Jaime King Speaks Out After Losing Custody of Kids to Ex-Husband: 'This Is Scary ... Terrifying'

In an appearance on Jana Kramer's Whine Down podcast this week, the Hart of Dixie actress got emotional as she spoke out for the first time about Newman being granted sole physical custody of the pair's sons -- James, 11, and Leo, 9 -- in March. At the time, she was reportedly given visitation -- which has to be supervised because she hasn't completed a 6-month drug and alcohol program.

"I've never talked about it," King said when Kramer brought up her situation on the new episode, saying some of the claims against her are "not true."

"My duty as a mother is to protect my children and that's all that matters to me. This is scary. Honestly speaking," said King, who brought up how she married at a young age. She was 28 when she married Newman in 2007.

"I didn't know that the world works like this. I didn't know legal systems work like this," she continued. "Not to sound like some kind of neophyte, but I thought that when you chose to love someone and you love that person, you build a family with them, you trust them and sometimes it's not always that way."

"I never wanted my children to think any part of them was wrong," she said of why she hasn't spoken out before now. "The system is really unfair. I think it's important to support the structure of family and kindness. Just be kind. Be kind and tell the truth."

Speaking more about the legal system, King said it's "terrifying" that "to be able to be free means that you have to pay a very extreme price. I don't just mean financially. It's very upsetting and I will do everything in my power to change the system."

"I'm scared. I'm still scared," she added.

Calling the ongoing battle "disgusting," "disturbing" and "not logical or practical at all," King said she didn't understand how she could be labeled an "unfit" mother while still being deemed fit enough to "provide for the children" and go to work every day.

"How are you fit when your entire marriage ... I paid for everything," she claimed. "I was proud, I'm always proud to be the person that, or a person that has earned everything that I have. That matters to me."

When asked about her sobriety by Kramer, King also said she's "never had to think of myself as sober or not sober" because she "stopped using drugs when I was 17 or something."

King has been very open about using drugs -- including heroin -- in her teen years. Kramer said it seemed, to her, like Newman was using stories from King's youth against her now.

"That's exactly what happened. That's precisely what happened. Yes, absolutely it was," said King. "Essentially, what has been said is inaccurate and I haven't been able to say anything about it for the protection of my children."

"It's horrifying. I simply don't know how this is possible," she concluded. "And I don't want to live my life in shock, I want to find a solution. But it hurts my heart, to say the least."

As part of the current arrangement, per court docs, King reportedly is able to see her sons three times a week, supervised. That supervision is due to the fact that she allegedly failed to complete a 6-month drug/alcohol program with weekly testing, 26-week parenting program and additional counseling.

King filed for divorce from Newman in 2013; it wasn't settled until 2023.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, get help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.