I sort of forgot that this story was happening. In April, there was a lot of gossip about Jesse Williams. Jesse had split from his wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, months ago. They have two small children, 3-year-old Sadie and 2-year-old Maceo. Reportedly, Jesse left Aryn shortly after starting up something with Minka Kelly. The gossip around all of this was pretty messy, especially because Jesse put himself out there as a woke dude who celebrates the power and audacity of black women. Like, it was pretty off-brand of him to dump his African-American wife for a white actress. Anyway, Aryn and Jesse’s divorce is far from finalized. According to TMZ, they’re in the midst of a messy custody fight.
Jesse Williams’ hopes for an amicable divorce just went down the toilet … he’s now in a nasty custody fight with his estranged wife.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” star filed docs saying he went above and beyond to informally handle custody issues with Aryn Drake-Lee. Jesse filed for divorce back in April and we were told things were civil. But Jesse says it’s now turned into a legal war.
In docs obtained by TMZ, Jesse’s asking to get more time with 3-year-old Sadie and 2-year-old Maceo, claiming Aryn only lets him see them shy of 3 hours a day and she refuses to allow sleepovers. Jesse says he rented a home less than 3 miles from Aryn’s home so he could be close to the kids. To prove he’s a hands-on dad, Jesse listed their nicknames and their favorite food — mac & cheese for “Sadie Munchkin” and “anything we put in front of ‘Mace.'”
Still … Jesse says Aryn’s made things impossible so he’s asking the judge to step in and issue a formal custody agreement.
When we last paid attention to this divorce drama, Aryn’s friends made it sound like Aryn was seriously pissed about everything, especially Minka Kelly. While an estranged husband’s mistress/jumpoff should have no bearing on a custody dispute, you know Aryn is likely still hurting and yes, she’s probably not eager to let Jesse have overnight visits with the kids (especially if Minka is there too). Anyway, this is just a reminder: this divorce is still ongoing and they haven’t made peace yet.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I was so hoping their divorce would not get messy. Hopefully they will get everything figured out and lock it down quickly and quietly.
I do wonder though how overnights and more than 3 hours a day is going to work once he starts filming again. Plus he seemed to travel a lot of different things.
I’m sure when the time comes, they can work something out around his shooting schedule. I doubt he is on set everyday given that he is in an ensemble show. I also think like many parents, he would probably just schedule his travels around his custody.
I can never ever ever side with a parent who curtails a co-parents visitation to punish them for dumping you. Ever. Children have a right to equal time (or as close to equal) with both parents. 3 hours a day is nothing to an involved parent. He lives nearby, it wont kill her to let the kids base themselves at his house for a few weeks during their Summer holidays. If she cant prioritise the kids interests, he needs to take this to a judge and let her see how california judges view these type of games. Children are not your revenge pawns, ladies.
Right? He’s a cheating dog, We all know that, but 18 years of being used as pawns in a informal custody arrangement is going to be a whole lot worse than their father fooling around with Minka Kelly.
@cherise and others- it’s one thing to stand against parental alienation. But I would never assume Jesse was a 50/50 coparent in the first place. If he’s a working actor, 12 hours on set is the minimum. I’d say three hours a day is a lot more time than most working dads spend with their kids. I mean REALLY spending 3 hours a day, in charge, no nanny, actually feeding and bathing and tucking in and reading to and cleaning up after, wiping noses, wiping butts, and then cleaning up some more? I’d be surprised if that was the status quo before they split. So why should it be after? Why do you assume what’s best for the kids is 50/50 in terms of actual time spent?
Maybe the wife is bitter. But maybe she just doesn’t want to radically alter the kids’ lives just so Jesse can play “wronged daddy” and yell about his parental rights. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she had been the more hands-on parent up till now, and maybe she wants to continue that for the sake of the kids. Messing up their lives and routines and stability just so their dad can have “the right” to 50% of their time is not in their best interests, it’s in JESSE’S best interest….
Well he shouldn’t have gotten married if he was going to cheat left and right.
Fukbois will be fukbois!
Major side eye for this coming from TMZ which has basically become a men’s rights gossip site…
Same. Wouldn’t put it past them to run with a “omg his evil, ugly ex-wife is keeping his babies from him because he hooked up with someone better looking!!!111! 🙁 🙁 🙁 y r jelus wimmen so horrible?!” narrative.
He’s seeing the kids everyday, for about 3 hours, so his ex isn’t keeping the kids from him. The kids are 3 and 2, I can understand her not wanting them to have a sleep over so soon.
Just go to court Jeese and get this settled, and stop talking to TMZ trying to make yourself look better.
Everything you said Toot
I agree Toot….stop complaining Jesse. You cheated and now you want everything to be nice and easy for you. No one likes a cheating partner, so eat it.
I’d want to know about how much time he’s spent with them, and how hands on he has (or hasn’t been) in the past few years before passing judgment here. Especially since pretty clear she’s been the primary, and they’re so little. Let a judge weigh all the info and determine what’s reasonable and fair.
Never handle child custody agreements informally. Aryn needs to read up on Kelly Rutherford and see what happens when you convince the court that you are going to be a complete roadblock when it comes to the kids maintaining a relationship with both parents.
He needs to file for 50/50 custody and barring some unknown reason/affliction, he’d probably get it.
Exactly. I’m sure she’s angry (who wouldn’t be?) but the kids deserve their father. By all appearances he loves his kids, but if there is some problem with that hopefully the court sorts it out.
Why should he get 50/50 custody when presumably he’s onset filming Grey’s Anatomy 12 hours plus a day for 8 or so months? So the kids should sit around with a nanny so he can feel better about dumping his wife for a younger “actress”? Huh? 50/50 makes no sense. No, while he is working they should be with their mother with generous visits facilitated.
50/50 is a baseline and the court can decides what’s best for the children and not for either of their egos.
At such a young age the courts will heavily favor the children spending more time with their Mom. He can put something in the divorce settlement about them beginning sleepovers when the youngest one is four or something like that. She can have a clause put into the agreement saying that when the kids are over his place, no other women are allowed to sleep over. They’ll work something out.
Does he mean three hours *every* day? Most men end up with alternate weekends and alternate holidays. Plus, those children are still so young and, sorry men, I really believe they need their mother most at that age. He hurt and embarrassed his wife, so it’s not surprising she doesn’t want to give him what he asks for. Hope Minka Kelly was worth busting up your family and making you look like a hypocrite.
“Most men end up with alternate weekends and alternate holidays. ” is how it used to work. Most states start with 50/50 as a baseline these days and go from there. And kids need BOTH their parents at this age and every age.
3 hours a day….some men in “functional marriages” may not even spend that much time with their kids.
Ugh this POS.
Please, he probably sees them more now than he did while he was married and cheating on her. The guy was in Paris “working” for how long and then he’s fliming Grey, that’s long hours. Let’s not forget every acting job he has on the side. He’s not your average joe, dude is an actor and plus he was cheating. Mistresses demand a lot of your time. The kids are very young and their mom is more stable than him. Plus he’ll start dating or is dating a childless woman, she’ll demand a lot of his time too. I mean all those couple trips that he’ll have with her, going out on dates it cuts in on time with the kids. If his ex was really petty, she could’ve moved back closer to her family because she moved to LA for his dream and now they’re no longer together. She has no real reason not to return to old comfort. He just doesn’t want to pay her child support. Watch and see, he won’t be able to commit to every weekend visitation without having it conflict with work commitment or something else. He did her wrong and he’s the one doing all the talking, she’s not keeping you away from your kids. Moms have hard time letting their kids sleep somewhere else if they aren’t there themself, abid to it till they’re older. Jennifer Garner kids are older than his kids and they don’t have sleepovers at Bens house. I think she wasn’t working to take care of the kids, he sees the fun side of his kids now but wait for the meltdowns in the morning or before naptime. Those kids will be hollering for mommy.
@ mogul – you are 100% right. I guarantee he wasn’t around that much when they were married and was cheating. He is such a fraud. He is doing this for money and to save face. Not that he doesn’t love his kids…but if u were cheating…they weren’t your top priority then….but now you want to be all. I love my kids! Boy bye.
Honestly 3 hours every day is more than a lot of parents get to spend with their little kids because of work schedules and kids needing an early bedtime. If he’s with them daily, then he’s doing pretty good – but it does need to be worked out with the courts so that there’s something official. Regardless of feelings between exes – if both people are putting their kids first and not detrimental to the kids lives, then the kids have the right to access to both parents.
Cheating on your spouse isn’t the kind of thing that would discount them from being a capable parent. But I also think that it’s pretty clear that that’s the spin from his side. They want him to look like the handsome, doting father, while his less attractive ex (who supported him for a long time) is just being a scorned woman and preventing him from fair access to the kids.
Pigs like him are why I’m so careful and picky. Why don’t pigs like him have the decency to end a relationship before starting a new one?
Lol! You can never be too “careful and picky” “pigs like him” come in all sizes, shape and color and most of them know how to mask the facade perfectly….but all the best to you in being careful and picky. But yeah…a pig is a pig.
I doubt Jesse Williams spent 3 hours a day with his children when he was married. Just because he was in the house with them, while he was married does not equate to ‘spending time’. Children are a lot work. If he was so committed to his children, then how did the affairs start in the first place?
Enjoy your fame right now Jesse Williams, but parenting is a life time commitment. Estranging for former wife is NOT the way to go
Meh I don’t care if he cheated that’s no reason to be a custodial roadblock. Unless he’s a crap father (which there is ZERO evidence of) he should get 50/50 split
What kind of sore loser risks it all for a woman like Minka Kelly? She will dump him the moment she finds a richer sponsor.
Men are so predictable 😒 They get with someone that’s attractive enough to marry and have babies with but soon as they come in to some money or fame it’s not good enough anymore. Not sure if anyone has read up on the ‘hot felon’ story? I’m sure there’s a few but this guy got a modeling contract and he’s married with kids. On his IG he had lots of pics of his wife and their kids. This week there’s been so many stories about him cheating on his wife with some heiress and he’s deleted all pics of his wife. That quickly…cheater is a cheater I guess-a rich actor or a felon. All they see is more money and fame, so sad for the kids.