Actor Tyrese Gibson has been arrested after failing to meet an upgraded child support obligation to his ex-wife, Samantha Lee. Judge Kevin Farmer held Gibson in contempt of court and has mandated that he pay $73,000 to avoid incarceration. This figure includes $7,500 to cover Lee’s attorney fees related to the child support dispute.
Last year, Gibson was ordered to increase his child support payments to $10,000 per month, a significant increase from his previous $2,200 monthly payments. The actor’s non-compliance with this new order led to his arrest on Monday morning at a Fulton County court hearing, as reported by TMZ.
During the hearing, Judge Farmer informed Gibson that he could settle the contempt charges and avoid jail time by paying the $73,000. Gibson, who shares a 5-year-old daughter named Soraya with Lee, was handcuffed and removed from the courtroom following his refusal to pay the updated amount.
Gibson’s legal troubles have been compounded by his ongoing disputes with the court. In a now-deleted Instagram post, the actor had predicted his arrest and asserted his innocence, calling his ex-wife’s actions “goofy” and referring to the situation as “baby mama drama.” He also accused Lee’s attorneys, Adam Gleklin and William Anderson, of colluding with Judge Farmer and claimed bias in his case.
Gibson criticized Lee’s legal team for allegedly seeking all of his bank statements and using his IMDb page to assess his financial status. He defended the validity of his prenuptial agreement from their 2020 divorce, arguing that the increased child support payments were unfair.
In his social media post, Gibson expressed frustration with Judge Farmer, alleging that the judge had refused to recuse himself from the case despite conflicts of interest. “We are APPEALLING ALL OF HIS RULINGS AND ALREADY HAVE TRIED TO GET THIS JUDGE THROWN OFF THE BENCH TWICE,” Gibson wrote, adding that the judge’s refusal to step down was problematic.
Despite these legal challenges, Gibson remains hopeful about his personal life. After a breakup with social media influencer Zelie Timothy in July 2022, Gibson expressed a desire to settle down and embrace a committed family life. “I want to get married and settle down and really really nest and embrace the comforts of this family and married life,” he said in a recent interview with Essence.
