Jaime King breaks silence on losing custody of her kids: ‘It’s very upsetting’

Show Caption

Jaime King is opening up for the first time about the “terrifying” loss of custody of her two sons to ex-husband Kyle Newman

Last month, the “White Chicks” actress’ ex-husband and “Fanboys” director was awarded sole physical custody of the couple’s two children, according to a March 11 custody order filed in Los Angeles and obtained by USA TODAY. The “Hart of Dixie” star got candid during Thursday’s episode of “White Down with Jana Kramer.”

“My duty as a mother is to protect my children. And that’s all that matters to me, and this is scary,” King told host Kramer, who dealt with a highly publicized custody battle of her own with ex-husband Mike Caussin.

The model still retains legal custody of the children – James, 11, and Leo, 9 – with Newman.

Jaime King’s ex Kyle Newman awarded sole physical custody of their children

The “Pearl Harbor” actress may only have supervised visitation with the children due to not completing a six-month drug and alcohol program, with weekly testing, aftercare and a 12-step program, according to the filing.

“I just didn’t know when I got married at a young age. I just didn’t know that the world works like this. I didn’t know that legal systems work like this,” King added. “And not to sound like some kind of neophyte, but I thought that, you know, when you choose to love someone, then you love that person.”

King continued, with comments aimed at Newman, whom she married in 2007 and split from in 2020: “You build a family with them, and you trust them and sometimes it’s not always that way.” She added that “it’s very upsetting” and she doesn’t speak about the “terrifying” situation because “I never wanted my children to think any part of them was wrong.”

Jaime King, ex-husband Kyle Newman split in May 2020

During the podcast episode, King added that navigating the legal situation is “almost like politics,” encouraging people to “be kind and tell the truth.”

The actress filed for divorce from the producer in May 2020, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized in May of last year. At the time, she requested joint physical and legal custody as well as spousal support.

The children will live with Newman, and King is allowed supervised visitation two to three times a week in specific blocks, until the court orders otherwise, according to the March 11 filing.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman