Tyrese Gibson has been released following his arrest at a Georgia court Monday morning for refusing to pay child support to his ex-wife, Samantha Lee.
An attorney for the “Fast X” actor, 45, filed an appeal after a Fulton County judge found Gibson “in willful contempt for failure to make child support payments” of more than $10,000 a month, dating back to April 2023, as confirmed by People. TMZ was first to report the news.
Judge Kevin Farmer ordered Gibson “be taken into custody and incarcerated,” but said the R&B singer could avoid jail time if he “purges himself of contempt” by paying approximately $73,000 to Fulton County, nearly $8,000 of which would be for Lee’s legal fees.
Insiders previously told TMZ that Gibson was making arrangements to pay the $73,000, but that the appeal meant he was released before having to fork over that money. It does not, however, clear him of back child support.
“Getting arrested wasn’t fun as a matter of fact it was very traumatic,” Gibson wrote on two Instagram Stories posted Tuesday. “One would ask why does this judge Kevin M Farmer HATE me so much? Well attached is his nightmare details of the APPEAL!”
Gibson then shared a Google Drive link to the appeal filed by his attorneys.
Gibson’s grief with Farmer, or the latter’s with him, dates back to at least 2022, when TMZ reported on a “courtroom showdown” that ended with the judge ordering Gibson to pay Lee $10,690 a month in child support.
Together, Gibson and the influencer — who wed in 2017 and divorced in 2020 — share daughter Soraya, 5. The actor had allegedly only been paying Lee around $2,200 of the monthly payments he was ordered to make.
Gibson, however, maintains he has kept up with the payments, which he says are clear in bank statements that were not viewed by Lee’s lawyers. Gibson also says he and Lee had a prenup in place when they divorced.
Gibson also shares 17-year-old daughter Shayla with ex-wife Norma Gibson.
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