Category: Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams joins Only Murders in the Building season three

Post author By celebrityabout
Post date October 27, 2022

Jesse Williams is certainly staying “booked and busy” with some buzzy projects. Despite significant personal drama involving custody and child support, he has a lot going on professionally. He left Grey’s Anatomy, but keeps returning for guest and directing spots; he had a small role in Little Fires Everywhere, which might have led to a role in another Reese Witherspoon movie; he was nominated for a Tony and images of his dong were stolen and splashed across the Internet to much ado; and now he’s been cast in third season of the best show ever: Only Murders in the Building.

Jesse Williams has been cast in Season 3 of “Only Murders in the Building.”

Williams will recur as a documentarian with a particular interest in the case that Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) are working on.

The series follows three unlikely friends who live in the same building in New York City and bond over their love of true crime when they find themselves in the middle of a real-life murder mystery and begin recording a podcast of their own. In Season 1, they investigate the death of their neighbor Tim Kono, while Season 2 saw them investigate after finding their building’s board president Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell) murdered. Along with Williams, Gomez, Martin and Short, Season 3 also stars Paul Rudd.

Williams is best known for starring in 12 seasons of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Jackson Avery, with other prominent credits including “The Cabin in the Woods,” “Little Fires Everywwhere,” “Brooklyn’s Finest” and “Secret Headquarters.” On stage, he had his Broadway debut in the 2022 revival of “Take Me Out.” Behind the camera, he’s produced projects including Blitz Bazawule’s “The Burial of Kojo” and the Oscar-winning short film “Two Distant Strangers.” Alongside Norman Lear, Williams served as senior producer and correspondent on the Epix docuseries “America Divided.” Up next, he’ll star with Reese Witherspoon in “Your Place or Mine.”

[From Variety]

Despite my disappointment with and dislike of Jesse personally, I can admit this is a great career move and really good casting. Jesse could definitely do justice to a documentarian sniffing around the trio and their latest case. I do like him in his acting roles and rewatching Grey’s lately has reminded me that he is really great at playing that sort of privileged, slightly pretentious character. I know a lot of journalists and they can be a little pretentious, particularly documentarians and podcasters. Anyway, Jesse will be great at portraying that type and he has pretty good comedic delivery/timing from his role on Grey’s. He has a few funny lines from it that come to mind. Also, being on a cast with the three main characters, Paul Rudd, and whoever else they pull in for season 3 will look great on Jesse’s IMDB. I wonder if he’ll strike up friendships with the rest of the much-beloved cast. He could definitely stand to take a few pointers from Selena Gomez with her pristine reputation and world-class PR team. Only Murders obviously films in New York — I guess he’ll be away from his kids for even longer…

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Tags careers, casting, Jesse Williams

Careers Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams teases return to Grey’s: ‘that’s very possible’

Post author By celebrityabout
Post date October 17, 2022

Jesse Williams is busy. He’s in the middle of the second run of Take Me Out, the Broadway show that resulted in his leaked nudes and a Tony nomination. He gets to have his little kids fly across the country to visit him for long weekends each month. He’s invoking his kids as part of his partnership with the fire prevention company, Kidde. And he may or may not be returning to Grey’s Anatomy after departing in season 17 after 11 years.

Jesse Williams could soon be scrubbing back in at Grey Sloan.

In an exclusive interview with E! News, the actor teased some heart-stopping news: A possible return to Grey’s Anatomy.

While we last checked in with Jackson Avery during the season 18 finale after moving to Boston, the actor exclusively told E! that the surgeon might make a stop out west one day. When asked whether he’d make a guest appearance to train the new interns, Williams responded coyly, saying, “I think that’s very possible.”

“Don’t want to get sniped in here,” he continued, looking off-camera, “But I think it’s very likely that they’ll be a way that Jackson will emerge one way or another.” We’re in need of resuscitation!

Williams added that he’s “spent some time” with the new class of Grey’s Anatomy interns, and that the experience of working with them was nostalgic as a former Grey’s intern himself.

“It reminded me of when I came in in a crop of four residents that had to learn the ropes,” he said. “They were kinda fumbling and figuring it out—both as actors and as characters, figuring out their role in this big, intimidating space. So it was really great to work with them. They’re all talented and offer something different.”

Williams starred on the long-running medical drama from seasons six through 17, ultimately leaving in May 2021 after reuniting with on-screen love interest Sarah Drew. Since his departure, Williams starred in the Broadway revival of Take Me Out, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

And although Williams revealed there are no concrete plans for a “Japril” spin-off in the future—with the actor citing both himself and Drew’s busy schedules—he’s certainly interested in the possibility.

[From E! News]

I’m not surprised he’s coming back. As he said in his court docs, Broadway doesn’t pay well and he has to maintain his lifestyle somehow. Also, production clearly really likes him. Aside from Sandra Oh’s Cristina Yang, Jesse’s Jackson Avery character got the second most graceful/thoughtful exit of a series regular. (Alex Karev deserved better and I’m still mad about that). But they really did leave the door open for Jesse to return, and return he did in the season 18 finale. Sarah Drew had already hinted that Jesse would be back this season and God knows the show needs some old faves to keep things interesting considering that even the titular character won’t be around much anymore. Jesse also did an interview with Variety about the return of Take Me Out, the nude leak, watching himself on Grey’s, and hitting the gym. Also, I snarked before, but truly no shade about the fire safety partnership. It seems like an organic partnership for him knowing that his brother is a firefighter and he is raising awareness about the disproportionate impact of house fires on the Black community. Jesse’s activism is never the problem.

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Tags careers, Jesse Williams

Custody battles Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams granted visitation with his LA-based children in New York

Post author By celebrityabout
Post date October 5, 2022

Last we talked about Jesse Williams, he’d asked for an emergency hearing about his children’s visitation schedule while he is performing on Broadway. His ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, had taken issue with the schedule of flying the two elementary school-aged children across the country during the school year for what essentially amounts to a weekend visit. As I wrote at the time, flying across the country for just a four-day trip is A LOT for an adult, much less a child. However, the court doesn’t agree and has overruled Aryn’s request, awarding visitation to Jesse in New York, I guess, designed to accommodate his schedule.

Jesse Williams has been granted various visitation days with his kids in New York City, overruling ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee’s previous request to keep their children in Los Angeles.

The Grey’s Anatomy star and the real estate agent, both 41, were together for over 10 years and married for five before he filed for divorce in April 2017. The two share daughter Sadie, 8, and son Maceo, 7.

According to new court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Williams and Drake-Lee appeared in court on Sept. 30 where the actor was awarded his requested custodial visits with his children while he temporarily moves to N.Y.C. from Los Angeles this fall to reprise his Tony-nominated role in the Broadway revival of Take Me Out. (A previous court order granted Williams custody during his spring run in the play that allowed him four consecutive days a month in N.Y. with his children.)

While Drake-Lee previously argued against Williams’ visitation in N.Y., the court awarded that their two kids can visit the actor in N.Y. on specific days in October, November and December.

The court also ordered 10 sessions of co-parenting counseling for Williams and Drake-Lee.

The order also stated that “each party is restrained from making derogatory remarks about the other party, either directly or indirectly to the minor children, nor allow any third party to do so.”

In addition, the judge ordered that Williams and Drake-Lee are not to “discuss this case with or in front of the minor children nor allow anyone else to do so” or use their children as “a messenger to deliver messages to the other parent.”

“The parties shall not ask excessive questions or interrogate the children about what happened while when in the other parents’ custody,” the order stated.

The judge also ordered that neither Williams or Drake-Lee may “post derogatory remarks about the other party that the minor children can see in social media.”

Following the hearing, Drake-Lee appeared to make her feelings about the matter public, sharing an Instagram post about long-distance visitation.

“It turns out the court does think it’s good for children to regularly fly on overnight flights to accommodate a parent who won’t do the same for them,” she wrote. “Who knew? I knew…Those of us who walk this path know what it is and know what we need to do to protect ourselves and our babes to the best of our ability.”

“Every day we show up and do what’s needed despite the circumstances. I know I journey this road with my head held high and my integrity in tact. Let’s see how long it takes for the usual suspects to leak targeted language and storylines painting a particular party as the victim,” she added.

[From People]

I guess it’s good that the court has also ordered that the former couple attend co-parent counseling and can’t make derogatory remarks about each other on social media. Aryn has continued to post, but nothing about it has been derogatory. In fact, everything she’s written has been fairly neutral and rather restrained. Whereas Jesse has behaved shadily from start to finish, but while hiding behind his team and TMZ and his pretty eyes. I was honestly surprised about the sympathy for him. Normal people stay in jobs to support their families and the idea that the children should suddenly make do with much less so he could pursue ~art~ was mind-boggling to me. Perhaps the sheer numbers were influencing opinions, so instead imagine suddenly dropping from $4,000/month to $750. That’s a dramatic decline/change in lifestyle. And I guess Aryn understands that a lot of people are giving her Kim K’s “get your f-ing ass up and work” attitude so she posted a history of her support of Jesse and their family before his career took off. When they met, she was the more established one and poured years of money and effort into him. Hopefully, Jesse eventually comes to his senses and appropriately supports his children instead of viewing it as paying his ex-wife, but it seems like he won’t and the courts and men’s rights’ media like TMZ are helping him get away with it.

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Custody battles Divorces Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams’ ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee: I have stayed quiet far too long

Post author By celebrityabout
Post date September 16, 2022

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Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee’s divorce and custody drama has been dragging on since 2017. Wow, it was like a completely different world back then. Jesse has been making headlines for, ah, other things, lately, but the settlement stuff has quietly been simmering behind the scenes this whole time. They reached a custody and support settlement in 2019, but Jesse last year petitioned for a support reduction due to his changed income after willingly leaving the comfort of network TV for Broadway. (Though he was in an episode of Grey’s last season and is scheduled to be in at least one this season according to IMDB and Sarah Drew).

Now Jesse’s asked for an emergency hearing over custody due to his upcoming second run of Take Me Out in New York, while Aryn and the children are based in LA. He says she’s violating the court order and causing emotional damage; she posted on Instagram that she’s going to be silent no more and has receipts.

As RadarOnline.com first reported, this week, Jesse asked for an emergency hearing after Aryn refused to agree to let their two children fly out to New York to see him while he performs on Broadway in the hit Take Me Out.

Jesse said Aryn would not agree which led to him running to court. He explained, “I recently agreed to perform in the second run of Take Me Out starting in October 2022 and ending in January 2023. The play is set to start in October 2022 and run through at least January 2023. I am returning to New York in early October to start rehearsals. I asked Aryn to honor the Court’s prior order so I can continue to spend quality time with our children while I am in New York. Aryn refused.”

The actor claimed Aryn’s violations of the court order had caused both him and their children emotional damage.

Hours after RadarOnline.com broke the story, Aryn posted a photo of herself on the beach. She didn’t hold back writing, “Is it good for the health and wellness of a 7yr and 8yr old to be taken out of school on a regular basis to fly cross country overnight on a red eye to be on the ground for two days? Is it reasonable for them to return dazed and confused and then be expected to pick right up and survive at school the rest of the week?”

She continued, “I don’t think so! Neither do any of the parents who actually parent on a routine basis. There’s a name for the condition of an adult who expects their children to indulge, caregive and service that adult’s desires at the childrens’ expense…”

She included the hashtags “I have stayed quiet for far too long” and “receipts seasons.”

The couple — who were together for 13 years – were married from 2012 through 2017. The split was incredibly bitter with both sides accusing the other of playing dirty.

The couple reached a settlement in 2019 where Jesse agreed to pay $40k a month in child support. However, last year, Jesse went back to the court pleading for the amount to be reduced. He said the amount was based on his income when he starred in Grey’s — when he was pulling in over $6 million per year.

Jesse said his income had dropped drastically since he left the show. He pointed to his Take Me Out weekly paycheck of only $1,600.

Aryn said Jesse was selfish for leaving Grey’s and only looked out for his own best interest. She said his child support payments should not be axed. However, a judge recently sided with the actor and cut the payments down to $7k.

[From RadarOnline]

Jesse will be performing in New York from October through January. And he wants the kids to come out for four days each month; he wants to see his children. But the position Aryn shared in her Instagram post makes perfect sense: flying across the country for just a four-day trip is A LOT. It’s a lot for adults (I can’t do it unless forced to for work) and it’s certainly a lot for children that young. It’s a lot even before factoring in that the kids are expected to attend school on the other side of these trips. Surely there is a compromise to be made, perhaps over the Thanksgiving and winter holiday breaks that are longer than a weekend?

But even giving Jesse the benefit of doubt — that he just wants to see his kids — it’s hard to take his side after he left Grey’s Anatomy of his own accord and now the child support is reduced to less than 25% of what it was before. I can understand wanting to leave your job, but dude you have kids to provide for. Step it up. I’m sure that’s why Kevin McKidd is still on the show. Aryn’s post sounds like she’s reached the end of her rope and she’s alluding to a lot more than we’ve heard when she says Jesse expects things at his convenience, at the children’s expense. I want to like him because of his activism and he was on Grey’s and all that, but he pulls this crap and makes it impossible.

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Tags custody battles, divorces, Jesse Williams