Singer Sia’s child custody battle with husband turns ugly, with claims of child porn and drug use

Australian pop singer Sia has won the latest round in her divorce battle with estranged husband Daniel Bernad over the custody of their child.

It came as the divorce took an ugly turn earlier this week, with the former couple making shocking allegations against each other.

Sia, 49, married Mr Bernad, the chief executive of an integrative medicine practice based in Los Angeles, in the United States, in December 2022. They have a 19-month-old son named Somersault Wonder.

Sia, whose real name is Sia Furler, filed for divorce in March, citing “irreconcilable differences”.

According to American entertainment magazine People, the Grammy-nominated artiste requested custody of their son, but was willing to allow Mr Bernad visitation rights. She also asked the Los Angeles court not to grant Mr Bernad spousal support.

The pair reached an agreement in August, which “provides that Summi is in Dan’s custody for a mere two hours a few times each under the supervision of a professional monitor”, according to documents released by American entertainment website TMZ.

On Oct 27, Mr Bernad, 47, asked the court to grant him sole custody of their son, claiming Sia is “an unfit and unreliable parent struggling with substance abuse and addiction”.

“I am the only safe and reliable parent for our son. I am a doctor, young, healthy and have no criminal history or drug or alcohol addiction issues,” he said in the court filing.

He also sought for Sia to submit herself to random and regular drug testing, and for her to be limited to two-hour professionally monitored visits three times a week, according to TMZ.

She refuted his allegations in court filings the next day.

“I have been fully sober for over six months and working my programme, which includes weekly testing and a sober companion,” she said, according to court documents obtained by People.

She added that it was Mr Bernad who refused to be tested for drugs on a regular basis, TMZ reported.

Sia responded that there was no need for the emergency order, saying that he provided no evidence that their son’s safety was endangered.

Instead, she said they agreed in August to Mr Bernad’s restricted visits after she was informed he was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and Department of Child and Family Services for allegations of possessing child pornography.

He denied the allegations and said he suspected Sia might have “planted evidence” to limit his time with their son. TMZ said no arrest was made or charges filed over the allegations, and that the investigation has since been closed.

On Oct 29, the court turned down Mr Bernad’s request, saying there was insufficient evidence to make an emergency order granting him sole custody of their son.

It added that most of the facts asserted by Mr Bernad were known in August, when the former couple reached the agreement on the temporary custody arrangement. 

Sia, who is known for songs such as Chandelier (2014) and Cheap Thrills (2015), was married to documentary film-maker Erik Anders Lang between 2014 and 2016. She adopted two boys, who are now in their 20s, in 2019.