Jesse Williams usually keeps details about his relationships quiet. (Francois Durand/Getty Images)
Not one to discuss his private life in public, activist and actor Jesse Williams is addressing ongoing cheating rumors for the first time.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” star appears in the 11-minute short “Footnotes for 4:44,” an accompaniment to Jay-Z’s thirteenth album, which was released Monday, July 10. Alongside celebrities including Will Smith, Chris Rock and Jay, Williams addresses reports his relationship with actress Minka Kelly led to the demise of his marriage to Aryn Drake-Lee.
“I was in a relationship 13 years,” Williams said in the Tidal-exclusive video according to E! News. “13 real years, not 5 years, not 7 years, 13 years and all of a sudden mother f—— are writing think pieces that I somehow threw a 13-year relationship — like the most painful experience I’ve had in my life like with a person I’ve loved with all of my heart — that I threw a person and my family in the trash because a girl I work with is cute.”
Reports that Williams was involved with Kelly began in April amid news that he filed for divorce from his wife of nearly five years. Williams had been spotted with Kelly while shooting a video game in Paris in the spring, and Us Weekly reported the pair is officially dating after they were spotted seeing a movie Monday.
Williams is currently engaged in a custody battle with Drake-Lee over their two young children.