Judge orders Tyrese into custody over $73K in child support: 'Getting arrested wasn't fun'

Actor and singer Tyrese Gibson was ordered to be jailed after a Georgia judge held him in contempt this week in connection to child support backpay, court documents show.

A court order issued Monday shows a Fulton County judge ruled the actor, songwriter and rapper "be taken into custody and incarcerated" after he was found to "in willful contempt for failure to make child support payments."

In a post on X, Gibson, of Atlanta, dubbed the experience traumatic.

"Getting arrested wasn’t fun as a matter of fact it was very traumatic," the "Fast and Furious" franchise star wrote. "One would ask why does this judge Kevin M Farmer HATE me so much? Well attached is his nightmare details of the APPEAL!"

Gibson, 45, and his ex-wife Samantha Lee share a 5-year-old daughter. The pair married in early 2017, the Associated Press reported.

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Court papers show they divorced in 2020. Gibson also shares an older daughter with his ex-wife, Norma Mitchell. The pair divorced in 2009.

USA TODAY has reached out to Gibson's reps for comment.

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Judge: Gibson will be released after he "purges himself of contempt'

The judge ordered that Gibson be released from custody after he "purges himself of contempt" by paying approximately $73,500 to Fulton County.

Although Gibson said he was arrested, he did not elaborate about where or when the actor was reportedly taken into custody.

On Wednesday, a Fulton County Sheriff's Office spokesperson and a city jail spokesperson told USA TODAY no one by the name of Tyrese Gibson had been booked into either of jails.

USA TODAY has reached out to the attorney who was in court with him on the case when the judge found him in contempt.

Gibson's appellate attorney said she was not in court when the judge issued the order, but said Gibson was not booked into jail.

"He may have been in a holding cell. He was never jailed − he never got that far," Beverly Cohen told USA TODAY. "An order was issued for his arrest but because it’s a civil case, he filed a notice of intent to appeal, which gets him out of jail."

Gibson and his civil attorney took the notice with them with to court, "with the expectation of that happening," Cohen said.

Court records claim Gibson has been paying child support for his 5-year-old daughter even before he was ordered to do so.

"The judge ordered him to pay over $10,000 a month in child support only because that's the exact same amount he's paying his older daughter who lives in California," Cohen said.

The May filing Gibson posted a link to on X shows his attorneys wrote the award "was arbitrary, capricious, and not grounded in law of fact, but simply made to match a California child support order... The arbitration award issued in this case should be vacated because the Arbitrator clearly overstepped her authority."

Under Georgia law, the state carries stiff penalties for parents who refuse to pay legally-mandated child support. They include the following:

• Jail
• The offsetting of federal and state income tax refunds
• Revocation of professional or business license
• Driver’s license suspension or denial of driver’s license renewal
• Wage garnishment

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Gibson plans to appeal Fulton County judge's contempt finding

Gibson recently shared photos of his children on Instagram, writing in the caption, "The love that a father can have for his children can't quite be explained... Whatever the outcome is today... I am and will forever be their FATHER."

According to court records in the case, Gibson will appeal the judge's contempt finding.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

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