NEWSArtem Chigvintsev Cuddles With His Son Matteo, 4, in First Instagram Post Since Domestic Violence Arrest, Nikki Garcia Divorce: Photos
Artem Chigvintsev is back to having fun with his son, Matteo, after a tumultuous past few months.
Artem Chigvintsev is trying to move forward after a tumultuous past few months.
The Dancing With the Stars pro returned to Instagram for the first time since he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence — and since his ex-wife Nikki Garcia filed for divorce in September.
Artem Chigvintsev shares his son, Matteo, 4, with his ex-wife Nikki Garcia.
On Sunday, December 22, Chigvintsev uploaded a video montage featuring various black-and-white photos of himself cuddled up with his and Garcia's 4-year-old son, Matteo.
The father-son duo appeared in happy, upbeat spirits, as the dad-of-one snapped selfies of the pair laughing, smiling and hugging one another.
"❤️," Chigvintsev simply captioned the post, which was paired with audio from My Sun and Stars' song "You Make Me Happy."
In the comments section of the upload, the professional dancer received supportive comments from fans who were still standing by Chigvintsev's side after his shocking arrest and divorce.
Nikki Garcia filed for divorce from Artem Chigvintsev after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.
"You are an awesome Dad. A son learns so much about life from his Father. Always hold your bond close 🙏🏽," one supporter declared, as a second social media user added: "Nothing can break a father and son bond. He’s a good father and they are rare. Stop judging these people and move on with your own lives."
"What’s even better about this post is that it’s just a Happy & Joyful post. No shading or blame.🥹 I love this peaceful life for you Artem. 🙏🏾❤️," a third follower noted, while a fourth declared, "Artem from day one has always been about Matteo and being the best dad ever. He is present and is teaching him good boundaries. I'm sad him and Nikki couldn't work but if they can co-parent peacefully then Matteo is going to grow up a very happy and secure boy."
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Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia received shared custody of their 4-year-old son, Matteo.
Others pointed out how much Chigvintsev and his son look alike, with one fan admitting, "I've never seen a boy look so much like his daddy before, identical 💙💙💙," and another stating: "It’s crazy how much he looks like you! Just beautiful together 💙."
Chigvintsev was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence at the end of August — just days after he and Garcia celebrated their second wedding anniversary.
While the charges were ultimately dropped, the retired WWE star still pulled the plug on her marriage by filing for divorce on Wednesday, September 11.
Their split was settled fast, with the exes finalizing their divorce in November during a private mediation process just two months after Garcia's filing.
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia tied the knot in 2022.
Both Garcia and Chigvintsev dropped their domestic violence restraining orders against one another and agreed to shared custody of their son.
In response to his domestic violence arrest and the dismissed charges, Chigvintsev admitted he was feeling "incredibly relieved and grateful," telling E! News in a statement: "This has been an extremely difficult time for me. I am thankful that the truth has prevailed."
Garcia opened up about her marital demise earlier this month when she returned to her and twin sister Brie's "Nikki & Brie" podcast for the first time since her split.
"The past few months, I disconnected from social media, from the world. And I just knew that I needed to disconnect, because first things first, I'm a mom and my son's protection and privacy is the most important," she expressed. "So I was going to do whatever it took for that, most importantly, and then just needing space, for healing, for facing trauma, head on, all of that. So it's been tough. It's been really tough. I've been heartbroken, sad."
