Dwight Howard’s Ex Slammed His Time Away for ‘DWTS’ Before Court Awarded Him Primary Custody

A Georgia judge awarded Dwight Howard primary physical custody of his 14-year-old daughter after a messy trial where his ex called him out for his Dancing with the Stars gig, In Touch can exclusively report.

According to court documents obtained by In Touch, the court determined that Dwight, 38, and Tiffany Render’s daughter, Layla, will live with the ex-NBA star in Georgia.

Dwight and Tiffany will share legal custody of Layla, meaning they will both have a say in important life decisions.

The court also terminated Dwight’s $3,000 per month child support payments to Tiffany.

Back in November 2023, Dwight filed a petition for full custody. He explained that he had initially reached a deal with Tiffany over support and custody in January 2023.

Tiffany had primary custody with Dwight having secondary custody.

However, in his petition, Dwight claimed there had been “several changes in circumstances” that warranted a change to the agreement.

He accused Tiffany of moving from Georgia, where he lived, to Florida, with their daughter without informing him. Dwight also took issue with TikTok videos that their kid posted that he claimed were inappropriate.

In his filing, he also accused Tiffany of allowing their daughter to film a reality show, which he did not agree with.

Tiffany scoffed at the claims. She denied not informing Dwight of the move. In regard to the TikTok videos, she said they were both aware of the videos and they both addressed the content with their daughter.

In January, the court issued a temporary order that awarded Dwight primary custody. The judge then set a trial for both parties to argue their case. The trial went down on November 5 where Dwight, Tiffany and their daughter testified.

The court found that both parties had “unrealistic expectations.”

The judge said it applauded Dwight on his emphasis on education but said that it is “good to expect the effort, but expecting a 4.0 and setting the rules and punishment around that will result in the minor child not liking that parent, being depressed and having all sorts of teenage issues.”

The judge said Tiffany wanted to move back to Georgia and expected Dwight to assist her financially.

“The parties were never married. [Dwight] does not have a duty to support [Tiffany],” the judge noted. “Mom is also too busy being a friend to the minor child. When she undermines father’s rules, whether realistic or not, it tells the minor child that she is the one with the power in the relationship.”

The court said Tiffany’s life is full of “a lot of chaos” due to a pending divorce and paternity battle not involving Dwight. The judge said he believed it would be in the best interest for both parties to live in the same state, but he cannot force Dwight to buy Tiffany a home.

In court, Tiffany accused Dwight of having been an “absentee” since being awarded temporary primary custody.

The judge said they found that Dwight was NOT as absentee as Tiffany made him out. The court noted Dwight went on vacation with two of his other children and Layla did not go, but only because Tiffany lost her passport.

“With regards to [Dwight’s] time on Dancing with the Stars, the court finds that this is a ‘one off.’ When this case started, [Tiffany] was involved in a reality show in Orange County, Florida. Those two things are equal.” The case was closed following the trial.