Jesse Williams has been making headlines for his rumoured marriage to Alejandra Onieva. Amid that, let’s take a quick look at his marriage and messy divorce with his first wife, Aryn Drake-Lee.
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Juhi Sharma
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Jesse Williams has been hogging the headlines for his rumoured marriage to the Spanish actress, Alejandra Onieva. The two allegedly started dating in late 2025, while shooting for their series, Hotel Costiera. While the news has not yet been confirmed, speculation has brought the limelight back to Williams’ first marriage to Aryn Drake-Lee.
Yes! Jesse Williams was previously married to Aryn Drake-Lee and even shares two children, Sadie and Maceo, with her. Recent speculation has brought their relationship and the messy divorce that followed into the limelight. So, as we wait for the confirmation of Williams and Alejandra Onieva’s rumoured marriage, let’s take a look at what happened between him and Drake-Lee.
Aryn Drake-Lee was once Jesse Williams’ ride or die
Before things collapsed between Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee, their bond was absolutely solid. The couple tied the knot in 2012, after meeting in NYC while the actor worked as a schoolteacher. In a conversation with USA Today, Williams reflected on how important Drake-Lee was for him and stated:
“She’s been with me through all different facets of my career. She’s stuck with me through thick and thin and thick and thin. We know each other in and out.”
Jesse William accused Aryn Drake-Lee of not letting him see his kids
image credit: Paul Redmond/WireImage
Jesse Williams filed for divorce in April 2017, and things became messy extremely quickly. In June 2017, Williams claimed that Aryn Drake-Lee had rejected every request he had made about their children. While Drake-Lee’s lawyer claimed that her client was only trying to protect the children’s privacy and called Williams out for drawing “public attention to this difficult time and transition for their family”, the actor told Us Weekly:
“Aryn restricts my time with the children and decides when and for how long I may have them. She has rejected, without any reason, each and every request I have made to have the children sleep over at my residence.”
What led to Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee’s divorce?
Jesse Williams filed for divorce 18 months after the couple welcomed their son, Maceo. At the time, Us Weekly reported that it was an amicable decision to part ways, though the reason for their split was not disclosed. The divorce was finalised three years later, in October 2020. However, while their relationship ended, the couple’s battle over their children lasted a long time.
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Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee’s battle for joint custody
image credit: Jesse Grant / WireImage
Williams and Drake-Lee could not come to terms with the custody of their children. While the actor alleged that Drake-Lee was restricting his access to their kids, his then-estranged wife filed for sole custody of them, alleging Williams’ unpredictable work schedule as the reason. A court document from August 2017 read:
“Jesse would ‘join in’ when he was available and home, but he rarely took care of the children without my or [the nanny] Martiza’s help and presence. Jesse became distant, secretive and was home less and less, travelling for unexplained reasons while telling the kids, ‘Daddy is at work.’ Another factor in their stability is to prevent the children from seeing a revolving door of intimate partners.”
The cheating buzz around Jesse Williams
Williams addressed the rumours around infidelity during his appearance in Jay-Z’s Footnotes segment for the track, 4:44 in July 2017. He responded to the allegation, stating that it was not a short-term relationship, but rather something that lasted over a decade. While he didn’t take any names, he added:
“All of a sudden motherfuckers are writing think-pieces that I somehow threw a 13-year relationship, like the most painful experience I’ve had in my life, like with a person I’ve loved with all of my heart, that I threw a person and my family in the trash because a girl I work with is cute.”
Parenting classes and allegations of erratic behaviour
image credit: NULL/Splash News
Amid their divorce drama and their messy co-parenting relationship, Williams and Drake-Lee were ordered to take classes for “high conflict parents” in March 2021. The six-session online course was alleged to help separated couples learn conflict resolution skills to ease tension after divorce. However, it seems like things hardly got any better for the couple as in February 2022, Williams accused his ex-wife of “repeated violation of court orders” and “erratic, gatekeeping behaviour” in legal documents obtained by Us Weekly. He called Drake-Lee out for becoming “increasingly controlling and restrictive” of his time with their children and alleged that she had “manic outbursts” in front of the children.
The USD 100,000 monthly child support
Apart from their divorce and custody, Williams and Drake-Lee also found themselves at odds about their finances. In July 2018, Williams was ordered to pay more than USD 100,000 in child and spousal support to Drake-Lee. The following year, she requested that William pay her USD 200,000 for legal fees and for a forensic accountant whom she had hired to review her finances ahead of trial. When their divorce was finalised, Williams’ child support was reduced to USD 40,000 per month, with the agreement that he was no longer responsible for paying spousal support.
image credit: Fernando Ramales/BACKGRID
In February 2022, Drake-Lee took the case to court once again to reduce Williams’ visitation with the kids as he prepared to star in Take Me Out in March 2022. However, the request was denied. In March 2022, Williams took to court, urging them to reduce his monthly child support payments as his salary had decreased following his exit from Grey’s Anatomy. He revealed that his paycheck comes to USD 1,668 per week, a huge difference from his previous salary on the ABC series.
Jesse Williams got sole custody of his children’s health
In 2025, Williams was awarded sole custody of Sadie and Maceo and their healthcare. However, he will be required to inform Drake-Lee of all the decisions and changes. In court documents obtained by In Touch, Williams and Drake-Lee also agreed to share physical custody of their kids on alternating weeks.
image credit: Fernando Ramales/BACKGRID, ijessewilliams/IG
What are your thoughts on Jesse Williams’ divorce from Aryn Drake-Lee?
Next Read: Meet Jesse Williams’ Alleged Wife, Alejandra Onieva, All About The Actress Amid Secret Marriage Buzz
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