Following their split, Sherri Shepherd found herself caught in a lengthy child custody battle with Jeff Tarpley. Back in 2014, Tarpley filed a lawsuit against Shepherd, accusing her of being a bad mother to the couple’s 9-year-old son, Jeffrey. In his filing, Tarpley requested physical custody of Jeffrey, with no visitation rights for Shepherd. Claiming Shepherd worked seven days a week, Tarpley alleged his ex-wife neglected their young son and deprived him “access to basic educational needs, a nurturing and loving environment, and care that Jeffrey so desperately needs,” per People. In the lawsuit, Tarpley claimed that the “Sherri” host often left Jeffrey with nannies, resulting in the little one’s inability to perform basic things like reading and tying shoelaces.
Responding to his claims, Shepherd described Tarpley as an absentee father, adding that he was in no position to get full physical custody of their son. After months of back and forth in court, Shepherd was awarded full custody of Jeffrey, with a judge noting that “there has not been a material change in circumstances” to grant Tarpley’s request for full custody, according to a report by TMZ.
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Despite their contentious battle, however, Shepherd ensures Jeffrey has a close relationship with his father. “For me, I always make sure Jeffrey’s father is a hero in Jeffrey’s eyes. Because all of the craziness has nothing to do with Jeffrey,” she once said on “The Wendy Williams Show, per The U.S. Sun.
