Tristan Thompson and Maralee Nichols have reached a paternity and child support settlement after Tristan admitted to fathering a one-year-old son, Theo, while he was in a relationship and expecting a son via surrogate with his then-partner, Khloe Kardashian, in January of this year.
According to sources at TMZ with “direct knowledge” of the situation, Tristan will pay Maralee $9,500 a month in child support. He will also cover some of Maralee’s legal fees.
While the amount may seem low considering Tristan’s NBA contracts have totaled over $100 million over the years, he is currently unemployed with no source of steady income. The amount in child support is determined by income, leading to Tristan paying a lower sum.
The sources added that Maralee will have sole custody of Theo and that a visitation schedule for Tristan has yet to be worked out, but the two are on the same page regarding co-parenting.
Tristan will also allegedly be listed as the official father on Theo’s birth certificate.
News broke of Tristan’s affair in early 2022, following Maralee giving birth to Theo in December 2021. At the time, Maralee sued Tristan for child support and alleged that he offered her $75,000 to keep the baby under wraps.
After DNA proved that Tristan was indeed the father of baby Theo, he issued a public statement via Instagram and apologized profusely for his actions, specifically to Khloe.
“Khloe, you don’t deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you,” Tristan wrote to The Kardashians star. “You don’t deserve the way I have treated you over the years. My actions have certainly not lined up with the way I view you.”
Khloe left Tristan shortly after the devastating blow amid multiple other cheating allegations. Though the two are no longer together romantically, they have shown their willingness to healthily co-parent their two children: daughter True Thompson and their newborn son. Tristan has been present at many family functions, including birthdays, holidays, and most recently, a Halloween party that was thrown at Khloe’s residence.
