The estranged couple shares 1-year-old Monaco and recently split after two years of marriage.
Jeezy and Jeannie Mai's divorce battle is getting heated. In a new court filing, the rapper accuses the former daytime talk show host of acting as a "gatekeeper" of their daughter and asks a judge for a hearing to set "clearly defined" temporary legal and physical custody rights amid their divorce.
In a filed response to the divorce petition, Mai strongly suggests that Jeezy engaged in infidelity during their marriage, and she "reserves the right to amend this response to add additional grounds for divorce."
Jeezy, born Jay Wayne Jenkins, and Mai share a 1-year-old daughter, Monaco, whom the couple welcomed in January 2022. The 46-year-old GRAMMY-nominated artist filed for divorce from the former The Real co-host, 44, in September after two years of marriage.
Court documents filed in Fulton County on Thursday and obtained by ET reveal that Jeezy requests a judge to "address temporary custodial arrangements" after the previously agreed-upon visitation schedule became "increasingly less feasible."
The documents state that Monaco has been "temporarily residing" with her mother in the former couple's Los Angeles home since he filed for divorce in September.
"Since that time, the parties have endeavored to address temporary custodial arrangements on an informal basis," the court filing reads. "While the parties have agreed upon a visitation schedule through the end of 2023, which has been confirmed via communications between their counsel, to continue addressing custodial and parenting time issues in such an ad hoc manner is becoming increasingly less feasible."
"The lack of consistency, continuity and stability inherently associated with such a haphazard and fluid parenting time schedule is stressful to the Child (Monaco), and it has, as is unfortunately inevitable with all families in transition, created unnecessary tension and confusion regarding not only parenting time but also in regard to each parent's role and rights when the Child is in their respective custody," the document continues.
The filing says that Jeezy "does not believe that [Mai Jenkins] is acting maliciously or with specific intent to harm," but he suspects that she "has acted as a gatekeeper when it comes to [Jeezy] exercising parenting time with [Monaco]."
The rapper's lawyers allege that Mai is "causing confusion and tension between the parties and is working to stifle the development" between Jeezy and their daughter. As such, the filing requests that the court "separate, structure and clearly define the parties' temporary legal and physical custody rights and set a parenting time schedule consistent with the best interests of the Child."
Things take a turn in a response to the divorce petition also filed on Thursday.
In court documents obtained by ET, Mai's lawyer claims that Jeezy and Mai were not separated when he filed for divorce, despite what the rapper's initial petition stated.
The response also states that although the TV personality "admits the parties' marriage is irretrievably broken," she "reserves the right to amend this response to add additional grounds for divorce that may be appropriate... Wife does not wish to specify herein at this time in the hope this matter can be resolved without having to disclose such conduct publicly."
The insinuation of infidelity comes when the filing states that Mai requests the court to enforce a part of her and Jeezy's prenuptial agreement "regarding infidelity which provides, in pertinent part, that in the event that either party engages in sexual relations, an emotional relationship, or is emotionally or sexually suggestive in communication with a third party via all forms of electronic communications, including but not limited to texting, sexting, Facetiming, social media and/or Direct Messages, shall result in a significant financial penalty upon the adulterous party."
Mai's filing also requests that the media personality be granted "joint legal custody, final decision-making authority, and primary temporary and permanent physical custody" of the couple's daughter; "a fair and equitable distribution of all real and personal property acquired during the marriage;" and that Jeezy pay her attorney's fees and litigation costs.
After Jeezy's divorce filing, a source told ET that he and Mai weren't on the same page when it came to "certain family values and expectations," adding, "They had different views, and each felt like their needs weren't being completely met."
"Things haven't been great between Jeannie and Jeezy for a few months," another source told ET, "but she is still very surprised that he filed for divorce."
In an October Instagram post, Mai broke her silence, writing on Instagram, "Sometimes you need to take a break and disconnect, to heal."
That same month, in an interview with ET, Mai revealed how she's doing in the wake of her split.
"I'm taking it day by day and thankfully being able to have a show like this and be able to do something that you enjoy doing takes your mind off things," Mai said of Raid the Cage, the new game show she's hosting. "I'm just focusing on Monaco and focusing on things that I'm passionate about. When you're surrounded by people, you just get to laugh and look at things that you enjoy doing in life."
Jeezy spoke out shortly thereafter, telling ET in a statement, "The decision to end this chapter in my life was not made impulsively and comes with a heavy heart."
"Despite this, my love and respect for Jeannie remains and the time we spent together holds a cherished place in my heart," his statement continued. "Our beautiful daughter is the best gift from our relationship and I am committed to assuring she feels the love and stability she deserves. During this period, I kindly request that you respect our family's privacy as we focus on healing."
RELATED CONTENT:
