Brody Dalle speaks out on child custody battle with Josh Homme

Content warning: This story contains discussion and descriptions of alleged domestic violence.

Brody Dalle has spoken out about her tumultuous child custody battle with Josh Homme in a series of new Instagram posts.

The two separated in 2019 following 14 years of marriage. In September 2021, Dalle filed temporary domestic violence restraining orders against Homme on behalf of their two sons, claiming they were scared he was going to hurt them.

In the filing, it was claimed that the Queens Of The Stone Age frontman “abuses them physically and emotionally” and had been discovered as drinking and driving.

Two months after the restraining orders were filed, Dalle was found guilty of “wilfully” failing to hand her five-year-old son over to Homme as part of an agreed custody deal, and two of their older children were discovered to have not visited him based on their own accord. The Distillers singer was sentenced to community service and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

The two later went to court at the beginning of 2022, and Dalle testified against her ex-husband, claiming that he “terrified” her, said he’d “been thinking about wanting to kill” her and head-butted her so hard that she “saw stars”.

In March 2022, however, a court granted Homme sole legal custody of their three children for nearly two years. Additionally, Homme shared a rare statement on the situation,  confirming that Dalle is not allowed to contact the Homme family, including Josh, his parents and the former couple’s three children.

Now, Dalle has shared her side of the story on her Instagram, and insinuated that her claims were found to be false due to “money”, “greed” and “corruption”.

The singer shared two posts on the page, each containing a photograph of her and her children, with a caption sharing her perspective on the custody battle.

“In February 2022 after an eight day trial, I was granted a three year domestic violence restraining order. You didn’t hear about it because I didn’t go to the press, I didn’t parade it around, tooting it from some triumphant horn” she began.

Brody Dalle speaks up against Josh Homme in an Instagram post. pic.twitter.com/QQD8M8v3hr

— YCH (@yogach_) July 18, 2023

“Three weeks later, they took one of my kids. A month after that, under temporary guise they took my other two. Textbook to a T. They built an Everest of lies with no evidence….why??…why would they do that ??? because money, greed, corruption, and winning at all costs is the name of the game.”

She also proceeded to claim that she has been “shoved center stage, punished, pointed at, lied about, laughed at, ridiculed, shamed, berated and made an example of” throughout the course of the court battle, and a victim of “smoke and mirrors” created by PRs.

“My story is not unique and it is not rare, it is happening to protective mothers (and some protective fathers) everywhere,” she added. “If you have never been accused of the quack debunked, looney and extremely dangerous claim of parental alienation and with zero evidence because there was none…..please, hold your tongue, you have no idea.”

In her other post, she argued that the “script” to remove her children from her starter “years ago” before she met her partner Gunner Foxx and that was “not to blame for any of it” – and that she “knew about Foxx signing for a restraining order on behalf of her child without her present. She also continued to describe the emotional aftermath she went through both during and after the legal battle.

“This is punishment, for reporting what [the children] said, trying to protect,” she wrote. “I tried to make it stop for a year and a half, until they refused.to.go. Testified. Begged. Pleaded. Sobbed. What would you do? Everything, anything I bet.”

“I’m fucking broken. This has shattered me into a thousand pieces. For a long time, I couldn’t get out of bed. I contemplated what the point of going on was. I’ve been filled with so much pain and fear for so long,” she added. “No one can sustain that state. No one should ever. I let it go. I released it. I found the ladder of light. Get the fuck up and fight for your life. For them. Always.”

Josh Homme still currently maintains custody over their three children. In his statement earlier this year, Homme wrote of how he had “refrained from making public statements about his family to the media”.

“In light of the continued falsehoods, the repeated invasions of the children’s privacy and the resulting emotional harm, it is time that the truth be told,” a statement on his behalf read at the time. “Our hope is that this will end the enquiries and speculation and provide the family the privacy and consideration they deserve.”

It added: “For more than a year after the conclusion of their divorce proceedings, Joshua Homme and Brody Dalle were able to amicably co-parent their three children in a healthy and functional way. The situation took a dark turn when Dalle violated the 50/50 custody agreement by withholding the children from seeing their father. Despite multiple orders by the Los Angeles Family Court to return the children, as well as being found in contempt of court, Dalle continued to violate the custody agreement. The situation was exacerbated by the inappropriate actions of her boyfriend Gunner Foxx.”

Claiming the granting of a new restraining order against Dalle, the statement said: “Recent actions by Brody Dalle and Gunner Foxx have not only caused the children emotional harm, but have also put them in great danger.”

“In August of 2022, Joshua Homme and his two sons were granted a restraining order protecting them from Gunner Foxx, preventing him from making any contact with them whatsoever for a period of five years. Foxx’s requests for a restraining order against Homme were denied by two separate courts.”

The statement added: “It was reported that Homme’s daughter filed a restraining order against him. This was also filed by Gunner Foxx who took the minor child to court without the presence of either one of her parents. Prior to the hearing on this matter — at the child’s request and through her own counsel — the order was rescinded.”

Homme’s lengthy statement concluded by sharing gratitude to “the Los Angeles County Courts, minor’s counsel, local law enforcement, DCFS and court-ordered monitors for their time and continued attention and care,” adding: “The goal of the Los Angeles Family Court System and Joshua Homme’s sincere hope is that the conclusion of this matter will result in the ability for both Homme and Dalle to co-parent their children peacefully.”

Homme is yet to respond to Dalle’s latest statements. NME has reached out for comment

If you’ve been affected by domestic violence in the UK you can contact Refuge’s freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. In the US, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline on 1800 799 7233.

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