Musical artist Ludacris has been battling over custody of his three-year-old daughter with baby mama Tamika Fuller since early 2015. The battle has been anything but cordial. This week, however, the battle went from nasty to interesting with the judge’s most recent ruling in favor of Ludacris.
The judge presiding over the custody battle ruled that Ludacris, who was awarded full custody last year, has final say over what pictures of their daughter that Fuller can post on social media. Basically, if Ludacris sees a picture of their daughter on social media that was posted by Fuller, he can force her to take it down if he doesn’t approve. This ruling is rather unique, especially considering it was issued in favor of a man named Ludacris!
A Bitter Battle
The child custody battle between Ludacris and Fuller has garnered quite a bit of media attention. While their daughter is rather adorable, much of the attention was prompted by Fuller’s allegations of child abuse against Ludacris. Child protective services became involved, and after it was discovered that the evidence submitted by Fuller consisted of photoshopped images, Ludacris was awarded full custody.
In addition to being awarded final say over what pictures Fuller can post of their daughter on social media, Ludacris has also been awarded the right to be the official decision maker as it pertains to their daughter’s education, health care and religion. Interestingly, the judge also ruled that neither Ludacris nor Fuller may use their daughter for magazine articles, interviews, or in crowd-funding projects (such as those on sites like indiegogo or kickstarter).
What’s This Social Media Control Really About?
While many might think that Ludacris is being ludicrous in his request that he have final say over what pictures of their daughter that Fuller can post, there’s a rational reason behind it all, besides a father’s vindictiveness. Celebrities, and their families, garner much more attention on social media than non-celebrities, obviously, and frequently struggle to keep their private lives private. Anything that Fuller posts on social media about their daughter will likely get more attention than a regular post from Fuller, by virtue of the fact that it is a picture of a celebrity’s daughter.
Ludacris, as shown by his reluctance to post photos of his daughters on social media, regards his private life as private. Since he has full custody, he is within his rights to control what photos are shared of his daughter, especially given how intrusive the media can be when it comes to the private lives of celebrities.
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