Nasty Divorce Splits the Coppolas and the Gettys
Peter Getty's is a made-for-tabloid divorce: The layabout scion to an oil fortune accused of beating his wife, a de facto Coppola, who now demands $539,201 per month spousal support. So ends the family at the "nexus of hipster Hollywood."
Jacqueline Getty, also known as Jacqui, accuses husband Peter of threatening to kill her at least once, of breaking her arm by striking it, and of choking her, according to Radar Online. Open Salon blogger (and sometime flack) Bonnie Russell hints that worse things happened during the marriage. And TMZ reports why these allegations are surfacing now: Jacqui wants $314,000 per month to support her lifestyle and an extra $200,000 per month on top of that.
And no wonder her lifestyle is so expensive: It reportedly includes a $1 million bed, parties that can cost $40,000 and a private plane to Hawaii several times per year. Jacqui had reportedly been getting $100,000 per month in spousal support and was unable to get by.
Who are these people? You may remember Peter Getty as the obnoxious and self-consciously privileged San Francisco columnist with whom we entered a very brief feud last year. You might also remember, from our Peter Getty field guide, that while the Gettys made their money in oil, Peter has experimented none-too-successfully with writing plays, being in a rock band and operating a record label. Also, acting and copywriting ads.
He and wife Jacqui, a stylist, had a home that functioned as a "crash pad" for a circle of pals that included Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Jason Schwartzman, Heather Graham and various Coppolas. Known for their annual Halloween party and Malibu summer rental, the couple were dubbed the "nexus of hipster Hollywood" by Harper's Bazaar.
They also had deep ties to the Coppolas. Those came via Jacqui, who was pregnant with the child of director Francis Coppola's oldest son Gio when Gio was killed in a boating accident. Francis took Jaccqui — maiden name Jacqui de La Fontaine — into his home and helped raise her daughter (his granddaughter) Gia, later part of Jacqui and Peter's family . (Gia features prominently in the Bazaar photo gallery of the family here, where she posed with Peter and Jacqui.)
So, as if the heavy airs of wealth and celebrity around this breakup weren't enough to bait the press, there's also the fact that Peter Getty stands accused of abusing the defacto god-daughter of the man who made The Godfather. That can't be a fun position.
(Top pic: Peter and Jacqui Getty, before the Golden Globes, 2006. Getty Images.)