Jaime King says ‘system is really unfair' after ex-husband Kyle Newman wins primary custody

Los Angeles Times

12-04-2025

Jaime King has spoken out about her custody battle with ex-husband Kyle Newman, nearly a month after a Los Angeles judge granted him sole primary custody of their two children.
The 'Hart of Dixie' star and model got candid about her relationship with 'Barely Lethal' filmmaker Newman and her determination to 'protect my children' in Thursday's episode of actor Jana Kramer's podcast, 'Whine Down.' King, 45, told Kramer that the fallout of her legal battle with Newman 'is scary.'
King also said she will continue to fight for her children.
'It's very upsetting, and I will do everything in my power to change this system, and it's not a will. I'm going to,' she said. 'There's no price to pay for freedom.'
During the podcast, King and Kramer voiced support for each other as they bonded over their shared experiences with turbulent marriages and custody battles. 'One Tree Hill' alum Kramer has previously detailed the physical and emotional abuse she suffered in a past relationship. King told the podcast host that she had a different understanding of marriage when she tied the knot with Newman, whom she did not mention by name throughout the podcast.
'[Getting married] was something I was very proud of and I just didn't know that the world works like this. I didn't know that legal systems work like this,' she said. 'Not to sound like some kind of neophyte, but I thought that when you choose to love someone, you love that person. You build a family with them and you trust them.'
She added: 'Sometimes it's not always that way.'
King married Newman in November 2007 and welcomed sons James and Leo in 2013 and 2015, respectively. She filed her petition to divorce Newman in May 2020, citing 'irreconcilable differences.' Though the ex-spouses settled their divorce in September 2023, they traded scathing allegations in the process. King had accused Newman of verbal and emotional abuse while Newman raised concerns about King's alleged drug and alcohol use and her struggles with addiction.
The 'White Chicks' star said she has avoided speaking about the family matters because 'I never wanted my children to think that any part of them was wrong.'
'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,' she said. 'Kindness is the key to everything.'
In the podcast, she negatively likened her custody battle to political campaigning, further voiced her issues with the legal system and accused her ex-husband of using her past struggles with addiction against her in their custody battle. 'I've never had to think about myself as sober or not sober. I stopped using drugs at 17 or something,' she said.
As part of the custody decision in March, King is subject to supervised visitation — until the court rules otherwise — because she has not yet completed several requirements, including a six-month drug and alcohol program with weekly testing, aftercare and a 12-step program, according to the filing. King was also ordered to complete a 26-week parenting program, individual counseling to 'address case issues' and joint counseling with her children when the children's 'therapist deems it appropriate.'
At the time, a legal representative for Newman told The Times that the filmmaker 'is happy to have his children in his safe and loving home on a full-time basis and hopes that with time Ms. King will make progress in her recovery to enable her to be a present, appropriate and responsible parent to the parties' minor children.'
King in Thursday's episode also claimed that the details of the custody order were 'inaccurate.'