Tyrese Gibson Seeks Arrest Warrant for Ex-Wife in Bitter Custody Battle
Samantha Lee Gibson says Tyrese knew about the Oregon move in advance — and insists their parenting plan didn’t require his permission.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
September 30, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Tyrese Gibson is seeking an arrest warrant for ex-wife Samantha Lee Gibson, alleging she violated their parenting agreement by moving their daughter Soraya from Georgia to Oregon and obstructing visitation.
- Samantha says Tyrese knew about the move in advance, argues that her primary-custody status and their court orders did not require his permission, and claims he rarely used all his parenting time.
- The custody fight follows years of financial disputes, including Tyrese’s brief 2024 detention over unpaid child support and a 2025 effort by Samantha’s attorneys to collect nearly $492,000 in alleged legal fees.
Tyrese Gibson’s ongoing custody battle with his ex-wife has taken another turn, with the actor now seeking an arrest warrant against Samantha Lee Gibson over allegations that she violated their parenting agreement by moving their daughter across the country.
According to court documents that TMZ obtained, the Fast & Furious star alleges that Samantha’s decision to relocate their daughter, Soraya, from Georgia to Oregon in September 2025 was “premeditated.” He also accuses her of failing to facilitate visitation, despite a parenting agreement the former couple had reached just one month before the move.
Samantha isn’t backing down. She has opposed the warrant, maintaining that she has primary custody of Soraya and accusing Tyrese of misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s relocation. According to her response, Tyrese knew about the move well in advance, and she never attempted to conceal her plans.
But the disagreement over Soraya’s move began well before the latest filing. In August 2025, Samantha informed Tyrese that she intended to relocate to Oregon, explaining that the decision followed considerable prayer and reflection. She also suggested that living closer to his Los Angeles home could make extended visits easier.
Tyrese rejected the proposal in a September message. “No, Samantha. No way. No how. I do not agree,” he wrote, insisting that their previous discussions about Soraya’s schooling applied only to Atlanta and its surrounding communities.
He also argued that the move would separate Soraya from her older half-sister, Shayla, who was preparing to attend college in Atlanta. “If God is leading you to Portland, then He is leading you — not Soraya,” Tyrese told Samantha.
Samantha subsequently disputed his account, alleging that he had not exercised all his allotted parenting time in Georgia and regularly relied on a nanny to care for Soraya. She maintained that neither their original parenting plan nor their revised July 2025 court order required his permission to relocate.
The former couple married in 2017, welcomed Soraya in 2018, and separated in 2020. Samantha was awarded primary custody in 2023, but disagreements over their daughter’s care have continued alongside a separate financial dispute.
In 2023, a Georgia judge ordered Tyrese to pay approximately $238,000 in outstanding child support and $399,000 in attorney’s fees. He was briefly taken into custody in September 2024 after being held in contempt over unpaid support.
A revised agreement subsequently reduced his monthly child support obligation to $5,500. However, the financial proceedings continued, with Samantha’s attorneys seeking to have him jailed in July 2025 over nearly $492,000 in allegedly outstanding legal fees.
