Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are isolating on Blake’s giant Oklahoma ranch. I was wondering if Gwen’s kids were there too, and here’s my answer: sort of? Gavin Rossdale gave a radio interview a few days ago about how he’s doing in the quarantine and he talked about how difficult it is for divorced parents trying to share custody. Of course, I also found this just a tad shady. I’m not saying Gavin doesn’t have every right to be mad that his custodial agreement is getting screwed over by a pandemic, but dude… there are bigger problems, right?
Gavin Rossdale is opening up about the difficulties of trying to co-parent during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The musician, 54, appeared on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation on Friday, during which he spoke to host Eddie Trunk about how he and ex-wife Gwen Stefani have been dealing with their custody arrangement.
“I did the first two weeks with them, then they went to Oklahoma,” Rossdale said of sons Kingston, 13, Zuma, 11 and Apollo, 6. Rossdale noted that the boys are currently with Stefani, 50 and her boyfriend Blake Shelton, 43, on his “10,000-acre ranch” in Oklahoma, where the couple has been self-isolating. The father of three explained that it’s a “real big dilemma” for those “with split custody” because it’s difficult to determine who might have been exposed to the virus with so much back and forth.
“I know who’s around me — no one is,” Rossdale said. “And I know who’s bringing me the coronavirus — no one is. But you send your kids out to someone else, and they come back to you and now you’re prone to whoever they’re with. It’s a tricky one for all divorced parents,” he added. Rossdale said he’s also trying to adjust to a new schedule with his boys as he usually gets them “every, like, five days or so.”
Now, it’s been 10 days since he’s seen his sons, he told Trunk, and while Rossdale thought he would enjoy the downtime, he “prefers it when they’re around.”
Thanks to technology, however, Rossdale said he’s having an easier time with the separation. “We do a lot of FaceTime,” he explained. “I find myself in my kids’ pockets a lot.”
I think Gavin has been irritated by Blake’s presence in the kids’ lives for a while, and perhaps Gavin (rightly?) questions why Gwen had to take the boys out of state for the quarantine. Then again, surely the kids are safer on a huge ranch in Oklahoma than in the middle of LA? Even though he swears that no one is coming in or out, he’s been photographed out and about with his girlfriend and of course you can’t control EVERYTHING. Especially in a pandemic. Anyway, it would be an even bigger screwup to try to travel back to LA with the kids, so I get why Blake and Gwen are staying put.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Blake’s Twitter.
oh my god, is she wearing camouflage crocs?
Exactly my takeaway from this article!
Camo anything! And double camo. With full makeup. Unless this is a publicity shot for something wild and wonderful, it’s just lame. And laughable.
The boys are growing up so fast!
The photo of them in camo was on his Twitter. It was just about Gwen cutting his hair to grow a quarantine mullet. Other than posting about his latest song/The Voice they both have been off social media.
Random fact for the day: did you know there are a ton of different camo patterns and all have a different purpose? Those crocs look to be a Realtree Max-4 pattern which is for duck hunting. I didn’t know any of this until I married my husband and he was always asking me to pick up this pattern or that but now I think I have most of them memorized. Thankfully he doesn’t wear any of it in public or pose in pictures with it though.
We’re a Mossy Oak family. LOL
I have to agree with him on this one. When my son’s not with me he’s with his father who live with his parents, one of whom is a medical worker. Who knows what my son is exposed to because of those people. It’s very worrisome.
Sandy I agree. My SIL had to make a very hard decision about not allowing her step daughter to stay with them for their usual custody schedule because the girls step father (in the other household) isn’t isolating and is a contractor. It’s incredibly hard for her to have to be away from her step daughter (and for her husband to be away from his daughter) but in order to protect the household and her other children they had to make the decision. I think Gavin has a real point.
I don’t think it’s very nice to call medical worker families, “those people.” “Those people” are working very hard right now for the health and wellness of this country and being treated horribly. I’m sorry your son is being indirectly exposed – maybe I’m being a bit sensitive because we are hospital worker family as well. We are doing what we can to social distance, but your comment is very stigmatizing.
I didn’t mean “those people” in reference to medical workers, I meant in reference to the three of them in that house who are around my child, because all three of them are careless individuals…even the medical worker, who is a dialysis technician and smokes like a chimney. But whatever you like. My mother was a nurse during the SARS epidemic, I know the value of healthcare workers, thanks.
Yours is somewhat different situation. Nobody in this scenario is on the frontlines combating the virus. And an a doctor, myself, if I were a divorce and had young children and if I were in the frontlines, believe you me, I would much rather have them be with their father far away from me in stead of risking Their health. But In the case of Gwen et al, I bet those kids are much happier on that ranch in Oklahoma than couped up in LA. Also, this story of gavin’s, that he’s not exposed, how does he get his food and supplies? It’s coming from somewhere. Plus he was papped with his GF? And he said he had the kids for two weeks before they went to Oaklahoma?
I agree. Devil is in the details. Don’t compare the situation when one of the parents is a medical worker to their situation. First of all,isolating on a ranch is safer than in the middle of metropolis. It is quite hypocritical to brag how you self isolate and hence are not exposing others to risk. I guess his paparazzi stroll with him new piece is a product of imagination then? Secondly, childeren are safer in one place, I mean is she supposed to drag them through an airport? I get that it must be frustrating not to be able to see your kids especially during such a stressful time. It would be enought to point that out. But he implies that he is the responsible parent here, while questioning the safety of his kids when they are with their mother. All the while it is him who cheated on her while she had their last baby. And if he didn’t screw up her repeatedly over the course of their relationship, this situation probably wouldn’t have ever even happened. And I say that with all the nostalgia for Gavin back when he used to be hot and relevant.
They’re probably not cooped up in Los Angeles. Everyone involved is rich. Their houses and backyards are massive.
I shall play a tiny violin for him…. If he didn’t want to deal with the complications of being divorced maybe he shouldn’t have ruined his marriage to Gwen? (Unapologetic Gwen-stan for life!) The boys are probably happier with their mom out in Oklahoma, so let them be where they’re happiest. I swear so many divorced parents want to be that baby-splitting chick from the King Solomon story by saying crap like this. If you really love your kids, then don’t make them feel guilty and don’t make them choose. *End Rant*
Boom. EXACTLY.
Yupppp. And I’m pretty sure his kids are having more fun on a 10,000-acre ranch than they would in LA!
yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
I not a huge Stefani fan (I like some of her music) and I got NO love for that animal killer Shelton…but…
…I agree. if Rossdale didn’t want to deal with custody issues, maybe he shouldn’t have BANGED THE NANNY AND RUINED HIS MARRIAGE. zero sympathy for you Gav. you were married to a talented, successful and smokin’ hot pop star and you couldn’t handle being “the lesser” of two stars so you took the attention of a (likely) fawning, starstruck young woman who WORKED IN YOUR HOUSE and TOOK CARE OF YOUR KIDS. it’s an extra betrayal, beyond cheating, when it’s the nanny. that’s just so hurtful. tired of being Mr. Gwen Stefani? then divorce like a big boy, but don’t cheat with the nanny.
Another unapologetic Gwen stan here. Last fall my husband surprised me with Bush tickets in Las Vegas. I thought it would be funny to order one of those white tank tops with “GWEN” printed large on the front that Gwen used to wear in the 90’s. We had seats that were very close to the stage but I figured Gavin probably wouldn’t notice since he’s busy putting on a rock concert. Well, I’m almost 6’ tall and…..I’m pretty sure he saw it. Seemed like he stared at it once for 4-5 secs. He didn’t look angry. More like befuddled.
that’s awesome and hilarious.
That’s just weird of you. I think he’s a douche and I kinda love her but getting between someone’s divorce from years ago that you don’t even know while at a concert you didn’t have to go to is… weird.
Can I get an Amen?
I don’t necessarily disagree with him but he wasn’t really thinking about exposing others to diseases when he was cheating on Gwen during their marriage…
Absolutely no sympathy for him. She put up with so much crap from him. His banging nanny after nanny, finding out his God daughter was really his daughter , his jealously that her career became bigger than his & on & on & on. Had he not been such a douchebag he would still be married and living WITH his children.
I don’t really care for Blake Shelton (don’t like country music) but it seems like he makes Gwen happy & after all the crap Gavin put her through she deserves it.
I will say the dress she wore to her wedding to Gavin, the hand painted Galliano was simply glorious and the only person on the planet who could’ve pulled that dress off was Gwen. Still a top 5 of wedding dresses in my opinion
I don’t blame him for being ticked, but presumably it’s within the bounds of whatever custody arrangement he had agreed to. Off topic, wow, the youngest one looks like his mini me!
Yeah, somehow he is not mentioning that right now he is supposed to be on a one-month tour of Australia with his band and that’s why Gwen has them for an extended period. He wouldn’t be seeing them anyway, by his choice.
IMO Reducing his kids’ health risk is worth him not seeing his kids in person. This will end soon enough and he can see the kids for extra time then
Cry me a river. I would have taken my kids out of LA too. They are on a huge ranch where they dont have to be cooped up in a house all day and can be outside and run around. I get that he misses his kids but their safety is what’s most important. It’s damn pandemic – I havent seen my mother in nearly two months! It’s a crappy time for families separated in general. I have always felt that Gavin was low-key salty about Gwen and Blake in general and this kind of confirms it for me. And again I say, Cry Me a River.
How did they get to Oklahoma though? Is the U.S still running domestic flights? Here in Australia I think there are only a few flights between the states and territories.
I would bet they flew private. Yes, we are still running limited domestic flights though smaller regional carriers have cancelled most routes completely. I work part time for a regional and our schedule is week by week.
As of last week, yes… My in-laws flew from Puerto Rico to Boston. The flights were more limited but definitely running.
They flew private.
Yeah, this comes off petty. Oklahoma has a much lower rate of sickness then California right now. I’d be totally fine with my kids being someplace where their risk of infection is much lower, even if that meant them being away from me. And he says up front that he still talks to them routinely, so he’s not being denied access or contact. Sometimes it’s about doing what is best for the children.
Exactly. He comes off as selfish here. His kid’s safety should be the priority. Not his custody arrangement.
Talks to them routinely and admits he just had them for 2 weeks. Gwens only had them for 10 days so far. Really, all he’s saying here is that he doesn’t trust the isolation happening on the other parents side, which is a petty thing to say. We are doing the same thing (week on and week off) and we trust the other parents to be careful just as we are. No one wants to get sick and we definitely don’t want the child to be sick. He should have just stuck with missing the kids but is thankful for technology. Keep the snark for private convos.
Yeah if he hadn’t had them for a month I’d be more understanding, but he had 2 weeks, now it’s the mom’s turn.
And I agree, he just wants to complain that he doesn’t think they’re isolating properly. Which, if he has true concerns, is something that should be spoken about privately between the parents, not to the media.
We have a much lower rate of infection. OTOH, because our governor refused to lock down I expect those numbers to rise over the next 4 weeks.
Still, I do think the kids are safer here just because of the lower density in population in our state. If you take proper precautions you will be okay.
One thing that nobody has considered – there’s a lot more chance for them to have an accident and need medical care at a giant ass ranch. If they get injured because of that, they’re still going to end up at risk because they’ll have to get seen by a physician. I wouldn’t be super thrilled either, tbh. But neither option is ideal.
You really think Gavin is fretting that the kids are more likely to be injured because they’re at Blake’s Oklahoma ranch? That’s a bizarre comment. Kids can get injured absolutely anywhere. And if we’re going to go that far with pointing out concerns about their medical safety, then the fact that they’re more likely to catch Covid-19 in LA than they are in OK is a bigger threat and outweighs the (according to you) higher likelihood of them being injured because they’re at a ranch. And the hospitals are more overwhelmed in LA, which hasn’t happened in OK (yet anyway).
Blake has a plane which has been to used to pickup/drop off the kids for the custody switch many times. The kids are there with Gwen brother’s family as well.
The guy is a jerk, but nothing he says is wrong. It IS difficult to have shared custody during this. My ex and I are doing and I can’t stand it. The kids are healthier when they are with me, but my ex isn’t wanting to give up his time with them. I get it, but I don’t like it.
He should chat with the ED doc in Florida who lost her shared custody temporarily because a judge felt the child would be safer with the ex for the duration of the pandemic because Mom works in a hot zone. Perhaps it would improve his perspective.
Sure Gavin was a jerk and cheated on Gwen but I have sympathy for all divorced parents right now trying to figure out custody during a pandemic. It’s not a situation you can prepare for and it’s not all black and white. Did Gwen really have to go all the way to Oklahoma with the kids to be with Blake? No, she did not. I’m sure the farm is huge and the kids have room to run around and be outside but surely Gwen has ample space outside as well wherever she lives in LA? Not only that but Gwen is part of the problem running away from the city to the country. Sure Oklahoma’s coronavirus infection rates may be lower now but the virus levels are slowly rising in rural parts of the country, so this illusion that the country is safer is just that–an illusion. And when it’s Gavin’s turn to have the kids back, how are the kids going to get back to LA? Probably fly private? It’s just as risky to fly private as it is commercial right IMO.
Except that Gavin was supposed to be touring in AUS this month, so Gwen and Blake and the boys probably planned to be in OK for the duration, event without the pandemic. It’s not like Gavin would have been with the boys during this time. They probably figured they were safer to just keep the OK plans and get the hell out of dodge when the cases in LA started taking off.
Except his tour got cancelled most likely weeks ago along with any other artists who were hoping to tour during this time. Gwen’s kids normally have school and pretty sure they go to school in LA, I highly doubt they were planning on being in Oklahoma during the entirety of Gavin’s tour.
Plans change and adjust. If Gavin isn’t going on tour, he is entirely justified in wanting to adhere to his custody schedule, whatever that may be. I love Gwen but she did not have to go off to Oklahoma with her 3 kids either.
It didn’t sound like he was complaining about his kids being gone as much that he’s bitching about his being exposed to “whomever” in OK while he’s being careful not to expose himself to anything.
I took that as a sly dig – Gwen has to trust he is telling the truth about his level of safety and isolation and he has to trust that she too is taking all of the appropriate measures.
It comes off like a man putting on a condom because he doesn’t know where ‘she’ has been.
Sorry, I don’t believe one word from this guy. This is just his side of the story and might not even be true. A lying, cheat in the past so who knows if this is even what is really going on.
My divorce is not final so we do not have an official parenting plan in place and my ex was so mad last week because I wouldn’t let him have our son. The reason? Since he didn’t get our son the weekend before he either traveled to see his girlfriend or she came to him. Hello! Social distancing means you don’t go see your girlfriend! He’s also still working every day but he doesn’t interact with the public and I hope that his work is taking precautions for the employees. Of course now he will probably just lie about whether he has seen the girlfriend or not the past 2 weeks. Ugh.
Nah, I’m with Gavin on this one. I’ve seen it with my coworker who has shared custody. In this case, the dad has custody and the mom gets visitation. The dads have been reluctant to let the kids come over to visit with the mom, but have done it because that’s the agreement. This week the mother’s sister drove with her 3 kids from Chicago. One dad did not want to send his son. I was in full agreement. Who drives from Chicago to Atlanta because the sister was bored in Chicago? WTF? Coming from 1 hotzone through 3 states just to visit. Completely unnecessary and dangerous.
Gavin is right, in the sense that he knows who is within his bubble. He has no idea what goes on in OK. It’s a tricky situation, but one that is happening all over the country.
Eh — he wouldn’t know who was in their bubble in LA either. Ultimately with any split custody situation, you have to trust the other parents to put the best interests of the children first, regardless of which state they are in.
I read a really troubling story in the WSJ about parents who are health workers whose ex-spouses are taking advantage of the situation to try to revise custody agreements. Like I’m sure to an extent the exes are concerned but it also seemed highly motivated by bitterness. Can you imagine going in every day to work busting your ass protecting the country and coming home to be slapped with a court order taking your kids away from you? It’s horrible.
Crooksandnannies, that is almost certainly really about protecting the children’s health. Health care workers (at least some) are voluntarily isolating from their families because they care about their lives. Viral load is a thing, so I would not rush to judge parents who are trying to isolate their kids at a time like this. It is not a normal situation. I don’t have children and don’t have any custody agreements to deal with, I’m sorry if you or someone you love is going through that possibly, but I really think this is about protecting lives. We have to be unselfish right now. I haven’t seen any of my siblings or their children for over a month.
I will say that the hardest part of this ordeal, for me personally, is not being able to see my kids. They are grown and live across town. We have done some social distance visiting and we talk on the phone. But it is hard to describe just how much that I want to share a meal with them or just watch a movie or even just hang out! I took this so much for granted.
Of course, this isn’t anything like Gavin’s deal. His kids just need to stay in one place and wait this thing out.
Me too! My adult son is a 5 minute car ride from me. We brought him his Easter basket (yes, I still do this) and Easter dinner for him and his girlfriend. But it was painful to not be able to just go and hug him. And, like you, I will never again take for granted a nice cuddle on the couch, watching a movie.
I do not understand the appeal of Blake Shelton.
Dude, me either! Like…what!?
I think that’s how most of us feel. dude is like a mayonnaise sandwich on wonder bread.
I think he’s hot.
I grew up in Oklahoma until after high school, I haven’t lived there since boot camp but my entire family is still there so I should qualify the opinion…he is Oklahoma hot.
He’s a big guy. Like 6’5″ and solid. I’ve always had a thing for a big guy.
I think it’s his sense of humor. I personally don’t see any chemistry between Blake and Gwen. They seem more like close friends who bonded over their personal divorce traumas.
This irks me so much. Both my sisters have ex’s who aren’t isolating and the ex’s just can’t understand why my sisters refuse to let the kids go with them. They aren’t isolating for a good reason either, they just believe that it’s a hoax.
I see nothing wrong with what he said. It is Absolutely tricky. I have no issues with my ex-husband’s fiancé and I would still echo what he said. We live in the same city and it is still a confusing situation. My son couldn’t see his dad for over two weeks when this all began because his future step brother has asthma and we all just wanted to be cautious. it was heartbreaking for my son To miss his brother and dad but necessary. Custody arrangements are hard enough without a quarantine. He shouldn’t be chastised for expressing a little frustration.
He seems like someone who’d suddenly become a shaman.
Stefani looks so much better with less makeup.
Honestly, I’m with Gavin on this. I share custody of my 10-year-old son with my ex-husband, and we generally do week on / week off. He spent the first two weeks with us because we had him for spring break, and then he had to go back to his dad’s. his dad brought my son over to the dad’s girlfriend’s house, where her daughter also lives part-time and spends the other part of her time with her father. I have zero idea what the girlfriend’s daughter’s father’s situation is, or whether he is safely social distancing. on top of that, my ex-husband’s girlfriend is an occupational therapist who works in the hospital and is continuing to go to work. So my poor kid dragged over there and potentially exposed to the virus.
When he got back to our house last week, he developed a fever mid-week. I called the pediatrician and they basically said to monitor him and if the fever continued for 3 days to call back and they would see him. He felt better at the 3 day mark, with no fever, thankfully. The whole experience has been miserable. Sharing custody in this situation is a nightmare. I don’t think Gwen should be allowed out of state with the kids until this is over. Period. If my husband tried to take my son out of state right now I would go to court for an emergency injunction.
My daughter lives about four hours away and I miss her so much it hurts. We FaceTime every day and watch Jeopardy simultaneously (so much fun!!) but I miss hugging her and being in the same space. We saw each other quite a bit before this all happened.
Just because he’s a douche doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss his kids. He’s just blowing off some steam about it. And even though he knows they’re safe, it’s not the same as the feeling you have when they’re actually with you.
I mean, I think this is a valid argument. I don’t really think kids should be going back and forth during quarantine, but I’m also not a parent and I suspect lots of parents don’t agree with me because they want to see their kids. Unrelated: I don’t really understand how kids are supposed to function traveling half-a-country away to another home, every 2 weeks. Seems like a lot of stress and instability for young kids.
My best friend is shuttling his kids back and forth every week between his and his exes house. They live like 2 blocks away from each other and work together (Funeral home) , so either way they will be possibly exposed.
I have another old high school friend on facebook complaining he can’t see his kids, that’s when I found out he was broke up with his fiancee and 3 kids and living elsewhere. I am sure this is really hard on those who want to spend time with their children.
Also, I know for a fact as per social media not everyone is adhering to social distancing as per the Easter pics. Thus, I can see where Gavin would be worried about his kids. People in rural areas from what I heard from my friends in NC aren’t taking it very seriously and some are gallivanting around town still..
I have watched Gavin on IG lately because he is doing acoustic sets and he keeps talking about being alone and lonely…which is odd given that walk.
Also, when you link to the pictures of him out with his girlfriend, wearing a camo mask, coincidence, I think not, he is mentionned as Gwen Stefani’s ex-husband, not a singer. Even in divorce, he is lesser than.
He threw some shade in there, but I think he’s getting raked through the coals for stating the truth. I imagine it’s very hard sharing custody and not knowing if the other parent is keeping the kids safe or if it’s even a good idea to shuttle the kids between parents during this time. He was a bad husband, but seems like a decent father. Gwen knew well before they got married that he was a cheater and liar. If you listen to any of her songs during their relationship, they are mostly about deception and dealing with his wandering eye.
Maybe he should have thought abt the consequences before screwing the nanny. Was he so worried about his boys then and unborn baby?!! Everyone is making sacrifices during this time and he needs to stfu