Jesse Williams Heading to Trial Over $100K a Month Spousal and Child Support Battle With Estranged Wife

Jesse Williams and his estranged wife Aryn Drake-Lee failed to come to an agreement during recent mediation concerning the actor’s $100,000 per month child and spousal support payments, and now the two are heading to trial.

Williams, who filed to divorce his longtime love in 2017, reached a partial settlement with Drake-Lee, according to documents obtained by The Blast Monday, August 12. However, a written agreement was not drawn up, since the two could not come to a full settlement on all their issues. As such, a trial has been scheduled to start on Sept. 5 in Los Angeles.

jesse williams
Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee attend the Art Los Angeles Contemporary 2012 VIP Reception at the home of Eugenio Lopez, celebrating the kickoff of ALAC 2012 on Jan. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo: Paul Redmond/WireImage)

In addition to Williams paying $50,595 in spousal support and $50,629 in child support for the couple’s two children, 5-year-old Sadie and 3-year-old Maceo, Drake-Lee has previously argued that her “Grey’s Anatomy” star ex should also pay other fees.

In April, Drake-Lee’s attorney and forensic accountant requested that Williams pay $100,000 to the podcast host’s lawyer and $110,000 to her forensic accountant. Last June, Williams was ordered to pay $270,000 in legal fees for his ex.

By May, Drake-Lee nabbed a partial victory in her fight to have her prime-time drama series star ex pay up.

While Williams argued he shouldn’t have to pay $210,000 for her legal representation since he’s already paid $270,000 in Drake-Lee’s legal fees on top of the $100,000 a month in both spousal support and child support, a judge took Drake-Lee’s side instead.

They ruled that Williams is required to hand over an additional $60,000 in order to pay for his ex’s lawyer’s preparation and attendance. Meanwhile, Drake-Lee claims her ex owes her $1 million in past child support payments.

That same month, Drake-Lee broke her silence for the first time to People magazine.

“When the divorce process started I had two nursing babies, and I am the one that ran our household for the 14 and a half years that he and I were together in the same house,” she told the publication. “And for our children, and for the creation of the businesses that we built together when I left my career in New York for us to move to California to pursue his, and then as a result built it … I knew, as the one that was really holding it all together, that I didn’t have a lot of room to fall, even though I was falling.”

Williams previously discussed the aftermath of the divorce filing, taking aim at claims he cheated on his wife of five years.

“All of a sudden motherf—ers 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,” Williams said in Jay-Z’s “Footnotes for 4:44.” 

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