Jeff Lewis, Gage Edward and daughter Monroe.Photo: Jeff Lewis/Instagram
Jeff Lewisand his ex Gage Edward have hit a major bump in their co-parenting relationship.
The debate comes less than two months after Lewis and Edwardreached a 50/50 custody agreement. The former pair has been involved in a tense back and forth over custody since theyended their relationship in February 2019,
“Gage will not sign the release for Monroe to be filmed, which is a bit of an issue when you’re filming a television show about your life and a big part of your life is being a father,” the radio host, 51, said on Thursday. “He does not want her to be a part of it.”
According to Lewis, Edward, 36, wrote in a note, “Our daughter is not a mechanism for you to earn an income. Being on a show puts her in a vulnerable position. I don’t think it’s healthy for her development or growth. Until she can legally elect to make that decision on her own I won’t agree to sign.”
Jeff Lewis and Gage Edward with daughter Monroe.Jeff Lewis/Instagram
Monroe’s televised birth previously became an issue whentheir surrogate sued the former couple, Bravo andFlipping Out’s production company, Authentic Entertainment, in June 2018, claiming that they had filmed her delivery without her permission and that Lewis had made"disgusting" remarksabout her. Thatlawsuit was droppedin March 2019.
On Thursday, Lewis said of his ex, “He’s very concerned about her privacy, but all he does is post pictures of her on his very public Instagram.”
The interior designer then claimed that Edward “has hired the family law attorney again” and “hired a litigator” amid this contention.
“I don’t know what we’re litigating,” the television personality said. “I think his team is under the impression that we’re filming [with Monroe] without the release, but we have not done that. It’s threats.”
“This is retribution. This is exercising the little power he has….,” Lewis said. “He uses her as a weapon. That’s what they do. That’s their strategy. It is about control. You’ve got to understand, he can’t control anything anymore, and that’s driving him crazy.”
Jeff Lewis.Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage
Edward did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. However, a source close to the star tells PEOPLE it was Lewis who first initiated the threat of litigation last week.
“Gage has been opposed to Monroe being documented on television for some time, something he told Jeff months ago when the pair were amicable. When Gage ultimately wouldn’t sign the appearance release, Jeff told Gage he would be forced to litigate because not having Monroe as part of the show impedes on his ability to earn income,” the source tells PEOPLE. “Gage obviously then assembled a team to defend and protect Monroe’s interests.”
Another source who knows both Lewis and Edward says there’s much more that’s happening in the communication between the exes than is being shared on the radio.
“It’s a testament to Gage’s parenting that he’s not engaging in Jeff’s back and forth banter,” the insider tells PEOPLE. “He could certainly say more, but he’s quiet in the interest of Monroe.”
The source adds, “He hasn’t wanted her filmed because he wants her to have the ability to grow up just being a kid and a young girl without public influence. I would think every parent would agree.”
Jeff Lewis (left) and Gage Edward.Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Also in May, Lewis announced that after more than two years of fighting over custody of Monroe, he and Edwardagreed to split custody and drop their lawsuits against each other.
Gage Edward and daughter Monroe.Gage Edward/Instagram
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Their joint custody agreement went into effect in June.
“At the time, I was seeing a lot of him and Monroe, so it didn’t feel like any sort of sacrifice,” Lewis said on his radio show last month. “But once it ended, as of June 1, it went to a strict 50/50. So now what’s happening is, over the last eight weeks, I have really missed Monroe. I feel like a real sense of loss because I don’t see her…I’ve always had her a majority of the time, so it’s been a hard adjustment.”
Lewis would later reveal that he and Edward tried giving their relationship another shot andbriefly dated for about three monthsearlier this year before cutting ties once again.
“We don’t speak the same language,” Lewis said when talking about their downfall. “I felt like he wanted to fight, and I don’t want to fight.”
source: people.com
