Fast & the Furious actor and singer Tyrese Gibson has been on an emotional rollercoaster during his ongoing custody battle with ex-wife Norma Mitchell Gibson. The former couple are in the midst of a messy fight over their 10-year-old daughter, who Tyrese claimed he hasn't been able to see for the last two months in a video posted to his Facebook on Wednesday.
The actor, who goes by his first name, lost privileges to visit his daughter Shayla Gibson two months ago after Mitchell Gibson accused him of abusing the little girl. In court documents, Mitchell Gibson said the 38-year-old Tyrese hit their child "between 12 and 16 times" from 2007 to 2009, including one incident where Shayla Gibson allegedly told her mother that her father "beat me so hard that it hurts when I sit down."
In Tyrese's emotional video, the "Lately" singer begs his ex-wife to let him see his daughter.
"I'm at $13,000 a month, what more do you want from me?" Gibson cried. "I don't hate you Norma. I don't know why you hate me, but I don't hate you. But you just can't wake up on September 11th and accuse me of something I didn't do!"
Throughout Tyrese's drama with Mitchell Gibson, his new wife, Samantha Lee Gibson, has been by his side. The couple secretly exchanged vows during a private ceremony on Valentine's Day after meeting through mutual friends in 2015, according to TMZ.
A New Jersey native of Ecuadorian, Jamaican and African-American descent, Lee Gibson is a social worker who fights against child abuse, sex and human trafficking as well as provides counsel for inmates. Hailing from the University of Georgia, of which she graduated with a master's degree in social work, Lee Gibson has used her education to work on a number of cases for the Division of Family and Children Services in Georgia.
Lee Gibson's advocacy of children's rights and the justice system is one of the reasons Tyrese said he was so drawn to her, explaining in the Facebook video that his new wife is the example of the type of woman he wanted his daughter to grow up to become.
"Norma I don't hate you I just simply and literally moved on—I'm not just married I'm HAPPILY MARRIED," he wrote. "I was on a mission to find my daughters example, her blueprint, her consistent point of reference... I married a licensed social worker and she's SO SO SO powerful and amazing and like your father she's in LOVE with the lord Jesus Christ," Tyrese wrote.
Since their union, Lee Gibson has attended custody hearings with Tyrese.
Despite allegations of mental and physical abuse, Mitchell Gibson did not receive a settlement when their divorce was finalized, and Tyrese was granted joint custody of their daughter.
In testimony during a custody hearing, Mitchell Gibson said Tyrese suffered from bipolar disorder as well as manic behavior, which she alleged three different psychotherapists diagnosed the Baby Boy actor with. Tyrese has denied those claims.
Following Tyrese's breakdown on social media Wednesday, Mitchell Gibson's lawyer issued a statement to People magazine on her behalf: "Norma wants Tyrese, her ex-husband, to receive the therapy he needs so that their daughter can have the relationship with her father she deserves. Norma wishes nothing but the best for Tyrese and is willing to support him, through the courts, to become the father he wants to be."
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Michigan native, Janice Williams is a graduate of Oakland University where she studied journalism and communication. Upon relocating to New ... Read more
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