Actor and musician Tyrese Gibson was reportedly taken into custody on Monday in Atlanta for failing to pay child support, journalist Dennis Brown reported.
Gibson, who shares a 5-year-old daughter, Soraya, with his ex-wife Samantha Lee, appeared before Judge Kevin Farmer to address the child support payments he was ordered to pay earlier this year.
During the hearing, Judge Farmer expressed frustration over Gibson’s failure to pay the $10,000 per month that was mandated back in April 2023. After several months of non-compliance, the judge found Gibson in contempt of court. As a result, Tyrese was placed in handcuffs by the bailiff and briefly taken into custody.
However, the judge noted that Tyrese could resolve the situation and avoid further legal consequences by paying a total of $73,000. This amount includes back child support payments as well as $7,500 in attorney fees for Samantha Lee.
The news comes just a day after the 45-year-old star posted a lengthy and now-deleted message on Instagram, where he warned his followers that he could be arrested as early as Monday morning.
In his post, Gibson accused Judge Kevin M. Farmer, who is overseeing his ongoing child support case, and his ex-wife’s legal team of working against him. He expressed his frustration with the judge’s rulings and mentioned ongoing efforts to have Judge Farmer removed from the case.
“We are APPEALLING (sic) ALL OF HIS RULINGS AND ALREADY HAVE TRIED TO GET THIS JUDGE THROWN OFF THE BENCH TWICE,” Gibson wrote. “The second time we tried to get him recused from the bench. [He actually denied his own request to be thrown off the bench] …imagine that???”
Gibson claimed that Judge Farmer unfairly increased his child support payments, which jumped from $3,600 to $10,690 per month. According to the entertainer, these changes were made arbitrarily and in violation of his prenuptial agreement. “He retroactively increased my payments because he ‘felt like it,’” Gibson alleged.
Due to the legal dispute, Gibson shared that he had to cancel several press appearances related to his new film 1992 and his album Beautiful Pain. He voiced concerns that the judge might want to make an example out of him for challenging the court’s decisions.
“It’s pretty clear that they hate my guts, but I must remind them and everyone about my life and my success. I’ve worked my ass off since I was 14 years old to get here,” he stated, also criticizing the family law court system with the hashtag #FamilyLawCourts.
In a separate 15-minute video on Instagram, Gibson further elaborated on the situation, clarifying that while he doesn’t see his case as a “man versus woman” issue, he believes his gender is influencing how he’s being treated in court.
Breaking news! Actor Tyrese Gibson has just been taken into Custody for Failure to Pay Child Support.
— Dennis Byron (@MrDennisByron) September 9, 2024
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