What you need to know
Former Real Housewives of Orange County star Meghan King has lost temporary custody of the three children she shares with former professional baseball player Jim Edmonds. He allegedly gave one of the children unprescribed ADHD medication.
Sources exclusively tell PEOPLE that King’s decision to remove the children from his custody came after King allegedly gave Ritalin to one of his sons multiple times, even though the child had not been prescribed the drug by a doctor, and also said King allegedly asked a school nurse to administer the drug to his son.
“She tried to get a nurse to do it, but then someone at the school called CPS and an investigation began,” the source said.
Following a report from school staff to Child Protective Services, sources said the child guardian’s attorney, a court-appointed defense attorney, applied for a temporary restraining order against Meghan.
On November 19, multiple news outlets reported that King had lost temporary custody of his children in recent months, with sources telling PEOPLE that the loss occurred in late October, around Halloween.
PEOPLE has reached out to King and Edmonds for comment on this story.
According to Us Weekly, which first reported the news, King was allowed supervised visitation with the children after they were released from custody, while Edmonds was given sole physical custody. The decision is temporary and a public hearing will be held to determine whether the custody arrangement will become permanent.
On November 20, King’s former Real Housewives of Orange County co-star Kelly Dodd shared a TikTok video of a conversation she had with King, whom she described as an “amazing mother,” in the aftermath of losing custody.
“She stayed at my house. I took care of her when she had a boob job and a nose job. And all I can say is she loves those babies,” Dodd said in the video. “She loves her kids. And actually, I know she’s a good mother. She’s a great mother.”
King and Edmonds were married for five years before splitting in 2019, and their divorce was finalized two years later in 2021. The couple have an 8-year-old daughter, Aspen, and 7-year-old twins, Hart and Hayes.
Jim and his wife Courtney Edmonds first went public with their relationship in April 2020, got engaged in July 2021, and married in September 2022.
Long-standing tensions between King and Edmonds have escalated in recent months, culminating in an altercation in September involving King, Edmonds’ current wife, Courtney, and police. Body camera footage recorded by the Frontenac Police Department and obtained by Us Weekly shows King describing Edmonds as “mentally abusive” during the confrontation at the Missouri sports broadcaster’s home on May 1.
Courtney, 40, called 911 after getting into an argument with King, claiming the former reality star had entered the couple’s residence without permission and was “causing a disturbance,” according to a police report obtained by the outlet.
After the altercation, Edmonds’ representatives released a statement to PEOPLE denying King’s claims.
“As always, Meghan is telling the story. Meghan and Jim have very little communication, so if anyone is emotionally abusing her, it’s not Jim. And Meghan does not have full custody. Jim is the active father of all of their children,” a representative said at the time.
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“The unfortunate part of all this is that it is the children who are suffering the most,” the spokesperson continued. “Jim has always been open to co-parenting in a respectful and productive way, but Meghan has not responded to that yet. Jim has a long history of consistently making decisions and acting in the best way for their children.”
