Taylor Swift’s pal Jaime King revealed what is ‘scary’ about losing custody of her children amid bitter custody battle.
The White Chicks actress, 45 – who was forced to move out of her Hollywood Hills rental last month in March – got candid about the topic during Thursday’s episode of the Whine Down With Jana Kramer podcast.
It comes just two weeks after King broke her silence after losing custody of her sons James, 11, and Leo, nine – whom she shares with ex-husband Kyle Newman.
‘My duty as a mother is to protect my children. And that’s all that matters to me. This is scary,’ the star admitted to the podcast host.
Jaime then reflected on tying the knot with Newman when she was 28.
‘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.’
Taylor Swift’s pal Jaime King, 45, revealed what is ‘scary’ about losing custody of her children amid bitter custody battle; seen earlier this month in L.A.
It comes just two weeks after King broke her silence after losing custody of her sons James, 11, and Leo, nine – whom she shares with ex-husband Kyle Newman
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. You build a family with them, and, you trust them.’
Jana – who also went through a custody battle over her kids with ex Mike Caussin – agreed with her guest’s comments on the legal system.
The Hart Of Dixie star also claimed that Newman falsely represented their relationship to the court in order to gain full custody of their sons.
‘It’s terrifying, when to be able to be free means that you have to pay a very extreme price, and I’m not just talking about financially.’
Jaime further expressed, ‘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. There’s no price to pay for freedom.’
Last month in March, King was banned from being alone with her children until she has completed a mandated drug and alcohol program.
While on the podcast, the star also brought up the claims that she was ordered to undergo the program.
‘I’ve never had to think about myself as sober or not sober. I stopped using drugs at 17 or something,’ Jaime told Kramer.
‘It’s terrifying, when to be able to be free means that you have to pay a very extreme price, and I’m not just talking about financially,’ King said; Jaime seen with Swift – who is godmother to her son Leo – in 2014
‘I’ve never had to think about myself as sober or not sober. I stopped using drugs at 17 or something,’ Jaime told Kramer
A source told The Sun at the time that the actress is ‘shattered’ after losing custody and added, ‘Now that the world knows, it’s made everything that much harder. It causes a wedge in personal and work relationships.
‘She is taking it very hard to say the least. She has had demons she’s been battling for decades but her recent troubles have been exasperated by her family troubles, her career struggling and financial stress.’
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Taylor Swift's friend Jaime King breaks silence after losing custody of kids
The insider continued, ‘And I’m sure things others don’t even know about, she can be very private about what she’s going through.’
Also late last month, King broke her silence over the custody battle as well as the ugly war with her landlord.
Jaime was sued by her landlord Sheila Irani over unpaid rent in January, with documents claiming she owed around $42,580 in back rent, according to Us Weekly.
And as a result of the legal conflict, she was forced to move out of the property.
Speaking with the publication about the issue, King said the dispute has since been settled – however she did not shy away from slamming her landlord’s efforts as ‘disappointing.’
‘The situation with my landlord was resolved privately. It’s disappointing – but not surprising – to see someone try to exploit this moment for attention.
‘I am currently focused on what matters most: my children,’ insisted King, who chose her close friend Taylor Swift to be her son Leo’s godmother in 2015.
A source told The Sun at the time that the actress is ‘shattered’ after losing custody and added, ‘Now that the world knows, it’s made everything that much harder. It causes a wedge in personal and work relationships’; seen with kids and Newman in 2016
It was her first public statement since a judge ruled she must have visits with her sons supervised until she finishes six months of rehab for drugs and alcohol.
The landlord lawsuit obtained by Us Weekly alleges King has failed to pay any rent since January.
The property was rented out to King for $10,145 a month and the actress had been a tenant since April 2023, when she inked the lease.
Irani said she locked King out of the rental pending payment of rent and also claimed the Hart Of Dixie vet had been ‘maliciously’ remaining at the residence as an unlawful detainer.
In an amended court motion, King’s attorney denied Irani’s allegations and claimed the actress had been taking acting jobs to pay off the debt.
However, she has also faced ‘setbacks’ impeding her progress, with the documents noting King had recently evacuated from her home due to the LA fires. They also said she had been ‘distracted’ by the on-going custody battle with Newman.
Additionally, her lawyer added King is ‘involved in active litigation concerning the custody of her children.’
King’s lawyers also allege that Irani is ‘fully aware’ the impact an eviction could have on the star’s custody battle.
Jaime was sued by her landlord Sheila Irani over unpaid rent in January, with documents claiming she owed around $42,580 in back rent, according to Us Weekly; seen in 2022 in L.A.
‘The situation with my landlord was resolved privately. It’s disappointing – but not surprising – to see someone try to exploit this moment for attention,’ King said
The parties have have since settled the matter, with the two agreeing to several stipulations, including that Jaime move out by March 22, 2025.
King reportedly moved out of the home last month and photos showed her last personal belongings being removed from the property, per The Sun.
Real estate records have shown that her former rental has been taken by new tenants for $11,900-per-month just a week after being on the market.
According to a source, she was forced to ‘downsize’ and ‘had to find somewhere cheaper’ according to The Sun.
‘She has been struggling with her finances for years now after some failed film ventures but the custody fight and having to fight all the accusations made against her in court drained her bank accounts. She moved into a smaller space just this month.’
Jamie had previously sold her Beverly Hills home for $2million after her divorce from Kyle in 2023.
The Sun report comes after a judge awarded King’s ex Newman sole physical custody of their two young sons, according to court documents obtained by People.
The two boys with live with Newman, who will have final say on legal custody while the pair will share custody on paper amid the contentious case.
The judge said King must have her visits with her sons supervised until she finishes a mandated drug/alcohol program that lasts around six months.
King reportedly moved out of the home last month and photos showed her last personal belongings being removed from the property, per The Sun
Dailymail.com previously reached out to Newman for comment on the development.
The people approved in the supervisory role included her mother, sister, brother-in-law, and Newman’s brother Kevin, the outlet reported.
King has made repeated visits to court over the past five years with her ex-husband to litigate custody concerns. Most recently, she filed with the court for an emergency request.
Jaime filed the request to alter the agreement they made in terms of child and spousal support two years prior, People reported.
King ‘lacks the ability to pay the support,’ her attorneys said in legal docs, while Newman said King had ‘been out of compliance with the court’s child and spousal support orders for well over a year.’
Newman told the court that King would not ‘sign a judgment’ in their divorce agreement; and that she did not have the legal right to ‘rescind’ any of the court’s orders, the outlet reported.
King concurrently filed paperwork with the court requesting an emergency motion toward custody and visitation-related issues, the outlet reported, as well as a petition to prevent domestic violence.
Newman’s rep at the time denied the allegations in a statement which read: ‘This is another vicious, failed attempt of Kyle to continue his abuse of Jaime and manipulate the court system.
Amid the custody row, King said in May of 2020 that Newman had put together an ‘intervention’ for her four months earlier after informing family and friends she was having substance abuse issues.
King in legal docs said she went a facility so she could be tested and cleared as drug-and-alcohol free. She said that days in, she had been sent home after passing a substance abuse test.
Newman told the court in a filing that ‘several friends’ informed him that she had used narcotics during both of her pregnancies. He added that doctors told him that their son Leo ‘was also addicted due to her continued drug use.’
King concurrently filed paperwork with the court requesting an emergency motion toward custody and visitation-related issues, the outlet reported, as well as a petition to prevent domestic violence; seen in 2024 in Bel Air
Newman said in his court filing that on occasion, King had driven ‘under the influence’ with their children in the vehicle, People reported
He said he ‘was devastated’ to learn at the same medical appointment ‘that Leo Thames had a congenital heart defect and would need surgery to survive as soon as he was born.’
Newman said in his court filing that on occasion, King had driven ‘under the influence’ with their children in the vehicle, People reported.
King became ‘so intoxicated in front of them that they thought their mother was dying, and abandoning them for days at a time to get drunk and high instead of care for them.’
He added that ‘at one point, Jaime left Leo Thames at his doctor’s appointment with the nanny, only to be found over a half hour later at the liquor store across the street buying a bottle of alcohol.’