Christina Haack and Ant Anstead’s Battle Over Son Hudson: Everything We Know About Ant’s Custody Claim, Christina’s Response

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Christina Haack and Ant Anstead's Battle Over Son Hudson: Everything We Know About Ant's Custody Claim, Christina's Response

Not holding back. Ant Anstead is unhappy with his and Christina Hall's (née Haack) custody agreement over their 2-year-old son Hudson. The Wheeler Dealers host, 43, filed a petition seeking full custody of their toddler with an Orange County, California, court on April 28, Us Weekly confirmed at the time. Anstead, who was married to Hall for two years before their September 2020 split, previously agreed to joint custody of Hudson, but has since changed his mind. (The exes welcomed their son in September 2019, after walking down the aisle nearly one year prior.) The British TV personality — who also shares daughter Amelie and son Archie with ex-wife Louise Storey — called out Haack for her alleged poor parenting in the April filing. He claimed that the Flip or Flop alum, who shares daughter Taylor and son Brayden with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa, hasn’t been creating the safest environment for Hudson since their breakup. In fact, Anstead alleged that in January, Hall returned Hudson to him without disclosing that the child had tested positive for COVID-19. [jwplayer ZRI4ZKof-zhNYySv2] "At the time, my partner [Renée Zellweger] was filming her new project and her covid diagnosis placed the whole production on pause,” he stated in the April court documents obtained by TMZ. Anstead proceeded to call into question Hall's ability to safely parent Hudson, referencing her past use of the hallucinogenic Bufo Alvarius toad venom as an example of her being unfit to care for the little one. The Wellness Remodel coauthor previously revealed via Instagram in July 2021 that she “smoked a Bufo toad” while on her journey of self-discovery. It "basically reset my brain and kicked out years of anxiety in 15 mins,” she said of the experience. Anstead’s filing for sole custody comes days after the Christina: Stronger by Design star revealed that she and new husband Joshua Hall had moved from Dana Point to Newport Beach, California, as a family. Us confirmed in early April that Christina and Joshua had recently tied the knot after getting engaged in September 2021. After news broke of Anstead’s custody petition, Christina told Us in a statement on April 28 that she is “deeply” saddened by his course of action in the matter. “I am a good mom and I love my children with all my heart,” she noted. Scroll down to see what we know so far about Anstead and Christina's custody battle: [podcast_block]

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When Did They Tie the Knot?

The duo got married in December 2018 after a whirlwind romance.

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When Did They Split?

The twosome announced their breakup in September 2020 after nearly two years of marriage. Christina filed for divorce two months later.

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When Was the Divorce Finalized?

Us confirmed in June 2021 that the former couple’s divorce was finalized with the pair agreeing at the time to share custody of Hudson.

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When Did Ant File for Sole Custody?

Us confirmed in April 2022 that the British TV presenter filed for a change of custody, requesting on April 28 that the Orange County court grant his full custody over their 2-year-old.

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How Did Christina Respond?

"What Ant is doing deeply saddens me. If this was really about Hudson, as he says, this should have been handled privately with a private judge or mediation, as myself and my attorney have suggested,” the mother of three told Us in a statement in April 2022. “I have had my share of ups and downs but I am a good mom and I love my children with all my heart and I will always protect them.”

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What Did Ant Claim About Christina's Parenting?

In court docs obtained by TMZ in April 2022, Anstead alleged that the Christina on the Coast star has been gone a lot during Hudson’s first two years. He claimed that Christina has spent an average of “nine full days each month” with the toddler over the past 20 months.

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Has Social Media Played a Factor?

Anstead asked the judge in his April 2022 filing to make his ex-wife stop slamming him on social media, including in her paid posts. He claimed that the HGTV star blasts him online when she has Hudson with her.

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What Did Ant Allege About Christina?

The England native claimed in court docs that in early April 2022 Hudson returned home with a massive sunburn after Christina allegedly didn’t take proper care of him when he was staying at her home.

“He’s really badly burnt,” Anstead wrote via a text exchange he included in the file, to which Christina replied, “It didn’t feel hot” when he was playing soccer with her other kids. “Give him some Tylenol, I’m sure it will be better tomorrow,” she added per the texts.

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Did Christina Share Any Cryptic Posts?

“When a toxic person can no longer control you, they will try to control how others see you,” Christina wrote via her Instagram in April 2022, quoting Jill Blakeway. “The misinformation will feel unfair, but you stay above it, trusting that other people will eventually see the truth just like you did.”

The real estate guru shared the message alongside another quote by JmStorm that read: “She will test you. And see what you’re made of, just by being herself because the nature of a strong woman will identify who a man really is.”

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Was Ant Awarded Full Custody?

Us confirmed the Orange County Superior Court in California rejected Anstead's request for full custody on the same day he filed, with a judge arguing that there was "insufficient" evidence against the HGTV star. The exes scheduled a hearing for June 28, 2022.

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How Did Christina React to Ant's Claims?

The Unbroken Productions cofounder filed a response in April 2022 to Anstead’s plea for sole custody of their son, denying his claims of her being an unfit parent.

“I have read the declaration of Mr. Anstead and was shocked to see the false allegations against me,” she stated in court documents obtained by Us. “And his belief that he has been failing to protect our son by sharing custodial time with me. I will not speculate as to his true motivations, but Hudson’s best interest is not what is motivating his application to the Court.”

She claimed that Anstead’s allegations of her spending minimal time with Hudson over the past year is just an attempt “to smear my good name and tarnish my image.” Christina gave specific reasons as to why her time was shortened with Hudson, including the fact that in December 2021 she only spent 14 days with him so that Anstead could have Hudson while his other kids were in town.

She insisted that Anstead didn’t take into account “any day wherein we exchange our son as a custodial day for me” when claiming she was absent. “He also counts days where I made an accommodation or gave a right of first refusal to him as his day. That is why there is a huge discrepancy in his mind from our accurate schedule,” Christina added. “His attempt to mislead the court is transparent when presented with the true facts.”

Credit: Courtesy of Christina Haack/Instagram

What Did They Post on Social Media?

Ant appeared to take a dig at his ex-wife in May 2022, when he claimed that Christina used their son as a "puppet" on social media. "Being a kid and capturing organic moments in the footsteps of a toddler I’m all in favour of! It’s a lovely diary to keep and look back on. But being a puppet “used” for commercial gain and being made to perform makes my stomach sick. The two are of course very different x x," he wrote via Instagram in response to a comment asking about him sharing photos of Hudson online.

The following day, Christina posted a photo of Hudson holding hands with his older half-brother Brayden on Instagram. "Occasionally Instagram is reality," she wrote, seemingly in response to Ant's claims that she made Hudson "perform" in Instagram photos. "Brotherly love 🙏."

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What Are Ant's Goals?

In May 2022, Anstead responded to a social media user who accused him of wanting to "take away" Hudson from his mother. "Huh? Who told you that?" the England native wrote via Instagram. "That's the LAST thing I want!"

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What Holiday Schedule Do They Have?

While celebrating Memorial Day weekend in 2022, the former couple each shared photos individually spending quality time with their son as they kicked off the summer season.

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Is There a Court Update?

Anstead filed a court declaration ahead of the duo's September 2022 custody hearing in which he accused his ex-wife of exploiting Hudson in social media posts and on her TV shows. “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 wrote. “I urge the courts to review the recent and tragic case of Kailia Posey and a defining embarrassing meme.” Posey, a Toddlers & Tiaras alum, died by suicide in May 2022 at age 16.

Christina fired back in her own declaration, denying the allegation that she had exploited Hudson for any business purposes. “The allegation that I am ‘exploiting’ our son is truly offensive and simply untrue," she wrote. "After seeing what Ant has written in his Supplemental Declaration it is clear that his motivation is not Hudson’s best interest. ... I have never exploited our son Hudson. 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. These were organic moments in Hudson’s eyes. Nothing was forced and they were filmed with a cell phone, not a production team.”

Credit: Courtesy of Christina Haack/Instagram

Did Christina and Ant Come to an Agreement About Hudson’s Public Persona?

“I am mentally exhausted over the recent false accusations against me. Hudson’s father has made attempts to turn my family, friends and fans against me through manipulation tactics and false information,” she wrote via Instagram in October 2022. "This has had great impact on me and my household. Because of this, I have made the decision to no longer feature Hudson on Instagram, my tv shows or any social platforms until he is old enough to make this decision for himself.

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Did the Exes Settle Their Custody Case?

The twosome reached a legal agreement in November 2022, settling their custody battle and canceling their March 2023 trial. According to court docs, the pair will "continue to have joint legal and joint physical custody" and will alternate spending major holidays with Hudson, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.