Jessie Williams and his ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, have gone back and forth to court regarding custody of their daughter, Sadie, 8, and son, Maceo, 6. The pair separated in 2017 and finalized their divorce in 2020. Since then, there’s always been a fight over the children.
The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star recently received a permanent reduction in child support payments by more than $30,000 after leaving the ABC series. He left show in October 2021 and months later he began rehearsing for the Broadway play, “Take Me Out.” The children are court-ordered to visit him regularly in New York, and Williams wants to keep it that way.
In court documents obtained by RadarOnline, he filed his second motion for an emergency hearing. The first emergency hearing was filed back in June, alleging Drake-Lee was “blocking, interfering with, or obstructing his regular custodial time.” This time, he wants to specifically ensure “the children and I do not lose our precious custodial time together while I am working on ‘Take Me Out.'”
The “Station 19” actor has agreed to perform in the second run of the Broadway play, which takes place between early October 2022 and January 2023. He wants to make sure he sees his kids for days each month due to his performance schedule.
Williams claims the mother of his chidlren “refused” to honor their previous custody agreement, which grants him four consecutive days a month in New York, two of which will be weekend days. “I asked Aryn to honor the Court’s prior order so I can continue to spend quality time with our children while I am in New York. Aryn refused,” said the 41-year-old.
He added, “Aryn’s habitual violation of his long-standing court order is emotionally damaging not only for the children but admittedly for me.”
Williams and Lee were together for 13 years and married for five years before separating in 2017. Years of court battles over custody and finances delayed their divorce until it was finalized in 2020, as previously reported. She was awarded the family house in Los Angeles, and both parents were granted shared physical custody in March and to participate in co-parenting classes.
After Williams filed the first motion in June, Drake-Lee accused her ex-husband of “bullying me, harassing me, and having tantrums” when things fail to go his way” following a dispute over their son’s passport. She also raised concerns about the children’s safety due to Williams’ “erractic behavior” including threats and other intimidating tactics.