Jaime King broke her silence on experiencing a “terrifying” custody battle with ex Kyle Newman amid their divorce.
“My duty as a mother is to protect my children and that’s all that matters to me,” King, 45, said during her “Whine Down With Jana Kramer” podcast appearance on Thursday, April 10. “This is scary.”
King told host Jana Kramer that she was “really proud of” getting married to Newman, 49, at such a young age, but she has different feelings after their split.
King and Newman got married in 2007. Us Weekly confirmed in May 2020 that she filed for divorce. They settled in September 2023 and agreed to share custody of their kids.
“I just didn’t know that the world works like this. I didn’t know that legal systems work like this,” King shared. “I thought that, you know, when you choose to love someone, then you love that person. You build a family with them, and you trust them. And sometimes it’s not always that way.”
Hollywood’s Messiest Custody Battles: Brangelina, Usher and Tameka and More
King explained that she has stayed quiet about her and Newman’s court battle to protect their children: James, 14, and Leo, 9.
“I never wanted my children to think that some, any part of them was wrong,” she continued. “I’m extremely grateful, and at the same time, the system is really unfair. And I think that it’s really important to support the structure of family and kindness.”
Two years after their divorce was settled, court documents revealed that Newman received sole custody over their two sons. He and King share joint legal custody, but Newman has a “tie-breaking authority” on any disputes.
King alleged that some of what has been said publicly is “inaccurate,” claiming, “I haven’t been able to say anything about it for the protection of my children.”
King said that the most “disturbing” part of the ordeal is the “disgusting” claims about her as a mother.
“It just doesn’t make sense, right? So, if you’re unfit, if all of these things are being said, then how are you fit to then provide for the children?” she wondered. “How are you fit to go work 12 to 18 hours a day?”
Jaime King and Kyle Newman’s Messy Divorce and Custody Battle Explained
King further claimed during Thursday’s podcast episode that she “paid for everything” throughout her entire marriage to Newman and admitted that she didn’t know if she’d ever “feel safe” to speak about this publicly.
“I’m still scared,” she admitted. “I’m really scared.”
King went on to describe the most “terrifying” part of her situation.
“To be able to be free means that you have to pay a very extreme price, and I’m not just talking about financially,” she said. “It’s very upsetting. I will do everything in my power to change the system, and it’s not a will. I’m going to.”
