Getty
Jesse Williams, 43, is in court again, this time to demand joint custody of his children Sadie (10) and Maceo (9). We say “again” because the “Grey's Anatomy” actor has already been in court several times, fighting for more time with his children.
According to court documents, Williams, who currently shares custody with his ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee, is asking for more time because the current agreement only allows him a maximum of two overnight stays during the school year..
“There is no doubt that it is in the children's best interest to spend more time with me,” Williams said. “The children benefit from the love and stability I provide them and they continually ask for more time with me. I am actively involved in Sadie and Maceo's lives.”
The actor also accuses his ex-wife of having a “bizarre obsession” with preventing him from participating in their children's extracurricular activities, regardless of his efforts to build a healthy relationship as co-parents. In recent court documents, he stated that she interferes in his relationship with his children by blocking FaceTime calls, not allowing him to attend various of their children's activities, and manipulating vacation schedules to minimize his time with their two children. Based on this, Jackson claimed there are “good reasons” for his children to spend “less time” with Drake-Lee.
“I have never denied Aryn access to the children. I constantly try to model normal, healthy co-parenting behavior for her in the hope that she will realize that this works better than chaos and conflict,” Williams argued. “Aryn's behavior is the opposite – it is aimed at thwarting my custody and damaging my relationship with the children, and she does not care about the impact her behavior has on our children.”
The former couple met in 2007 when Williams was still a teacher in New York. They married in 2012 after dating for five years. The Power actor filed for divorce from Drake-Lee in 2017, and they have been battling in court over the children and finances ever since. The divorce was finalized in 2020, with Williams ordered to pay $40,000 a month in child support and both parties awarded joint custody and residency rights of their children. In February 2022, the former couple were back in court, with the actor accusing Drake-Lee of “repeated disregard of court orders” and “erratic, behavioral outbursts.”
That same year, after her exit from Grey's Anatomy, Williams' child support payments were reduced to $6,413 per month.
Comments are closed.