American R&B singer and actor Tyrese Gibson, best known for his role in the Fast & Furious franchise, faced legal trouble during a court hearing in Atlanta on Monday. The actor was arrested for not paying child support to his ex-wife, Samantha Lee, after a long and contentious legal battle.
The legal drama began when Tyrese, who shares a 5-year-old daughter, Soraya, with Samantha Lee, was ordered by a Fulton County judge to pay $10,000 a month in child support starting in April 2023. However, Gibson had not been making the full payments, instead sending partial payments of $2,200 per month—less than 25% of the required amount. His failure to comply with the court order led Judge Kevin Farmer to hold him in contempt.
During the hearing, Judge Farmer gave Tyrese a chance to avoid jail time by paying $73,000, which included $7,500 in attorney fees for Lee. Gibson, however, failed to meet this condition and was placed in handcuffs and taken out of the courtroom.
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Social Media Warning and Allegations
In the days leading up to the hearing, Tyrese took to Instagram to warn his followers that his arrest might be imminent. He posted a now-deleted message accusing Judge Farmer and his ex-wife’s legal team of conspiring against him. Gibson expressed frustration with the family court system, which he claimed is biased against fathers. “We are APPEALLING ALL OF HIS RULINGS AND ALREADY HAVE TRIED TO GET THIS JUDGE THROWN OFF THE BENCH TWICE,” he wrote.
Despite his legal challenges, Gibson remains defiant, accusing the court of being unfair toward fathers. He declared, “I’ve worked my ass off since I was 14 years old to get here,” referring to his career and success, which he feels are being undermined by the legal system.
A Rocky Past
Tyrese and Lee married in 2017 and welcomed their daughter Soraya the following year. However, the couple’s relationship did not last, and they divorced two years later. This is not Gibson’s first child support battle. He also shares a 17-year-old daughter named Shayla with his first wife, Norma Mitchell. In May, Mitchell filed a lawsuit against Gibson for defamation, claiming he divulged private information about their daughter on social media.
As he navigates these ongoing legal battles, the actor remains vocal about his frustrations, continuing to challenge the rulings and decisions made in his child support cases. The next steps in this ongoing saga remain to be seen, but for now, Gibson faces the reality of his contempt charge and the looming financial obligations that come with it.