LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor and singer Tyrese Gibson has opened up about his relationship with ex-wife Samantha Lee "going up in smoke," saying that he thought their marriage would last forever. It was Tyrese's second marriage and he is father to two daughters, Shayla Somer Gibson, 16, and four-year-old Soraya Lee — one child from each marriage.
Tyrese and Samantha filed for divorce in September 2020, three years after tying the knot.
According to DailyMail, the 'Fast and Furious' star said that he wanted to be married to Lee, who was a social worker, until he had "no teeth in my mouth."
"I was up there with the Care Bears. I'm such a sucker for love, the sanctuary of marriage and anyone who is in love, it doesn't matter what race, nationality or sexual preference. There was nothing better than the beauty of love. And to have my marriage to just kind of go up in smoke right before my eyes has been very challenging for me,” Tyrese explained.
Tyrese took to music to process his bitter split, channeling his emotions into songs for his upcoming double album 'Beautiful Pain'. It had to be delayed, however, as the singer divulged that he could not "mentally keep pushing through" singing about his divorce.
'Beautiful Pain' is the follow up to 'Black Rose' which Tyrese released in 2015, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Legal tussle over child support
The Tyrese Gibson and Samantha Lee divorce has been marred with court battles over child support for the couple's four year old daughter, Soraya Lee.
“You know what happens in the courtroom. You know what happens when the lawyers get involved? It's about money. It's about all the other stuff, and it just gets nasty. And the kids and the separation,” the singer stated.
In April 2023, Tyrese was ordered by a judge to pay back child support amounting to nearly $250,000 to Samantha, along with her attorney fees of $400,000. This came eight months after he was told to pay $10,690 a month in child support, which Tyrese had refused back then.
Who has Tyrese Gibson been married to?
Tyrese has had two marriages till now and one child from each marriage.
He was married to Norma Gibson from 2007 to 2009, with whom he has a sixteen-year-old daughter named Shayla Somer Gibson. The star got married to Samantha Lee in 2017, with whom he had his second child, the now four-year-old Soraya Lee.
