NEWSJaime King Vows to Always 'Protect Her Kids' Despite Losing Sole Custody of Her Sons in Messy Divorce Battle
Jaime King vowed to 'protect' her kids as she opened up about losing sole custody in her messy divorce battle.
Jaime King is opening up about the heartbreak of losing sole custody of her sons amid her ongoing divorce from ex-husband Kyle Newman.
The White Chicks actress recently joined the “Whine Down with Jana Kramer” podcast, where she got candid about her emotional legal fight over sons James, 11, and Leo, 9.
Jaime King lost sole custody of her two sons.
"My duty as a mother is to protect my children. And that's all that matters to me. This is scary," King admitted. "I just didn't know when I got married at a young age. I just didn't know that that the world works like this. I didn't know that legal systems work like this.”
"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," King said of Newman, whom she married back in 2007.
Podcast host Jana Kramer, who’s had her own legal battle over custody with ex-husband Mike Caussin, related to King’s frustration.
"I agree with you on the legal system,” she told her.
"I've been in abusive relationships in the past and, you know, even from the comments to the system, it's very messed up, and what they do to women and how they can turn it on us is mind-blowing,” the One Tree Hill star added.
Jaime King said her job as a mom is to 'protect her kids.'
King went on to say she felt completely misunderstood — and claimed that Newman used her past against her in court to gain the upper hand.
She filed for divorce from Newman in May 2020 after 13 years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
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At the time, King accused him of being aggressive and emotionally manipulative. Though their divorce was finalized in September 2023, the case included serious allegations, including substance abuse. Newman claimed King was a "chronic drug addict and alcoholic."
The actress accused her ex-husband of using her past against her.
"I've never had to think about myself as sober or not sober. I stopped using drugs at 17 or something," King explained, noting that she never addressed the rehab rumors out of respect for her kids’ privacy. She was reportedly ordered to attend a six-month rehab program as part of the custody case.
In March 2025, the court granted Newman sole physical custody after King allegedly didn’t complete the court-mandated rehab and parenting program.
She still gets to see her sons — but only under supervision. Approved supervisors include her mom, sister and brother-in-law.
Jaime King filed to divorce Kyle Newman in 2020.
Now, the Black Summer actress is calling for serious change in how the legal system handles custody and family matters.
"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,” she vented.
"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." King vowed.
