Jesse Williams Petitions To Reduce Child Support Payments

Jesse Williams seeks to reduce the amount he is expected to pay in monthly child support payments.

The actor shares two children – 8-year-old Sadie and 6-year-old Maceo – with his ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee. The former couple officially divorced in October 2020.

According to documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight, the 41-year-old actor cited his reduced income after leaving Grey’s Anatomy as grounds for the payment change.

“I am requesting the court reduce the child support to a reasonable amount I can afford given the significant reduction in my income and the now fluctuating nature of my income,” read the filing.

“I appeared on the television show Grey’s Anatomy, which was the primary source of income for our family throughout the marriage and for me, post-separation.” He added, “I am no longer on Grey’s. My last appearance was in May 2021.”

“The child support of $40,000 per month ($480,000 per year) which commenced October 1, 2019, was based almost entirely on my Grey’s episodic fees which was my then primary source of income.”

Williams also argued that the lifestyles of his two children with Drake-Lee did not reflect the sum he is currently paying.

“They do not have expensive hobbies or attend expensive camps,” he said. “They do not fly by private jet when we take vacations (which are already infrequent), and we do not have vacation homes.”

Motioning the court to deny Williams‘ request, Drake-Lee claimed that it was his decision to leave the show and that he had chosen his own desires over the needs of his children.

Countering this, Williams stated that talk of cancelling Grey’s Anatomy had intensified in recent years and that he felt it was imperative to leave the show in order to establish himself and secure other acting work.

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