Is Tristan Thompson Planning On Co-Parenting With Maralee Nichols?

In another chapter from Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson's heartbreak stories, personal trainer Maralee Nichols sued the latter in 2021, accusing Thompson of fathering a child with her while he was still with Kardashian. In early January 2022, a paternity test proved that Thompson was the father of Nichols' baby. What does that mean for their co-parenting situation?

Let's go back to the beginning: Per court documents obtained and released by the Daily Mail on December 3, 2021, Nichols had begun a paternity suit against Thompson as early as June that year. Aside from child support, Nichols' suit is asking Thompson compensate medical expenses, Lamaze classes, a doula and a host of other pregnancy-related costs. Thompson allegedly countered Nichols' lawsuit with an offer of $75,000 instead, citing his impending retirement from the NBA. "You better off taking this 75k I'm offering cause you won't get nothing near that with having a kid with a father who's unemployed," he allegedly wrote Nichols in a text message listed in a legal filing. He also claimed that he would have "zero involvement" in the child's life, per Us Weekly. Thompson has adamantly denied sending these messages.

Although she soon deactivated her account after, Nichols announced the December 2, 2021 birth of her son on Instagram, per Page Six, partially captioning her newborn's photo that she was "learning to focus on the beautiful things around me instead of all the negative things."

Tristan Thompson has publicly admitted to fathering Maralee Nichols' son, pledging to raise the child together. In a January 3 Instagram Story, the Sacramento Kings player revealed that the results of a paternity test confirmed what Nichols has alleged for months, per People. "I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established I look forward to amicably raising our son," Thompson wrote in his Story, adding, "I sincerely apologize to everyone I've hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately." 

A spokesperson for Nichols did a verbal victory lap, telling People, "There was never any doubt... Tristan made numerous false and defamatory statements and declarations about Maralee over the past few months, and she is taking his contrite statement today in the context of all of those statements." 

Adding further feels to the emotionally charged situation, Thompson also apologized to ex Khloé Kardashian. Given that this was also an admission of infidelity in their previous relationship, Thompson added in his Story, "Khloé, you don't deserve this," he wrote in part. "You don't deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you."

As for how Kardashian feels about yet another Thompson cheating scandal, a family insider told People that she "was upset to find out that he cheated again. She just can't believe that he is going to be a dad again."

In addition to his son with Nichols, Thompson is also father to 3-year-old daughter True with Kardashian, as well as 5-year-old son Prince with ex Jordan Craig.