The former couple share daughter Sadie, 8, and son Maceo, 7.
Jesse Williams had a win in his custody case with ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee. On Sept. 30, the 41-year-old actor was granted visitation with his children, 8-year-old daughter Sadie and 7-year-old son Maceo, according to a court document obtained by ET.
Williams -- who is making the move from Los Angeles to New York City this fall to reprise his role in the Broadway revival of Take Me Out -- was awarded physical custody of his two children for dates through January, as well as visitation over the Christmas holiday. On top of that, the court ordered Williams and Drake-Lee to attend 10 sessions of co-parenting counseling. The fees for those sessions is to be split equally by both Williams and Drake-Lee, who finalized their divorce in October 2020.
Additionally, the two are to "not discuss this case with or in front of the minor children nor allow anyone else to do so" and "not use the minor children as a messenger to deliver messages to the other parent." Williams and Drake-Lee are to not ask "excessive questions or interrogate the children about what happened while when in the other parents' custody," or "post derogatory remarks about the other party that the minor children can see in social media."
The ruling comes shortly after Drake-Lee appeared to slam Williams' parenting skills in an Instagram post in mid-September.
"Is it good for the health and wellness of a 7yr and 8yr old to be taken out of school on a regular basis to fly cross country overnight on a red eye to be on the ground for two days? Is it reasonable for them to return dazed and confused and then be expected to pick right up and survive at school the rest of the week? I don’t think so! Neither do any of the parents who actually parent on a routine basis," she wrote.
"I don’t think so! Neither do any of the parents who actually parent on a routine basis. There’s a name for the condition of an adult who expects their children to indulge, caregive and service that adult’s desires at the childrens’ expense…," she continued, adding that she's "stayed quiet for far too long."
The real estate broker's post came after TMZ reported that the Tony-nominated actor filed a request for an emergency hearing to update their prior custody agreement. "I recently agreed to perform in the second run of Take Me Out starting in October 2022 and ending in January 2023," he said in the court doc obtained by TMZ, saying that his ex was not letting the children go back to New York for his second stint on Broadway.
"The play is set to start in October 2022 and run through at least January 2023," he continued. "I am returning to New York in early October to start rehearsals. 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."
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