Snl Alum Piscopo Owes 30000 In Back Child Support

It’s no surprise that the recession and slow economic recovery have impacted many New Jersey families in many different ways. Some have had trouble paying bills, paying for insurance or putting food on the table. But many noncustodial parents may have also had trouble paying their child support obligations.

So it should come as no surprise that entertainers who have not been able to find solid work for years might also have trouble meeting their obligations. Even ones who at one point were considered famous may find that a steady stream of income is hard to comb by at this point.

“Saturday Night Live” alumnus Joe Piscopo recently found this out the hard way, when a judge in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, ordered the comedian and entertainer to pay his ex-wife $10,000 in unpaid child support by the end of December. Piscopo is reportedly behind in child support payments by as much as $30,000.

Piscopo and his wife divorced in 2006 after having three children in a nearly decade-long marriage. The former couple’s divorce settlement calls for Piscopo to pay $10,000 a month in spousal support and $5,000 in child support. His attorney said in court that while the comedian has had work, it has not been consistent, which has hampered his ability to make payments.

But his ex-wife’s attorney argued that Piscopo’s own website provides proof that he has been working and he should be able to make the payments he is required to. This is a complicated situation. Piscopo’s ex-wife is obviously entitled to the money she has been granted, but maybe Piscopo really can’t make ends meet. What he should have considered is applying for a modification in the amount he owes. Instead, he now faces arrest if he does not pay $10,000 by the end of the month, an outcome which helps no one.

Source: Newark Star-Ledger, “Judge orders Joe Piscopo to pay $10K in child support,” Julia Terruso, Nov. 30, 2012