothing that is just mine.

    But then really all anyone ever owns is their self, and if they are lucky in a marriage, one another.

  • Caleb Jones
    Posted at 13:22h, 18 August

    I don’t need a pre-nup because alimony is practically unheard of in the UK

    It’s very true that most (though not all) places in Europe are not as insane about alimony as the US. I can’t speak to the issue of communal property in Europe though (her “getting “half”), which is an additional danger for those men without prenups.

  • Marm
    Posted at 13:47h, 04 September

    Comment deleted for violation of Rule Number 3.

  • ouch
    Posted at 11:58h, 24 February

    Well, I’m a guy in California. No help for men here. I earned the money. Wife retired a couple years ago. 2 and a half years ago she is drunk and has sex with some lowlife. I forgive. We work it out. Life’s ok. Find out a yea and a half ago she had an affair with a homeless dude, in our house! Sorry, I could not forget this one. So I I have to move out, find out she went through over $350,000 on Meth. She did give me one thing: A nice case of herpes! She knew the gutter slime she was with had it. Did him anyway. So now I get to live in a downtown motel, all I can afford right now. She ruined our credit. I owe companies I never even heard of. So now I get to pay for her home, alimony (remember she retired). Wow! I love California! Equality for women! Unless of course it does not suit them at the moment. I just found out she may have given one gift as I was leaving. The homeless “new love of her life” just tested positive for HIV. So now I get to get tested once a month for 2 years to see if I have it. Did I mention we are 55 years old? Never saw this coming. She always told me I was the love of her life. She still does! Be careful young men. And remember: “Sometimes the F…ing you get is NOT worth the F…ing your getting”!
    God Bless you Robin and R.I.P,

  • j.denino57
    Posted at 20:25h, 09 March

    He committed suicide because he had Lewy Body dementia, he was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and he was given the wrong drugs for his condition. The drugs he was given also causes hallucinations and paranoia…..also his 3rd wife seemedxas though she wasn’t paying enough attention to him. But the brain disease he had was fatal. Maybe he thought he was a burden to everyone and decided to check out early. R.I.P.

  • Caleb Jones
    Posted at 21:44h, 09 March

    He committed suicide because he had Lewy Body dementia, he was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and he was given the wrong drugs for his condition. The drugs he was given also causes hallucinations and paranoia

    All of that is speculation reported by “unnamed sources.”

    If it were really true, Williams’ family would be suing those doctors for countless millions (because his 3rd wife and kids are fighting over his estate like little animals). Yet that never happened.

    Maybe it was a contributing factor, maybe it wasn’t, but what is not speculation is that he was suffering from anxiety and depression, much if not all of which was caused by his financial troubles.

  • j.denino57
    Posted at 21:36h, 11 March

    It’s in the autopsy report. Just google it. These brain diseases are only diagnosable by an Autopsy. It’s sad but true.

    Also, re the nanny, he said he didn’t cheat with her…it was the other woman that he gave herpes to who broke up his marriage. His 2nd wife actually helped him alot with his career….his movie career didn’t get going till after he was in “Good Morning Vietnam”…the 2nd wife actually helped him alot with his issues. He fell off the wagon when he was in Alaska making “The Big White” because he said he felt “alone and afraid.” He had issues like this becayse his parents ignored him most of the time abd he was alone. He even said in a Mork and Mindy episode (Mork meets Robin Williams) that being alone was the last thing he wanted. This was a recurring theme throughout his life…..
    I loved that man and i will miss him forever.

  • Caleb Jones
    Posted at 21:46h, 11 March

    I’ve already read all about the autopsy report. All it says is that he had LBD. The medical experts were very sure to say that they didn’t know if LBD contributed to William’s suicide. 1.4 million people have LBD and they don’t all kill themselves.

  • j.denino57
    Posted at 21:53h, 11 March

    Mork Meets Robin Williams (3.14):

  • j.denino57
    Posted at 22:00h, 11 March

    I’m not up for an argument, however, he had been dealing with this stuff for years….his physical illness could not be overcome. It’s basically fatal. He would never want to go out incapacitated like his friends Chris Reeve and Richard Pryor. I think he didnt want to be a burden on his kids and possibly his third wife….i really don’t know. None if us do. Also the drugs for parkinsons disease can make LBD much worse.

    I’m typing on my phone so I’m going to keep this short.

    Take it easy and peace out.

  • HarryBalls
    Posted at 18:37h, 18 June

    Why do they call it “No Fault Divorce” when they guy always loses, as if he were at fault, during the divorce proceedings, provided he has a reasonable income; if she marries and has kids with a total loser, then she walks away with what she entered the relationship with.

  • Yonatan
    Posted at 10:43h, 20 August

    It just goes back to the same ol adage, a marriage contract is essentially a contract saying that “You (My Beloved) and the Courts own my a** and can b*tt rape me any time you desire and ruin my life.”  And, you sign this document in ink in the name of LOVE..

    In a country that can take control of your bank account and award your hard earned cash and control when you are allowed to visit your own children, I Cannot see why in G-d’s Name you would ever submit yourself to their authority when you don’t have too.  Basically, the women of our society have special status and men have been viewed as pathetic, greedy, brutish, self-serving creatures that should not have the right to exist after they divorce.  The well-being of the precious, helpless and innocent female is the most important issue and even if that pathetic man has to live in a rat infested studio for the rest of her life, he better pay for his poor innocent little princess who now must fend for herself all alone in that big , mean cruel world.

    No, I will avoid marriage contracts.  I am taking much of Black Dragon’s advice on this topic to heart, although I knew for a long time already.

    Pre-Nups are also fairly useless in this day and age as others have stated..

    Loved Robin Williams as an actor, but like most Hollywood types, they are not always so bright with personal issues.

  • Badman
    Posted at 23:31h, 20 December

    Auto erotic asphyxiation.

  • Arthur
    Posted at 22:05h, 31 December

    Yikes, it’s weird to see how the mainstream media, and even Williams himself, tiptoe around the fact that alimony was killing him.

    It’s sad that I have to go to ‘forbidden’ blogs like this one to learn the truth.

  • Deborist Zenjamin
    Posted at 15:31h, 21 March

    I feel as if I am in a time warp, or all of you are! There is no longer alimony in California, has not been for years, since Ronald Reagan was Govenor of the golden state . He fixed it so his buddies would not have to pay alimony. We have spousal support, and you only can get lifetime spousal if you have had a long term marriage , and even then it’s difficult! There is so much more to this story, I can not imagine why Robin was in such a mess! And not all divorces are like this, my last divorce my X was fighting to take away my inheritance, my parents humble home, I had to buy back a large portion of it, and accept no spousal nothing nada, his parents were wealthy and were bank rolling his divorce, coming at me with two attorneys! But I’m glad I’m out, he was borderline personality disorder, molested as a child by a male babysitter, and never could get his head back on straight, the men need to stop whining as much as the women do!

  • Jacqueline
    Posted at 13:24h, 27 March

    Its rather convenient to come up with this story to once again villainize child support and alimony payments with a hearsay story of a dead person as an example, without any proof.

  • Jack Outside the Box
    Posted at 15:39h, 27 March

    @Jacqueline:

    Its rather convenient to come up with this story to once again villainize child support

    When was child support villainized, or even mentioned, in this article?

    and alimony payments

    Explain why alimony shouldn’t be villainized?

     without any proof.

    Did you even read the article?

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