Actor Jesse Williams’ ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, failed to deny him custody of their two children, Sadie, 8, and Maceo, 6.
According to reports, the former couple showed up to court via Zoom, where a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that Williams would have joint custody of their kids. The judge granted him four consecutive days with the children – two being weekends per month while working in New York. However, he was not allowed to cancel a date then try to “un-cancel” it.
His ex-wife previously demanded full custody of their children and wanted their father stripped of his ability to visit them. Drake-Lee also requested to modify the custody and visitation agreement made during their divorce, which was denied in court. Instead, she and her ex-husband were ordered to take a 10-day parenting course.
The pair separated in 2017, after five years of marriage, and went through a harsh divorce, which was settled in 2020. They met when Williams was a teacher in New York City, around 2007 and wed in 2012.
Drake-Lee reportedly claimed that after her ex-husband left his role on the hit ABC show Grey’s Anatomy, he would leave town for months at a time and cancel his custodial time. She also said he fired their longtime nanny without her permission during the pandemic since he was home more. As a result, she had to rehire the caretaker and pay her out of pocket. She alleged that when she confronted Williams about the issues, he responded with “erratic” behavior, which, she said, made her fearful for herself and their children. He even threatened to call the cops on her, she claimed.
However, the 40-year-old actor said that Drake-Lee was the one being difficult and that she was aggressive towards his nanny. Her request for Williams to pay half of the nanny’s salary was even denied because she didn’t provide financial documents.
He added that she would bring him to court over the most minuscule things.
Williams was especially upset about Drake-Lee’s objection to allowing their kids to fly to New York City to see him perform in the Broadway play, Take Me Out. She reportedly said she felt it wouldn’t be safe during a pandemic.
However, the Chicago-born actor claimed that his ex-wife agreed to let their children travel but backed out, right as Take Me Out was about to open. She also allegedly didn’t tell him whether or not their kids were vaccinated.
Luckily, Williams was given tie-breaking authority over COVID-19 mandates, including vaccines, for Sadie and Maceo if he and his wife couldn’t reach an agreement.
The court has been considering monetary sanctions against Drake-Lee, for repeatedly dragging Williams to court.
