For Tyrese Gibson, “enough is enough.”
Since being temporarily detained last week for contempt of court over a child support claim, the 45-year-old “Fast & Furious” star exclusively told The Post that he is not an unfit father.
“I’m fighting to save all of my possessions,” said Gibson, who is the father of 17-year-old daughter Shayla of Los Angeles and 5-year-old daughter Soraya of Atlanta.
“I want both of my daughters (to know that their father) was not willing to listen to lies, allegations and nonsense.”
The actor and Grammy-nominated singer was arrested in a Georgia court on Monday, September 9, for failing to pay ex-wife Samantha Lee, 34, $10,690 in monthly support for Soraya.
She is the only child Gibson and Lee welcomed during their two-year marriage, which ended in late 2020. Gibson previously welcomed Shayla with ex Norma Mitchell in 2007.
In April 2023, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin M. Farmer established the more than $10k monthly bail he owes Lee.
However, Gibson told the Post that he has paid Lee $3,600 a month for Soraya's well-being since their separation. And now, he feels the family court system is unfairly awarding him a new support amount that's nearly three times what he was already paying for his daughter.
“$10,690 (that’s the amount) for child support that was established eight years ago in Los Angeles for my daughter, who is now 17,” “Beautiful Pain” Explained Singer. “(The farmer) decided to turn my $3,600 into $10,690 because that's the amount I'm giving my 17-year-old son in California.”
Gibson has filed multiple appeals in response to his enhanced child support order in Georgia.
“When I was married to Samantha, I wasn't spending $11,000 a month on Soraya,” Gibson complained. “When I was married to Samantha, I wasn't spending $11,000 a month on Samantha.”
The “Baby Boy” lead actress claimed that before she tied the knot with Lee in 2017, she signed a “very aggressive and extensive” prenuptial agreement that stipulated she would give Lee a portion of her assets upon divorce.
But, because of the sudden increase in his child support payments, Gibson thinks there may be “a degree of gluttony” and “a hunger for money” behind his ex-wife’s huge demands.
Speaking to the Post, he asked Lee: “How did you suddenly go from being frugal to being fancy?” “At what point does a child suddenly need all of these things because it's in their best interest?”
“That is a blatant lie,” he said.
Lee did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
But Gibson, who did not disclose his “Fast & Furious” franchise salary or current monthly earnings with The Post, insists he’s not hiding any significant sums from his youngest child.
He said that big amounts of money have not been coming in since the pandemic.
“When I book five movies in a row, the court will hold me to that number ($10,690),” he said.
“But when I go two or three years without a movie booked, no concerts, no shows, and I hear vulgar headlines like 'Tyrese accused of child abuse' every morning, do you think Disney will want to hire me?”
In 2017, Mitchell accused Gibson of, Disciplining Shaila physicallythen aged 10, after being slapped on her buttocks.
“What happens to my financial life when no one wants to hire me when they read in the headline that ‘Tyrese got arrested,'” he asked the Post about his recent experience.
“It’s not fair for the family court system to force you to have (a) child support number when you’re no longer employed at the job that helped you establish the child support number.”
And the outspoken “Sweet Lady” singer isn't just concerned for herself when it comes to perceived injustices.
Gibson says he is fighting the system on behalf of all high-income parents who have been unfairly subjected to excessive maintenance demands.
“It’s not right — the number of men and women in jail right now because they’re in contempt of court,” he said. “Not because they’re irresponsible and don’t want to provide for their children, but because they don’t have the jobs or the money that they had when those numbers were established.”
Still, with no clear end to his legal battle with Lee, Gibson, surprisingly, remains optimistic about the future.
The musician told The Post that, win or lose, he eventually plans to take his issue to Congress, and push for a more fair calculation of child support orders nationwide.
He also hinted at an upcoming book, possibly titled “The Blackmail of the Black Male,” which will explore the systematic mistreatment of men of color.
However, the most important thing for Gibson is that Kids feel inspired By his commitment to standing up for himself and his family against the powers that be.
“Your father is helping me every day, 24 hours in every way he can,” he said. “Your father has always told the truth, will tell the truth and be honest – even when I'm completely embarrassing myself.”
“I will not be a victim of whatever people want to do with my life, because that's not who I am,” Gibson said. “And I don't want my daughters to be like that.”
