Tristan Thompson Celebrates Son Tatum's Birthday With Khloé Kardashian — While Continuing To Ignore Child He Fathered With Maralee Nichols
Out of his four children, Tristan Thompson is still refusing to acknowledge one of his sons.
Khloé Kardashian / Tristan Thompson / Maralee Nichols / Instagram Tristan Thompson and Khloé Kardashian recently celebrated their son Tatum's first birthday. The NBA player recently shared a series of photos with Tatum, whom he and Kardashian welcomed via surrogate, along with a message dedicated to his son's first year of life.
However, many people were quick to point out that with Thompson's heartening message to his son, he still hasn't acknowledged his other child.
Thompson called his son Tatum a 'future king' while ignoring the child he fathered with Maralee Nichols.
Thompson penned a lengthy post on Instagram for Tatum's first birthday on July 29, 2023, as he shared two photos of him and his son. The pair could be seen laughing in one snap, while the other showed Thompson looking fondly at his son as the one-year-old reached up to touch his face.
"Tatum!! Happy birthday my son! You are a reminder of what life represents to me. You have taught me every loss comes a lesson and you are my gift," Thompson wrote. The basketball star continued, even referencing some "mistakes" he made "along the way," pointing out that they are now "lessons" instead of "failures."
"You are a future king my son and I am so blessed to be your DaDa!" he added. While some people thought Thompson's post was adorable and heartwarming, others pointed out that he still doesn't have any relationship with the son he fathered with fitness trainer Maralee Nichols while still with Kardashian.
News of Thompson's infidelity scandal first broke in December 2021 after Nichols filed a paternity suit against the NBA player, asking for child support as well as reimbursement of medical expenses and pregnancy-related costs. At first, Thompson denied that he had fathered a child with Nichols, but later admitted to it after a DNA test proved otherwise.
People pointed out that Thompson being a father to three of his children doesn't make up for ignoring his son.
In a video, TikTok user @thoughtswithgracie explained that even when she sees the Los Angeles Lakers star being a good father to his son, Tatum, daughter, True, with Kardashian, along with his son, Prince, with ex-girlfriend Jordan Craig, it doesn't absolve him of not being in his son, Theo's, life.
"No matter how good of a father he is being, it always reminds me of the fact that he's got another son out there that's basically fatherless, that he gives no physical or emotional support to," Gracie remarked in his video.
She continued, making the good point that there is "no amount of being there for this child that is going to make up for his lack of the other one." Gracie acknowledged that Thompson's decision to have a baby with another woman while in a relationship with Kardashian was his own choice, and now he has to live with that.
"If a person has the capacity to do that to one of his kids, he has the capacity to do it to all of his kids. I just feel like he's not doing it to the Kardashians kids because of who Khloé's family is."
While there is no way to know what happens behind closed doors, and there could be a chance that Thompson may have a semblance of a relationship with his son Theo, it's still important to note that a good father is someone who loves, supports, and treats all of his children fairly and equally.
Neglecting or showing favoritism towards some children undermines the core principles of parenthood and can have severe consequences on the emotional well-being and development of an excluded child or children.
In response to Thompson's post, Maralee Nichols posted new photos of their son Theo.
Following Thompson's Instagram post for Tatum and some of the backlash he received about neglecting his son Theo, Nichols seemed to give a glimpse into her life as a single parent to her and Thompson's son.
Posting a video to her Instagram Story, Nichols showed her and Theo enjoying a beach outing, as well as another photo of her closing her eyes and smiling as her one-year-old son slept on her shoulder.
Since Nichols gave birth to her and Thompson's son in December 2021, the NBA star has refused to acknowledge the little one apart from admitting that he was the father after taking a paternity test in January 2022.
According to Page Six, in December 2022, Thompson was ordered to pay Nichols $10,000 in child support after settling their paternity lawsuit. While Nichols was granted full custody, it was reported that she and Thompson would still continue to work on visitation rights.
However, per The Sun, a source in June 2022 claimed that Thompson still hasn't sent child support payments to Nichols and was refusing to meet his son. “Tristan is very absent from Theo’s life. He hasn’t met Theo nor has he initiated any meetings,” an insider told Us Weekly. “He doesn’t have any immediate plans to meet his son face to face.”
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.