Jesse Williams & Ex-Wife Ordered To Mediate Their Custody Battle

The custody drama between Jesse Williams and his ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Leecontinues with the court ordering them to resolve their differences.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star and her former lover have been battling in court for years, before and after settling their divorce in 2019. The actor pushed for equal timeshares with their two children while accusing his ex of sow trouble.

Jesse Williams’ efforts to secure a better child custody deal with Aryn Drake-Lee began in September when he implored the court to allay his concerns. However, his ex-wife retaliated by asking for his request to be rejected, claiming that he had tried to force her to agree to his demands.

According to legal documents, the court ordered Williams and Drake-Lee to resolve their differences through meditation. They were asked to come to an agreement on custody of their children themselves or to attend a video conference on March 10, 2025.

The exes share two children, a daughter named Sadie and a son named Maceo. Williams and Drake-Lee previously agreed to a childcare schedule that involved the children spending two overnight visits with the actor when school was in session. However, he was not happy with this arrangement.

In September, the TV personality aired his grievances in a lengthy statement to the court, emphasizing that he needed more time with his children.

He explained that he tried to make the old system work by getting closer to his ex-wife. However, according to In touchthe number of transitions was “unnecessarily difficult” for children.

In addition to the custody arrangements being complicated for the children, Williams noted that it led to “unnecessary interactions” between him and Drake-Lee. To resolve these issues, he requested 50/50 custody, arguing that he deserved to spend as much time with the children. In his words:

“The kids and I are crazy about each other and have a deeply loving, active, close-knit relationship. There is absolutely There’s no reason why Aryn should spend more time with the kids than I do.”

Another reason he wanted to change child custody arrangements was his ex-wife’s new boyfriend. Williams explained that she told him about her lover in April, revealing that he had been introduced to their children and that she would add him to the school’s pickup list.

Williams implored the court to force Drake-Lee to reveal everything about her new boyfriend, noting that she refused to answer his questions. “I don’t care about Aryn’s personal life; I care about the safety of my children,” he explained.

“They are too young to have a phone, and I should have their contact details/other information required by the judgment,” Williams argued. However, his ex-wife shut down his request, saying it was “out of bounds” to demand additional information that had not been requested.

Drake-Lee noted that she wasn’t obligated to give him information when he didn’t share details related to his personal life. As for their child custody agreement, she claimed that the film’s producer liked to threaten her with legal action, his allegations being:

“[Jesse] uses his lawyers to intimidate [Aryn]regularly threatens to take [Aryn] to court if she does not comply with its demands, which are generally baseless and riddled with lies. »

In his efforts to obtain better child care, The explosion reported that Williams accused Drake-Lee of interfering whenever he tried to bond with their children. He claimed she systematically blocked his FaceTime calls and prevented the children from attending activities he organized.

The list continues with the artist alleging that Drake-Lee manipulated their vacation schedules to limit his time with their children. “Causing drama and trying to shatter our children’s experiences with me is far more important to Aryn than their peace, health and happiness,” Williams claimed.

The actor’s desire to spend as much time with his children came two years after he asked for a reduction in his monthly child support bills. He explained that it’s no longer possible to cough up $40,000, especially with his 2021 exit from ABC’s beloved medical drama.

According to Williams, the popular medical series was his main source of income and without it, he would no longer be able to pay the $40,000 child support bill. While on the show, he reportedly earned $6.2 million per year and collected $183,000 in residuals.

After his departure, Williams claimed he suffered a significant drop in his income and requested that the child support bills be reduced to a level he could afford. Additionally, he argued that his children did not need $40,000 a month to support themselves, noting:

“Our children’s lifestyle in no way reflects the $40,000 per month in child support. Our children have a modest lifestyle. They do not have expensive hobbies or attend camps expensive.”

Will Jesse Williams and his ex-wife reach a favorable custody agreement for their children?