Tyrese Wants "Last Name Back" From Ex Over $20K Child Support

Tyrese Gibson is calling out his ex-wife Samantha Lee for allegedly using their daughter as a pawn to “get the bag” through child support.

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

According to Hollywood Unlocked, the actor feels the fitness influencer’s $20,000 demand in child support is excessive, stating, “We never spent $20,000 when we were together.”

The former couple was married for four years after tying the knot in 2017. The exes have continued to brutally battle in public ever since.

Lee’s request for $20,000 a month in child support for their daughter Shayla Somer Gibson came in 2021. This prompted the singer to file a motion to stop his ex-wife’s “unreasonable” divorce demands.

Tyrese stated, “She left me while I was out of town filming a movie, now you’re demanding to take my life with you?”

Prior to submitting her child support request, Lee alleged the R&B crooner kicked her and their baby girl out. She also said he subsequently “changed the locks” to his $4 million Atlanta mansion.

The beef got hotter and saltier by the month. Gibson flat-out refused to pay child support, which put him in contempt of court. A judge then ordered the actor to pay $636,000 in back child support and Lee’s attorney’s fees.

Following that he dropped a lowkey diss song to his ex-flame titled “Love Transaction” and refused to hold his tongue about his “joke of a marriage.”

“Thought that love shouldn’t cost a thing. So why must I pay all these lawyer fees? Need a resolution, was it an illusion? Can’t get no satisfaction. And now you’ve got me asking… Is this love? Oh, is this love? Or is it just a transaction?”

[…]

“20,000 isn’t child support, we both know just who that money’s for.”

Lee would later admit that she let people influence her decision to leave her marriage and she was “emotionally intoxicated” when she pulled the plug.

“It’s very important to seek wise counsel, you have to really decide and make a very calculated decision based on your belief systems,” said Lee on the Hardly Initiated podcasted. “I think we do take divorce very casually. I would never tell a woman to walk through that in the same frame as I was when I did it.”

“I was very, very, hurt, I was very angry,” she added. “I remember when I made the decision I was hysterically crying on the phone with my attorney. I was not in any position to make that decision, I was extremely emotionally intoxicated.”

She also hinted that she’d be open to reconciling with her ex, something Tyrese shut down immediately while dubbing his ex a “sociopath.”  

Tyrese Details Divorce On The Joe Budden Podcast

Most recently, Tyrese addressed his ex-wife’s $20,000 per month demand during a sit-down with Joe Budden.

The “Shame” singer  said, “We never spent $20,000 on my daughter when we were together, and I had the money. Who spends that kind of money on a kid? She was 1 when she took my baby from me. We never spent $20,000 a month on our child and the credit card was wide open. So what the f**k do you suddenly need that kind of money for?”

The soundbite went viral and Samantha later posted a clip on IG titled, “The Shocking Truth About Trust: My Hardest Lesson.”

Social media assumed Lee’s message was a response to Tyrese’s tirade but Lee attempted to clarify she was not referring to her ex-husband.

“Y’all, this clip was inspired by a Bishop TD Jakes clip (clip is in my IG Story), not in response to anything! People are trying to connect dots that are absolutely unrelated. I truly just desire peace,” wrote the influencer on her InstaStory.

The “Fast & Furious” actor didn’t buy it however and he lashed out on IG.

“She wants to be famous, she wants the clout… She had a whole baby and faked a whole marriage to get the BAG… 3 law firms later… just hear her out guys… Please.”

He then inquired about his ex giving him back his Gibson last name.

“Can you please run me my last name back? Soraya can keep it, that’s our angel… Your trash a** birth name is Samantha Schwalenberg.”

Yikes! Although it’s unclear what caused the split, there has to be an amicable way to handle the separation.

Hopefully, they can get it together before Cryrese makes a comeback.