David Justice Throws Shade at Ex Halle Berry

Just when you thought 2025 couldn’t get any more ridiculous, Halle Berry’s ex, former MLB player David Justice, is speaking out. He decided to grace us with his profound wisdom about why his marriage to Halle didn’t work out. Spoiler alert: it’s not what you’d expect from someone who’s had nearly three decades to reflect on their mistakes. Also from a sports pro who maybe, just maybe should’ve learned some PR maneuvering back in the day.

 

The “Midwest Values” Defense That Nobody Asked For

During his recent appearance on Matt Barnes’ All the Smoke podcast, Justice served up a steaming pile of outdated relationship advice that would make even your grandmother cringe. The 59-year-old former Atlanta Braves player essentially blamed Halle Berry for not being domestic enough, because apparently being a successful actress wasn’t quite the resume he was looking for in a wife.

She don’t cook, don’t clean, don’t really seem like motherly,

Justice proclaimed with all the self-awareness of a brick wall. Because nothing says “healthy relationship” like expecting your Oscar-winning wife to abandon her career dreams to perfect her casserole recipes, right?

Here’s a man who married one of the most talented actresses of her generation, and his biggest complaint is that she wasn’t channeling Betty Crocker vibes hard enough. It’s giving major “I married a racehorse and got upset when she wouldn’t pull a plow” energy.

 

Halle Berry and David Justice – When a Successful Career Becomes a Character Flaw

Justice’s revelation that their demanding careers played a role in their split might have been the closest thing to a reasonable point, if he hadn’t immediately followed it up with, yep, more backwards thinking.

We spent a lot of time apart because she was doing movies in this country, that country,

Justice further explained, as if Berry’s international film career was some kind of personal slight against him. Um, who wouldn’t like traveling to far away places?

The irony here is delicious. Justice was busy playing professional baseball – you know, that little hobby that requires traveling to different cities constantly – while simultaneously expecting his wife to be available for domestic duties at a moment’s notice. The math just isn’t mathing, David.

What’s particularly frustrating is his admission that therapy could have saved their marriage. “If we knew about therapy, we probably could have made it,” he said, which feels like the first genuinely mature thing to come out of his mouth during the entire interview. Too bad it took him 27 years to figure that out.

The Proposal That Should Have Been a Red Flag

Perhaps the most telling part of Justice’s confession was his admission about their engagement. Halle Berry apparently proposed to him after just five months of dating, and his response was essentially a shrug and an “okay, sure.” Not exactly the foundation for a lasting partnership.

Justice recalled, adding that he “didn’t want to make her feel bad.” Because nothing says “true love” like accepting a marriage proposal out of politeness. It’s like agreeing to buy a car because you don’t want to hurt the auto dealer’s feelings. Sheesh.

 

Halle Berry’s Actual Track Record vs. Justice’s Narrative

Here’s what makes Justice’s comments even more absurd: Halle Berry went on to become a devoted mother to two children, Nahla and Maceo-Robert. Turns out, she was plenty “motherly” – she just needed to find the right partner who wouldn’t judge her parenting potential based on her cooking skills.

Berry has been refreshingly honest about her relationship history, pushing back against the tired narrative that she “can’t keep a man.” As she told Drew Barrymore earlier this year:

Who’s to say I want to keep a man? I don’t want to keep the wrong man.

It’s a perspective that screams emotional maturity – something her first husband clearly lacked back in the ’90s.

The Real Issue That Nobody’s Talking About

What Justice’s podcast appearance really reveals isn’t Halle Berry’s supposed shortcomings as a wife, but rather his own inability to handle being married to someone more successful than him. Let’s be real – dating Halle Berry in the ’90s meant dating someone whose star was rapidly rising in Hollywood. For a lot of men, especially those with traditional mindsets, that can be intimidating.

Instead of celebrating his wife’s achievements and figuring out how to build a partnership that worked for both of their careers, Justice retreated into outdated gender role expectations. It’s the classic tale of a man who says he wants a successful woman until he actually has to deal with what that success looks like in practice.

The fact that he’s now 59 years old and still doesn’t seem to grasp why his approach was problematic is genuinely concerning. This isn’t youthful ignorance anymore – this is a grown man who’s had decades to evolve his thinking and unfortunately, chose differently.