Maralee Nichols took time out of the festive holiday to hit back at a social media user over a not-so-nice remark regarding her former relationship with Tristan Thompson.
The fitness model posted a photo of herself wearing a metallic gold dress to her Instagram page on Tuesday (December 19), which she captioned, “December is my favorite month. Sagittarius season and Christmas.”
That’s when an online troll reportedly took to the comments section and branded Nichols a “one night stand” over her short affair with Thompson in 2021.
The mother of one, seemingly triggered by the remark, decided to respond to the commenter by stating that her situation with the basketball star at the time was more than just a fling.
“I was definitely not a one night stand,” she responded in a since-deleted comment, per Page Six. “That’s a false and defamatory statement you’re making about me.”
Maralee Nichols Had Welcomed Tristan’s Third Child
In 2021, the 32-year-old filed a paternity suit against Thompson, accusing him of refusing to step up and accept his responsibilities as the father to their son, Theo.
She also accused the athlete, whom she hooked up with while he was still with Khloé Kardashian, of initially denying that their son was his.
In January 2022, however, during which time Kardashian had already conceived her second child with Thompson via surrogate, the DNA results determined that he was, in fact, Theo’s dad.
“Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols,” the father of three said in a statement made on his IG Story. “I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established I look forward to amicably raising our son.” He added, “I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately.”
Child Support Drama Ensued
Throughout 2022, Nichols continued to make headlines as her legal dispute with Thompson remained far from over.
In March of that same year, she filed court documents, requesting child support for almost $50,000 per month. The sum was calculated based on Thompson’s annual earnings, which were believed to be around $9.7 million a year.
Through her attorneys, Nichols emphasized that she did not have a fixed income and required financial support to raise Theo. She accumulated expenses totaling just over $20k a month, with most of the costs occurring after their son’s arrival.
RELATED: Maralee Nichols Speaks Out Following Tristan Thompson’s DNA Test Results—“There Was Never Any Doubt Tristan Was The Father”
“I have made a tremendous effort to reduce my spending. Previously, my average month’s expenses for clothing were in excess of $5,000 a month,” she explained in the docs, per Radar Online.
She went on to draw comparisons between her lifestyle and that of Jordan Craig, who shares six-year-old Prince with Thompson.
Maralee Nichols Had No Income Following Theo’s Birth
“[Jordan Craig] is reportedly receiving at least $40,000 a month in child support from Tristan [and] leads a similarly high lifestyle, including living in a $3 million mansion in Los Angeles, driving multiple luxury vehicles, taking extravagant vacations and dressing her son in designer clothes at a young age,” she claimed.
Nichols and Thompson hammered out an agreement that he’d pay almost $10K per month, finally bringing the court battle over child support to an end by December 2022.
In addition to that, he agreed to cover some of her attorney’s fees while Nichols would also retain sole custody of Theo.
RELATED: (Photos) Tristan Thompson Appears Absent As Maralee Nichols Celebrates Son’s 1st Birthday