At 45, Tyrese Gibson Finally Admits What We All Suspected

Tyrese Gibson Was ‘Detained,’ Not Arrested, During Court Hearing for Underpaying Child Support

Tyrese Gibson

“I am in good spirits and confident in my legal team’s pursuit of justice,” Gibson said in a statement to Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 11. “I was detained, not arrested, for less than two hours and released immediately after the great work of my attorney, Tanya Mitchell Graham’s Notice of Intent to Appeal was filed into the Clerk’s Office minutes after the Judge’s ruling.”

Gibson added that he “never stopped paying child support.”

“I have always supported both my daughters beyond any court mandate,” he continued. “Although there has been confusion regarding various custody and child support issues, I am currently home and there is no other litigation besides the appeal we filed last year, and the appeal filed yesterday.”

The actor shared he would be stepping away from social media to “focus” on his family. Gibson also noted that he has been an advocate for “parents navigating child support.”

“My personal experience has highlighted the flaws in the system, demonstrating the urgent need for reform. My goal is to raise awareness and push for legislative reforms to support families better,” he continued. “Many fathers and mothers, including myself, face significant biases in the family court system. Men striving to be present fathers are often penalized rather than supported. This is a significant issue in Black and Brown communities, and I deeply sympathize with those navigating this system without financial resources. Court biases can lead to unfair outcomes, widening the justice gap we see today.”

Original story:

UPDATE — 9/10/24, 2:30 p.m. ET.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Department told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, September 10, that Gibson was “temporarily detained. He was not arrested.”

Tyrese Gibson was reportedly arrested in Atlanta after attending a court hearing regarding child support of his and ex-wife Samantha Lee’s 5-year-old daughter, Soraya, according to multiple outlets.

Gibson, 45, was taken into custody on Monday, September 9, at the Fulton County Superior Court after Judge Kevin Farmer found him in contempt for nonpayment of more than $73,000 in child support, according to court documents obtained by Us.

The actor was ordered to pay $10,690 a month in child support in 2022. When he appeared in Fulton County Superior Court on Monday amid his legal battle, the judge said he could avoid jail time if he pays $73.525.73 to his former spouse within 48 hours, per the order of incarceration. That sum includes $7,500 in legal fees that Lee previously paid.

Gibson, who split from Lee in 2020, had been making the partial payment of $2,200 in child support monthly, according to TMZ, which was first to report the news. Gibson’s payments amount to just under 25 percent of what he was ordered to pay in 2022.

The Fast X star predicted his incarceration over the weekend, claiming in a since-deleted Instagram post that “Samantha’s lawyer Adam Gleklen and William Alexander who are besties with the judge Kevin M Farmer” were guilty of “[collusion].”

Gibson wrote in the Sunday, September 8, post, “We are APPEALLING [sic] ALL OF HIS RULINGS AND ALREADY HAVE TRIED TO GET THIS JUDGE THROWN OFF THE BENCH TWICE,” according to THR. “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???” he alleged of the judge.

“It’s pretty clear that they hate my guts, but I must remind them and everything about my life and my success,” Gibson added. “I’ve worked my ass off since I was 14 years old to get here. #FamilyLawCourts are the WORST TOWARDS FATHERS.”

Gibson and Lee were married for three years before Lee filed for divorce in December 2020. The exes released a joint statement about their split that same year, calling the breakup “a painful and significant development in our lives.” (In addition to his and Lee’s daughter, Soraya, Gibson is the father of daughter Shayla, whom he shares with ex-wife Norma Mitchell.)

Two years later, Gibson faced off in court against Lee. At the time, judge Farmer ruled that Gibson should’ve been paying his ex-wife $10,690 a month in child support dating back to 2020 when she filed for divorce. The judge determined that Gibson owed a back payment of $169,000, during that hearing, which he has not fully paid.

Earlier this year, Gibson exclusively told Us that he was channeling his heartbreak from the messy split into new music. “It is the most important album I’ve ever done in my career,” Gibson explained in June. “It’s about my divorce. And it’s about discovering the beauty that I found in my pain. That’s why it’s called Beautiful Pain.” His album dropped last month.