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Tyrese Gibson has reportedly been arrested in court for failing to pay child support, per TMZ.
Gibson appeared in Fulton County court on Monday, September 9 to face the judge regarding child support allegedly owed to ex-wife Samantha Lee, with whom the 45-year-old actor shares Soraya, 5.
According to TMZ, Judge Kevin Farmer — who was the judge who initially ordered Gibson to pay $10K per month for child support in April 2023 — held the musician in contempt of court, with the bailiff putting him in handcuffs and taking him out of the courtroom.
Reportedly, the father of two can save himself from jail if he pays $73,000, which allegedly includes $7,500 to cover Lee’s attorney fees. The report comes after Gibson took to Instagram on Sunday, September 8 to share a lengthy video in which he not only vented about the situation, but suggested he assumed he would be arrested in court the following day.
The Furious X star begins the video saying he’s picking out his outfit, venting that he has never been arrested in his life, because “I don’t do anything illegal.” At one point in the video, he advises fans to buy tickets to his upcoming shows, shrugging, “That’s if they don’t lock me up in the morning.”
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In the 15-minute video, Gibson says this is not a “man versus women” scenario, though his caption is directed at women, and he specifically thanked women in his comments who have supported him, suggesting “most women” always side with the woman in these cases, even when they are wrong.
“When you were born a man, you go into a courtroom and you understand clearly that there is a preset menu that says, ‘You were born a man, f**k you.’ That’s what the preset menu says,” Gibson says at one point.
Gibson also breaks down a section of his prenuptial agreement with Lee, insisting she is required to pay for her own legal team if she is litigating a section of the prenup.
In another quote, the 1992 actor suggested his ex’s lawyers were going after him because of his career.
“Why does Samantha’s lawyers just request all of my bank statements? Why are they sending screenshots of my IMDB page? Leave me the f**k alone, man. I did a prenuptial agreement for a reason,” he said.
TMZ reported that Gibson has been paying around $2,200 a month in child support, despite being mandated to pay $10,690 per month.
The proceedings have long been contentious, with the judge previously threatening to hold Gibson in contempt for becoming heated during trial, giving Lee’s lawyer an attitude and trying to ask his own questions rather than answer any about his finances.
The publication has also reported that sources claim Gibson is currently arranging to pay the $73,000 to get out of custody.
Gibson and ex Lee tied the knot in 2017, and welcomed their daughter Soraya the following year. They announced their divorce in December 2020. In August 2022, the couple were declared legally single.
Gibson is already reportedly paying $10,690 per month in child support for daughter Shayla, 17, with ex Norma Mitchell, per TMZ.