A bump in the read. Amid their ongoing custody case, Ant Anstead and Christina Hall (née Haack) previously attended a 12-hour private meditation that didn’t help them successfully reach a conclusion.
Us Weekly can confirm that earlier this month, Anstead, 42, and Hall, 39, spent half a day discussing their custody issues but “were unable to reach” an agreement. The case had another hearing on Tuesday, September 27, where Hall’s attorneys filed for an extension. According to a source, the former couple “agreed” to postpone the court appearance, which is why the California native was not in attendance on Tuesday.
The car builder, for his part, filed a declaration expressing his concerns about his son’s image being used on social media and for paid content. In court documents obtained by Us, Anstead questioned Hudson’s exposure to reality television through his mother.
“The risks for a child working on a television production set (even if that ‘set’ is Christina’s home) are innumerable and well documented,” he detailed in a declaration about his ex-wife’s upcoming reality series. “Putting aside the obvious pressures of working within a TV production environment, children involved in television production often have lingering issues that affect their welfare, worldview, and self-image, leaving them diminished and dependent upon the perceived approval of others for their self-worth.”
In the paperwork, the U.K. native noted that he supported Hall sharing custody with him, adding, “It is my goal to ensure that Hudson is allowed a childhood that is joyful, healthy, and natural, with as few stresses as possible, and this should be prioritized above creating commercial opportunity and content.”
The motor specialist also used Kailia Posey’s passing as an example of a child star being affected by their time on social media.
“One of my many fears of Hudson being forced to film reality TV is the possibility that public ridicule over seemingly benign content becomes insurmountably humiliating,” he stated, referring to the Toddlers & Tiaras alum’s death by suicide at the age of 16 in May. “I urge the courts to review the recent and tragic case of Kailia Posey and a defining embarrassing meme.”
Hall, for her part, slammed her ex-husband’s claims about her parenting. (She also shares daughter Taylor, 12, and son Brayden, 7, with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa.)
“I have read the Supplemental Declaration of Anthony ‘Ant’ Anstead and was shocked to see that Ant is continuing to make false allegations against me,” the Flip or Flop alum wrote in a declaration filed on Tuesday. “The allegation that I am ‘exploiting’ our son is truly offensive and simply untrue. After seeing what Ant has written in his Supplemental Declaration it is clear that his motivation is not Hudson’s best interest.”
The interior designer denied that she ever “exploited” her child with Anstead. “He appeared in a few of my own Instagram ads that each took less than 5 minutes to film. I have all the footage and they were all fun activities that he enjoyed doing, such as a playing with toys or making cookies,” she continued. “These were organic moments in Hudson’s eyes. Nothing was forced and they were filmed with a cell phone, not a production team.”
The Christina in the Country host accused Anstead of being the parent who plans to use their son for content. “Anyone experienced in social media will recognize Ant’s pattern of posting our son using a product and tagging the product manufacturer as ‘fishing’ for endorsements,” she shared in the legal docs. “Ant is not currently on television and puts a lot of effort into Instagram since that is his only platform.”
Earlier this year, the Celebrity IOU: Joyride host requested full custody of their child. (He also shares daughter Amelie, 18, and son Archie, 15, with ex-wife Louise Anstead.) The petition was later dismissed.
The next court date is set for March 2023.
With reporting by Diana Cooper
