Grey's Anatomy's Jesse Williams to pay $100,000 per month for child and spousal support
There are expensive divorces and then there's Jesse Williams' divorce that just peaked in terms of child support. A judge recently ruled that the Grey's Anatomy star has to pay his ex Aryn Drake-Lee $50,000 per month in both spousal and child support separately. And if you've already done the math, it's right. He'll have to pay a whopping $100,000 per month.
For all those wondering why this exorbitant amount, Daily Mail reports that the judge cited Williams’ "extraordinarily high" monthly salary of $521,000 as one of the primary contributing factors behind this ruling. It has also been reported that Williams previously had to pay $33,000 in spousal support, and before this court ruling, he has also helped her with $160,000 for her legal fees.
TMZ reported that the actor’s lawyers had even tried arguing that the $50,000 he paid in monthly spousal support should be able to cover the child support expenses but, as the law dictates, child and spousal support are separate. However, the orders are temporary unless Willaims and his ex come to a settlement or the court finally imposes a final order.
Willaims and Lee's divorce came after four and a half years of marriage. Lee, who's a real estate broker, requested sole custody of their two kids — Sadie, 4, and Maceo, 2 — in court document documents that were provided that August, under the claims of her estranged husband had an extremely busy schedule and "a revolving door of intimate partners."
“Jesse would 'join in' when he was available and home, but he rarely took care of the children without my or [the nanny] Martiza’s help and presence,” the documents say, as reported by Us Weekly.
“Jesse became distant, secretive and was home less and less, traveling for unexplained reasons while telling the kids, 'Daddy is at work.' We tried marriage counseling in the fall of 2016 but were unsuccessful. Jesse eventually moved out at the end of March 2017.”
In response to that, Williams had given a statement to Us Weekly, alleging at the time, “These are matters for the court to decide. Jesse has been working tirelessly to maintain his bond with their children and it is important to note that the dramatizations made in Aryn’s declaration are a one-sided account made with a specific goal in mind. The judge is fully informed on both sides of the story and will be making the final decision.”
Post the couple's separation, Williams was also linked to Minka Kelly for several months, before finally calling it quits back in January. He is reportedly dating sports anchor Taylor Brooks now.