Jaime King has spoken out about her ex-husband, Kyle Newman, being granted sole physical custody of their two children.
The actor, 45, discussed the challenging custody battle with her ex during Thursday’s episode of Jana Kramer's podcast, Whine Down.
“My duty as a mother is to protect my children and that’s all that matters to me,” King explained, after noting she’d “never talked” about the custody battle before. “This is scary.”
She confessed that when she married Newman in 2007, she was “really proud” of the fact that she tied the knot at a young age. However, her feelings about their relationship have ultimately changed.
“I didn’t know that legal systems work like this,” King added. “I thought that, you know, when you choose to love someone, then you love that person. You build a family with them, and you trust them. And sometimes it’s not always that way.”
King explained that she doesn’t usually speak about the custody battle for the sake of her children, James, 14, and Leo, 9.
“I never wanted my children to think that some, any part of them was wrong,” she continued. “I’m extremely grateful, and at the same time, the system is really unfair. And I think that it’s really important to support the structure of family and kindness. Just be kind. Be kind and tell the truth.”
She detailed some of the scary parts of the custody battle, as it’s emotionally and financially impacted her.
“It’s terrifying,” King said. “When to be able to be free means that you have to pay a very extreme price, and I’m not just talking about financially.”
According to court documents obtained by People last month, Newman received full physical custody of Leo and James because King “had not completed” a six-month drug and alcohol rehab program, which included weekly testing, a 12-step program, and a 26-week parenting course. While the former couple have joint legal custody, Newman will have “tie-breaking authority.”
When the One Tree Hill alum addressed the headlines about the custody battle, King claimed that a lot of what’s been said about it is “inaccurate.”
“I haven't been able to say anything about it for the protection of my children,” King said during the podcast after claiming Newman used previous stories she’s shared with him against her.
“It's horrifying. I simply don't know how this is possible,” she concluded. “And I don't want to live my life in shock, I want to find a solution. But it hurts my heart, to say the least.”
The Lights Out star reiterated that it’s very “disturbing” to see some of the claims made about her and her capabilities as a mother.
“It just doesn’t make sense, right? So, if you’re unfit, if all of these things are being said, then how are you fit to then provide for the children?” she questioned. “How are you fit to go work 12 to 18 hours a day?”
Amid the custody battle, King was embroiled in a lawsuit with her landlord, Sheila Irani, who claimed the actor owed more than $42,000 in rent. Irani claimed that in January, the actor stopped paying her $10,145-a-month rent for her Hollywood Hills home where she’s been living since April 2023.
“[The custody battle] has been extremely stressful and distracting from her work, which [Irani] is fully aware of in that an eviction would be detrimental to [King’s] custody matter,” King’s attorney claimed, in court documents viewed in March.
However, days later, King confirmed in a statement with Us Weekly that the “situation with [her] landlord was resolved privately.”
“It’s disappointing — but not surprising — to see someone try to exploit this moment for attention. I am currently focused on what matters most: my children,” she added.
King has previously been in a custody battle over her children. In April 2024 — four years after her divorce from Newman — she filed an emergency request to change the spousal and child support agreement that she and her ex had made.
According to court documents obtained by People at the time, the Hart of Dixie alum lacked “the ability to pay the support” and asked the court to end the spousal agreement, which the former couple filed in 2022. In response to the filing, Newman claimed his ex-wife has “been out of compliance with the court’s child and spousal support orders for well over a year.”
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