Keeping the peace. Christina Hall (née Haack) and Ant Anstead have been ordered to attend mediation amid their ongoing custody dispute over son Hudson.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the pair are required to meet with a mediator on June 15 in order to address their disputed custody and visitation issues ahead of their next hearing.
Us confirmed last month that Anstead, 43, filed a petition seeking full custody of the 2-year-old son he shares with Hall, 38, with an Orange County, California, court on April 28. The Wheelers Dealers host, who was married to the Flip or Flop alum for two years before they split in September 2020, previously agreed to share joint custody with Hall. (Anstead also shares daughter Amelie and son Archie with ex-wife Louise Storey, while Hall shares Taylor and Brayden with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa.)
However, in his filing, the England native claimed that Hall has not created a safe environment for Hudson in the years following their separation. Among other things, Anstead alleged that the Christina on the Coast star returned Hudson to him in January without disclosing that the toddler had tested positive for COVID-19. “At the time, my partner [Renée Zellweger] was filming her new project and her covid diagnosis placed the whole production on pause,” he stated in the April court documents.
Anstead also called into question Hall’s ability to safely parent Hudson, citing her past use of the hallucinogenic Bufo Alvarius toad venom as an example of her being unfit to care for their son. In July 2021, the Wellness Remodel coauthor revealed via Instagram that she “smoked a Bufo toad” while on her journey of self-discovery. It “basically reset my brain and kicked out years of anxiety in 15 mins,” she said of the experience.
After news broke of Anstead’s custody petition, Hall told Us in a statement on April 28 that she is “deeply” saddened by the situation. “I am a good mom and I love my children with all my heart,” she noted.
Hall filed a response with the Orange County court that same day. “I have read the declaration of Mr. Anstead and was shocked to see the false allegations against me,” Hall stated in court documents obtained by Us. “And his belief that he has been failing to protect our son by sharing custodial time with me.”
She continued: “I will not speculate as to his true motivations, but Hudson’s best interest is not what is motivating his application to the Court. … Mr. Anstead is simply trying to smear my good name and tarnish my image.”
Us confirmed on April 28 that Anstead’s request was denied after the court ruled that he had provided an “insufficient showing” of evidence in his filing. The judge also stated that Hall wasn’t given enough notice about the request, per court documents. A new court date to discuss custody was set for June 28.
Following their split, the TV personality moved on with Zellweger, while Us confirmed that Hall quietly married realtor Joshua Hall last month.
With reporting by Diana Cooper
