Neither of them can have a romantic guest spend the night when their son is with them, as per their custody agreement which took two years to finalize.
Saying goodbye to a relationship is hard, but what if the person has changed so much that they are unrecognizable? Would you experience relief or sadness? The answer is never an easy one. Especially when you're a mom, protecting your child is probably more important than figuring out how to leave peacefully. Some actions might come across as aggressive but as a parent, our child's safety is paramount.
When Jennifer Hudson, 39, decided to leave her ex-fiancé David Otunga, 40, for his threatening behavior, she sought a protective order first. Hudson and Otunga were together from 2008 to 2017. The Dreamgirls star said that Otunga showcased "increasingly aggressive, threatening, and harassing behavior" towards her and their son and accused him of mental and physical abuse, as per E! News. She also claimed that he accused her of cheating, and asked their son to spy on her.
The former couple, who had seemed to be one of the stable ones in Hollywood, met in 2007. "She first noticed me on [I Love New York 2]," said Otunga, a former wrestler, according to People. "I started doing a lot of interviews after the show wrapped and made friends with a couple of people. Next thing you know, [a friend of mine] says ‘Hey, you should meet my friend Jennifer.'"
After dating for a year, he popped the question on her birthday in 2008, but they never got married even though Otunga, a Harvard-trained attorney-turned-wrestler, was by her side when tragedy struck. The American Idol alum's mother, brother, and nephew were killed by her former brother-in-law William Balfour, who is serving three consecutive life sentences in prison, according to People.
"I went from being an aunt, having a mom and being a child to not having a mom, becoming a mom and raising my own child," Hudson told Glamour in 2015 about the difficult time. "I tell [my son] David all the time, 'You saved my life.'" Hudson and Otunga welcomed their son, David Daniel Otunga Jr, in 2008.
Hudson revealed that her former partner, Otunga, also saved her inadvertently. "That’s one of the things that saved my life because I could have been home with my mom then. [David] wanted me to come out to Florida with him instead of going to Chicago. I flew out to see him. That’s why I’m still here. I’ve never said that before, and I can’t believe I just said that now," she said.
However, things eventually turned sour between them. "[They] have been in the process of ending their relationship for a number of months," a source said around the time the Cats actress sought the protective order. Otunga had denied all the allegations against him and was cleared of any crimes by the police, as per Daily Mail. His lawyer said she "decided to file a meritless Petition for Order of Protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute."
Their custody battle went on for two years and the wrestler was given primary physical custody of David Jr. in Chicago. The Dreamgirls actress had been traveling between the U.K and Los Angeles back then. Their son went back and forth between his two parents for two years before they came to an understanding. In April 2019, the 39-year-old said she won't be paying for Otunga's housing. She claimed that since they were never married, the terms of child support shouldn't involve his housing.
To the court, she also said that assuming that just because he was "present" and, therefore, "the best parent," "would do a disservice to working parents" like her. Finally, in July 2019, they decided to settle for 50/50 custody.
As per their custody agreement, obtained by The Blast, neither of them can have a romantic guest spend the night when their son is with them. Their deal is a fluid one and they will share their schedules with each other every two months so that a schedule for the next two months can be agreed upon. Both of them will be responsible for making important decisions. She agreed to pay Otunga an unspecified amount of child support.
Both parents have agreed to not bring any significant others home unless they are in a "serious, committed relationship" and "they will not have overnight guests of a romantic, intimate or dating nature stay overnight during his or her parenting time."
References:
https://www.eonline.com/news/894872/jennifer-hudson-and-david-otunga-split-everything-we-know
https://people.com/music/jennifer-hudson-david-otunga-relationship-timeline/
https://people.com/crime/jennifer-hudson-my-fiance-saved-my-life/
https://www.glamour.com/story/jennifer-hudson-on-the-color-purple-dreamgirls-and-what-shes-learned
https://theblast.com/c/jennifer-hudson-david-otunga-ex-custody-deal-50-50
