Maralee Nichols has made her first public statement on her alleged fling with Tristan Thompson.
via Page Six:
“Over the past couple of weeks, many inaccurate and false stories have been circulated about me. I have not at any point released — nor have I directed anyone else to release — any information regarding Tristan Thompson or any litigation involving him,” she said in a statement to E! News on Friday.
“I have never spoken to any media outlet, nor have I leaked any information to anyone at any time. I am providing this statement because I feel I must defend my character.”
Nichols filed a paternity lawsuit against Thompson, 30, in California in June, while Thompson filed his own suit against her in July in Texas.
Page Six reported Wednesday that the case had been sealed online, shortly after the NBA star attempted to get a gag order that would prevent Nichols from speaking to the media.
But, with the case dismissed, Nichols is laying out her side of the story.
“These are the facts: I have lived in California since 2019. I am not a personal trainer. I have not worked as a personal trainer for four years; I do fitness modeling. I was never a personal trainer for Tristan,” she continued, adding that she met Thompson at a party at his Encino, Calif., home in 2020.
“I saw Tristan in March 2021 around his birthday. He told me he had wanted to see me,” she recalled. “I agreed to meet him in Houston at a private party on March 12. I never drove a Maserati to meet Tristan, as he claimed. He has never even been in my vehicle. I used an Uber or was driven by friends that weekend. Houston was one of many nights we spent together. Soon after his birthday weekend in Houston, Tristan invited me to visit him in Boston.”
Nichols told the outlet that she discovered she was pregnant shortly after spending time with Thompson in Boston. She claimed to have told Thompson about the pregnancy weeks before she was meant to see him again in April.
Nichols — who welcomed a baby boy earlier this month — also disputes the reported detail from early in the case that she filed for child support before the couple’s alleged child was born.
“Tristan filed a paternity action in Texas after I filed my paternity action in Los Angeles,” she said. “I did not file any request for child support before our child was born. The case that Tristan brought against me was dismissed on December 15, 2021.”
Nichols also shared that she was induced on Nov. 29 due to a “placenta abnormality.”
She elaborated, “There is no other medical reason why I needed to be induced. I gave birth on December 1, 2021. Instead of focusing on any negativity, I am choosing to embrace being a mother and doing the best I can for my son. I do not want any further media attention, nor do I want a romantic relationship with Tristan. My goal is to raise our son in a safe, healthy, loving and private environment.”
Thompson — who shares son Prince, 5, with ex Jordan Craig and daughter True, 3, with ex Khloé Kardashian — downplayed his relationship with Nichols in court documents obtained by E! News. He has asked for a paternity test to prove he’s the child’s father — Nichols has yet to comply with the request — and has accused her of trying to gain “fame” with her lawsuit.
Thompson and Kardashian, 37, were still dating when the Sacramento Kings player’s alleged encounter with Nichols took place.
“The only time that I had sexual intercourse with [Maralee] in 2021 was in March 2021 in Houston, Texas,” Thompson testified. “I specifically remember having sexual intercourse with [her] in March because it was my birthday. [She] and I attended a party together at a hotel in Houston. [She] had called me and wanted to be with me on my birthday.”
Thompson previously cheated on Kardashian in 2018 while she was pregnant with their now-3-year-old daughter, True, and again in 2019 with Kylie Jenner’s then-BFF, Jordyn Woods.
Page Six broke the news in June that the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” alum broke up with the athlete over rumors he had been unfaithful with model Sydney Chase.
Reps for Thompson were not immediately available when contacted by Page Six for comment.
We can’t wait to see what Khloé has to say about all this when the Kardashians’ Hulu show premieres in 2022.
