Jeannie Mai is refuting claims that she is acting as a “gatekeeper” of her daughter with her estranged husband, Jeezy, during their contentious divorce battle. According to multiple reports, Mai, 44, has filed a response to the rapper’s accusations that she has been keeping their daughter from spending adequate time with him.
Jeezy, born Jay Wayne Jenkins, and Mai share a 1-year-old daughter, Monaco, whom the couple welcomed in January 2022. The 46-year-old GRAMMY-nominated artist filed for divorce from the former The Real co-host in September after two years of marriage.
Court documents filed in Fulton County last month reveal that Jeezy requested a judge to “address temporary custodial arrangements” after the previously agreed-upon visitation schedule became “increasingly less feasible.”
The documents state that Monaco has been “temporarily residing” with her mother in the former couple’s Los Angeles home since he filed for divorce in September. They allege that Mai is “causing confusion and tension between the parties and is working to stifle the development” between Jeezy and their daughter. As such, the filing requests that the court “separate, structure and clearly define the parties’ temporary legal and physical custody rights and set a parenting time schedule consistent with the best interests of the Child.”
In court documents obtained by People on Tuesday, Mai’s lawyers deny the former daytime talk show host is preventing the rapper from any time with Monaco. The documents claim Mai has given Jeezy every visitation date he has requested and granted him additional time with Monaco during the Christmas holiday.
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Mai’s lawyers also emphasize her concerns for their child’s safety in the filed documents.
“It is essential to clarify that Ms. Jenkins’ insistence on reasonable safety measures being put in place, such as safely securing and locking away all firearms that have been unsecured in the past, as well as having familiarity and properly trained caregivers is absolutely not gatekeeping, but rather a responsible effort to prioritize their daughter’s well-being,” the filing read.
“These requests are grounded in Ms. Jenkins’ genuine concern for the parties’ daughter’s safety and security, especially when under the care of others and traveling across the country, and are reasonable protective measures, not an attempt to restrict Mr. Jenkins’ access to their daughter,” it continues.
The battle between Mai and Jeezy has taken a notable turn as the former couple trades accusations against one another. While Jeezy claims Mai has been keeping Monaco away from him, the Raid the Cage host strongly suggested that Jeezy engaged in infidelity during their marriage.
After Jeezy’s divorce filing, a source told ET that he and Mai weren’t on the same page when it came to “certain family values and expectations,” adding, “They had different views, and each felt like their needs weren’t being completely met.”
“Things haven’t been great between Jeannie and Jeezy for a few months,” another source told ET, “but she is still very surprised that he filed for divorce.”
In a recent interview with Jennifer Hudson, Mai shared that, although the “Put On” rapper’s filing was initially a surprise, she felt as if she was in a better space and healing.
“I think I’m doing better now,” Mai said. “I think at the time, when I found out at the same time as the rest of the world that my marriage was ending in divorce, I was gutted. Today, it’s about picking up the pieces, it’s about discovering me and being a mom to the best blessing, my little girl.”
She added, “Even though this year I met the most broken version of me, I also met the strongest version.”
“Monaco is everything, she’s everything, she’s just my whole world,” Mai gushed about her daughter to Hudson. “I think we’re present and we’re alive right now, but I think every parent can tell you that when you have a baby, you get a chance to be born again. This entire world has become a whole different place to me with different colors and sights and sounds because of Monaco. So reliving my life and reparenting myself through this little girl has been the greatest gift of my life.”
The media personality revealed that Monaco will spend her first Christmas in Mai’s hometown of San Jose, California, and will also have time with her father this holiday season.
“Monaco is going to experience all of the cultures that the melting pot San Jose has,” she shared. “I want Monaco to feel where I came from and to understand that my parents immigrated here to the Bay, straight from Vietnam and there’s so much life that came from that. We had 15 people living in a three bedroom home and she’s going to be in that home. She’s gonna see the bedroom that I grew up in, and she’s gonna watch the stars that are still glued to the ceiling from the ’90s that I have there. And she’s just gonna love seeing the history of how the family came together. I love that.”
“And we’re gonna make sure that she gets time with her dad as well,” she noted. “So that she’s really able to experience both sides of her family.”
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