Tyrese Gibson goes to prison for failure to pay child support

A judge in the US state of Georgia on Monday ordered actor and singer Tyrese Gibson to serve a prison sentence for failing to pay child support.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin M. Farmer found Gibson, the star of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, in contempt of court for failing to pay more than $73,000 in child support, according to an arrest warrant obtained by NBC News.

“The court hereby orders that the defendant be taken into custody and detained until he can clear himself of his contempt of court by paying the remedial amount or until further order of the court,” court records state.

Gibson, 45, owed $73,525.73 in child support, according to the order.

A lawyer representing Gibson declined to comment. Representatives of Gibson were not immediately available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

It is unclear whether and for how long Gibson was detained. He posted a story on his Instagram page in which he apparently confirmed his arrest.

“Being arrested was not easy… Actually, it was very traumatic…” he said. He then asked why the judge and his ex-wife's lawyer hated him so much.

Gibson's ex-wife, Samantha Gibson, also known as Samantha Lee, filed for divorce in 2020. Court records in the case indicate that he is appealing the payment of $10,690 per month in child support, which is the amount he was already paying in child support for another child from a different relationship, according to court records.

Gibson did not appear in the Fulton County Jail's inmate database Tuesday. Attempts to reach jail staff were unsuccessful.

According to court documents, Gibson and his ex-wife have a daughter who was born in 2018.

Samantha Gibson's attorney, Adam Gleklen, said Tuesday that she does not want her ex-husband to go to prison, but that he has very rarely paid full child support since late 2022.

“Mr. Gibson has chosen not to comply with the court's child support order and has now been charged with willful contempt of court for the third time,” Gleklen said in a statement. “He has only paid full child support three times in 20 months.”

Less than 10 minutes after the judge ordered Gibson's prison sentence, his lawyers appealed the decision, Gleklen said.