Celebrity Divorce

Jennifer Garner has just filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, TMZ has learned, and it could not be more amicable.

Both Jen and Ben filed pro per -- without a lawyer. Her petition and his response mirror each other completely. The petition and response were filed together, which means it was coordinated.

They both want joint legal and physical custody of their 3 kids. As for spousal support, they left it open, so the judge could award it before the divorce becomes final.

They do not list a date of separation, but in June 2015 they announced their separation.

We've learned there is no prenup, which means all of their earnings during their marriage will be split 50/50, unless they agree otherwise. Ben made a lot more than Jen during the marriage.

There are strong signals the case will not be handled in court, but rather by a mediator, especially by the way the docs were filed. This is the M.O. for disso queen Laura Wasser, who has guided various celebrity couples through mediation and then has them file for divorce pro per.

We're told Ben and Jen are still negotiating a financial settlement. The divorce could become final in 6 months.

Morena Baccarin won big in court Thursday -- a judge greatly reduced the amount of spousal support she has to pay her ex, partly because her TV and movie gigs ain't a lock just yet.

Morena's lawyer, Samantha Spector, told a judge her client's income was truly up in the air, and she couldn't afford to keep paying Austin Chick $20k per month.

Spector pointed out Morena's TV show, "Gotham," hadn't been picked up yet for a 4th season -- and she's not a lock for "Deadpool 2" either. She also argued Austin could support himself with a j-o-b ... at Starbucks.

Morena's been fighting to get this discount, claiming Chick was sucking her finances dry instead of finding work. As of June 1, she'll only have to pay him $5k/month.

Stephen Belafonte went to the LAPD several days ago and told cops a former girlfriend was extorting him ... threatening to make up stories he abused her, unless he paid her a large sum of cash.

Law enforcement sources tell us Stephen told cops the woman contacted him with false claims but said people would believe her given Mel B's domestic violence allegations. The woman threatened her statements would make everyone believe Mel B was telling the truth.

She wanted money, but Belafonte didn't bite, and went to the police station.

As we reported, Mel B claims Stephen extorted her with sex tapes, allegedly saying he would ruin her if she ever left him or tried to fire their nanny.

Janet Jackson's people will only says she's separated from her husband, Wissam Al Mana, but based on a big move Tuesday it looks much more like divorce.

Movers showed up at their London home and carted away boxes and suitcases.

As we reported, the couple separated in January, just a week or so after their baby was born.

Our sources say the split appears permanent, despite the statement only confirming a separation. The moving trucks seem to accentuate this is more than temporary.

Mel B has obtained a restraining order against the nanny she says was having sex with her husband, got pregnant by her husband, and is now extorting her with her husband.

We've learned Mel B's lawyers got a court order to gain access to a storage locker rented by Lorraine Gilles, the nanny in question. Mel B claims the locker contains sex tapes and photos Lorraine and Mel B's estranged husband, Stephen Belafonte, threatened to make public in an effort to destroy her life.

Mel B also says the locker contains boxes and boxes of Spice Girls memorabilia and photos of her recently deceased father.

Mel B flat-out accuses Lorraine and Stephen of extortion. According to the docs, in January 2015 Mel B worked up the courage to fire Lorraine but Stephen went ballistic, calling Lorraine his "ride or die bitch."

Mel B says Stephen threatened to release the sex videos unless she rehired her with a raise, and Stephen looked at Lorraine and said, "Isn't that right, Lorraine," and Lorraine responded, "Yes." Mel B says Lorraine acknowledged she had the videos and would give them to Stephen.

Janet Jackson's soon-to-be ex-husband looked like every other new bachelor as he went back to their London home Tuesday morning ... if only briefly.

Wissam Al Mana arrived empty-handed at the flat he and Janet used to share. He also left -- chauffeur-driven -- without anything, so he wasn't picking up clothing. We're guessing it was a quick visit to see their son. It's unclear if Janet was home at the time.

As we reported, the couple separated some time in January, shortly after the baby was born.

Stephen Belafonte not only wants joint custody of Madison, his 5-year-old daughter with Mel B, he also wants the legal right to maintain a relationship with the daughter Mel B had with Eddie Murphy ... TMZ has learned.

Mel B now wants sole custody of Madison, which sets up a custody fight. But now sources connected with Belafonte tell us he will ask a judge for visitation rights for 10-year-old Angel. Belafonte believes he's been the father in her life from birth ... he married Mel B 2 months after she was born.

Belafonte says Murphy has been a marginal presence in Angel's life, and he's been the stepdad. Under California law, a stepparent can get "reasonable visitation" if it's in the best interests of the child.

In a letter Belafonte's lawyer wrote to Mel B's lawyer on March 31, he staked his claim. The lawyer wrote, "Stephen would like to schedule a meeting as soon as possible to discuss the resolution of temporary issues including his ability to see Madison and Angel, whom we would appreciate continuing to have contact with."

We're told Belafonte's lawyers will raise the issue as the divorce proceeds, but under law he could not ask for stepfather visitation in his divorce response.

Our sources say Mel B will strongly oppose Belafonte's move to get visitation rights for Angel.

Mel B needed a push to leave Stephen Belafonte for good, and she got it from fellow 'AGT' judge Simon Cowell.

Sources connected to Mel tell TMZ about the time Mel moved out of the family home earlier this year. Simon has seen plenty of Belafonte over the years, from 'X Factor' to 'AGT.'

We're told Simon and others felt something was seriously wrong but Mel B would never own up ... she would make excuses for various injuries and no one was sure what was real.

Simon stepped up and told her Belafonte was "a bad guy" and "bad news" and gave her the confidence to leave him.

The big thing for Mel B ... she has left him before, but she came back ... until now, and we're told she gives some of the credit to Simon.

Janet Jackson's split from husband #3 may have significant financial implications.

Both Janet and Wissam Al Mana are wealthy, but he far more than she. He has an estimated net worth of $1 billion. She's worth an estimated $175 mil.

Janet, who had a prenup with husband #2 Rene Elizondo, almost certainly had a prenup with Al Mana. Such prenups are typically structured -- so the longer the marriage, the bigger the settlement.

Prenups typically have 5 and 10 year marks, which trigger more money in the pot to be divided. Janet announced in February, 2013 that she had gotten married a year earlier. Given the date of her reported separation from Al Mana, it seems to be almost exactly at the 5 year mark of marriage.

The couple just had a baby in January, which may also have prenup implications.

Mel B's longtime makeup artist says he's been in on Mel B's secret for years ... because she's confided in him that Stephen Belafonte caused many of her injuries he covered up with makeup.

We've learned the makeup artist has contacted Mel B's lawyers and offered to write a sworn declaration detailing what he's seen and heard over many years.

He says he frequently had to cover up Mel B's facial and body bruises. He says she would confide in him but lie to others on set about the injuries. And, he says, Belafonte knew Mel B talked to the makeup artist, and he says he was threatened numerous times.

The makeup artist says Belafonte would withhold money from him unless he followed orders ... don't say a word about the injuries.

The makeup artist also says he heard Belafonte being "aggressive and verbally abusive" to Mel B and the children, sometimes calling his wife "disgusting and ugly."

He also says Belafonte was extremely controlling, ordering security to keep tabs on Mel B "beyond a level of safety."

Belafonte has denied any physical abuse.

Stephen Belafonte says Mel B blindsided him with allegations of sex tape extortion and out-and-out stealing precious Spice Girls memories ... this according to docs he just filed in their divorce war.

Stephen is strongly insinuating it is Mel B, not him, who is waging a smear campaign. Belafonte says in docs filed Friday, he was on the verge of settling the financial and custody issues, and even agreed to voluntarily stay away from Mel, but then she surprised him with a series of very public allegations in a surprise request for a restraining order, alleging domestic violence and extortion.

As for Mel's claims that Stephen threatened to expose her sex tapes, his lawyers say, "[Mel B] herself put her sexual trysts and the like at issue by alleging that [Belafonte] allegedly videotaped and/or recorded such conduct and forced her to have sexual relations, etc." He also says she's the one who disclosed in her legal docs some of the tapes involved 3-ways.

Belafonte's lawyers also grouse Mel was the primary breadwinner and forced him out of their family home with only one hour to gather his personal belongings, as Mel B watched "the entire charade in an SUV parked outside the residence."

We just got additional documents in the latest Mel B saga, and she claims the nanny Stephen Belafonte got pregnant is still working with him by holding sex tapes over the singer's head for extortion.

TMZ broke the story, Mel B's lawyers Larry Bakman and Susan Wiesner were in court Friday claiming Stephen has been threatening to release the tapes as a means of maintaining control over her ... repeatedly threatening to destroy her reputation and smear her name by making the tapes public.

According to the new docs, Belafonte "would regularly hold up his phone to me and point to a video file and say, 'It's just one click away,' meaning that with one click he could send out a video and my career would be over."

Mel B says she's lived in fear for a decade and it was flat-out extortion.

Now the twist ... Mel B says, "He [Stephen] has admitted to me that our former nanny, Lorraine Gilles, maintains possession and control over the media such that I could never have anyone locate the tapes so as to obtain and destroy the same."

As we reported, Mel B believes some of the tapes, along with 12-15 boxes of her Spice Girls memorabilia as well as photos of her dad, are in a storage locker with the user name, "Lorraine Gilles." But according to the docs, she is deeply involved ... Mel B says the locker is "controlled" by Gilles. She says, "I believe that Lorraine Gilles and [Belafonte] are acting in concert to deprive me of my personal belongings by either destroying or disseminating said belongings."

Mel B says she and her people have repeatedly asked Gilles for the keys and location of the storage facility, but Gilles -- who has since married -- has blown her off.

Mel B's lawyers just got a judge to reinforce a court that Stephen Belafonte is prohibited from distributing sex tapes, photographs or other sexually explicit material of the former Spice Girl.

Lawyers for both sides were in court Friday morning dealing with the sex tapes. Sources connected to Mel B tell TMZ, Belafonte repeatedly threatened multiple times to release sex tapes of her, just before she went to court to get a restraining order against him.

Now this is even crazier. One of the issues raised Friday was that Mel B's lawyers say after Mel B filed for divorce last month and left the family house, Belafonte took 12 to 15 boxes from the garage containing all of the photos of her recently deceased father, along with all of her Spice Girls memorabilia and put it in a storage locker somewhere in L.A.

We're told Mel B and her lawyers Larry Bakman and Susan Wiesner have repeatedly asked him to return the photos but he didn't respond. They also asked him to tell them the location of the locker, but again, no response.

Now get this. Mel B found out Stephen has been paying for the storage locker with her money since 2009. She contacted her accountant and found a recent bill for the facility and it identifies the user name on the locker ... LORRAINE GILLES!!! That's the former nanny whom Mel B alleges had an affair with Belafonte while they were married. She also says he got her pregnant but convinced her to have an abortion.

Mel B's lawyers asked the judge to force Belafonte to give them the address of the Public Storage in question and the required passwords for entry, but the judge has not ruled on the request.

Mel B has made a major change to her divorce petition ... she does not want to share joint custody with Stephen Belafonte for 2 reasons ... a domestic violence conviction, and a gun.

TMZ broke the story ... when Mel B filed for divorce last month she said she wanted joint legal and physical custody. Sources connected with Mel tell TMZ at the time she had no idea Stephen had a conviction for domestic violence involving another baby mama. She also didn't know the conviction prohibited him to possess a gun.

As we reported, Mel knew he had a gun and was not happy about it, especially since she alleges he repeatedly committed domestic violence against her. But we're told after recently finding out the gun was illegal to possess, she decided to change her custody strategy.

We're told Mel, who just got a temporary restraining order which prohibits Belafonte from having any contact with her 3 children, will go back to court and make the restraining order permanent.

Our sources also say in the divorce case, she does not want Stephen to have any contact with 2 of her kids, one of whom is 10-year-old Angel, whose dad is Eddie Murphy, and 18-year-old Phoenix -- a child from another marriage.

We're told Mel might ultimately be ok with giving Belafonte monitored visits with their child, 5-year-old Madison, but not now.

Belafonte has asked for joint legal and physical custody of Madison.

Stephen Belafonte has just filed his official response to Mel B's divorce petition, and he made it clear ... he's not going away empty-handed.

For starters ... Belafonte is asking for spousal support, though it's premature to set a figure. In her petition she asked the judge to deny Belafonte support. He wants her to pay his lawyer's fees.

They dispute the separation date. Belafonte says it was March 1, 2017. She says it was December 28, 2016. It matters when it comes to dividing up the property.

And speaking of property, both acknowledge there is community property on the line, which suggests there was not a prenup.

Stephen's asking for joint legal custody of the one child they have together. Now, it's interesting ... when Mel filed for divorce she also asked for joint custody, but earlier this week, in her restraining order docs ... she asked for sole legal and physcial custody.

It's unclear if Mel wants sole custody just in the short term or if she had a change of heart.

Stephen Belafonte tormented Mel B's family, saying they'd be cut off from her again ... according to Melanie's sister, who's now dancing on Stephen's metaphorical grave.

Danielle Brown says "8 years of abusive calls me and my mum have had stating we would never see Melanie again. I am laughing and celebrating as you were wrong. You are a sorry excuse of a man."

She also told Lorraine Giles -- the nanny Mel says Belafonte got pregnant -- to "rot in hell."

And perhaps best of all, Danielle quoted Beyonce in a parting shot at her sister's estranged husband -- "To the left to the left everything you own in the box to the left."

#Sisterhood