Tyrese's Ex Accused of Kidnapping Child Out of State

Tyrese Gibson has filed a request with the court for an arrest warrant for his ex-wife, Samantha Lee Gibson. Gibson alleges that Lee Gibson has prevented him from exercising his custodial rights by removing their minor child from the state without facilitation of visitation.

According to court documents filed recently, Gibson described the alleged incident, which occurred in September 2025 in Atlanta, as "premeditated" and a violation of a parenting plan agreed upon just the month prior. He asserts that Samantha Lee Gibson has not facilitated his visitation rights.

Samantha Lee Gibson has formally opposed the warrant, asserting her primary custody of their daughter. She argues that Gibson's application contains inaccuracies regarding their ongoing custody battle and that her move to Washington was well-publicized. The couple, married in 2017, divorced in 2020, and have since engaged in a difficult legal process involving custody, child support, and legal fees.

Past legal actions include a 2022 order for Tyrese to pay $10,690 monthly in child support, followed by orders for substantial back support and legal fees. He was briefly detained in 2024 for non-payment of child support. More recently, Lee Gibson's legal team sought to have Tyrese jailed for allegedly unpaid legal fees totaling nearly $492,000.