Ant Anstead doesn’t want 2-year-old son Hudson to be used as a “puppet,” the Wheeler Dealers host said on social media Tuesday in a comment many are taking as a diss at his ex-wife Christina Hall. Anstead’s post about his love of soccer, which included videos of Hudson kicking a ball down the field, sparked one commenter to weigh in on Anstead and Hall’s ongoing custody battle over the toddler.
“I thought you didn’t want your son to be exploited on social media,” the person wrote, as per Us Weekly. In response, Anstead said he “absolutely” didn’t. “Being a kid and capturing organic moments in the footsteps of a toddler I’m all in favour of! It’s a lovely diary to keep and look back on. But being a puppet ‘used’ for commercial gain and being made to perform makes my stomach sick,” he wrote. “The two are of course very different x x.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
The Celebrity IOU Joyride star’s comment comes less than a month after he filed for full custody of Hudson following his split from Hall in September 2020. In his emergency filing, Anstead argued that Hall had not created a safe environment for their son, having used him for “paid advertisements to sell products” during a March 2022 visit. He also claimed that the Flip or Flop alum spent an “average of 9 full days each month over the last 20 months and an average of 7 full days per month in 2022” with their son.ย
“I [ask to] be awarded sole legal custody of Hudson, or, in the alternative, for an order restraining both Christina (and me), from using Hudson or Hudson’s likeness or image in any commercial endeavor, social media paid promotion, television or streaming program, or which might otherwise commodify Hudson without the express advanced written consent of both parents in writing,” Anstead wrote in his request.
At the time, the Christina on the Coast star said in a statement that Anstead’s filing “deeply saddens” her. “If this was really about Hudson, as he says, this should have been handled privately with a private judge or mediation, as myself and my attorney have suggested,” she claimed. “I have had my share of ups and downs but I am a good mom. I love my children with all my heart and I will always protect them.”
Anstead’s emergency application was denied by a judge who ruled he had insufficient evidence to prove the custody arrangement needed to change immediately, and the two parents will now plead their case during a hearing set for June 28. Following their divorce, Anstead has moved on, dating actress Renรฉe Zellweger, while the HGTV star confirmed last month she married Joshua Hall in a private ceremony earlier this year.ย
