Yahoo Movies Jeff Lewis Says Ex Gage Edward Won't Sign Release for Their Daughter to Appear on His New Show
Jeff Lewis/Instagram Jeff Lewis, Gage Edward and daughter Monroe
Jeff Lewis and his ex Gage Edward have hit a major bump in their co-parenting relationship.
During Thursday's episode of Lewis's SiriusXM radio show, Jeff Lewis Live, the Flipping Out alum claimed Edward "will not sign the release forms" for their 4-year-old daughter Monroe to appear on Lewis' upcoming untitled series on IMDb TV.
The debate comes less than two months after Lewis and Edward reached a 50/50 custody agreement. The former pair has been involved in a tense back and forth over custody since they ended their relationship in February 2019,
"Gage will not sign the release for Monroe to be filmed, which is a bit of an issue when you're filming a television show about your life and a big part of your life is being a father," the radio host, 51, said on Thursday. "He does not want her to be a part of it."
According to Lewis, Edward, 36, wrote in a note, "Our daughter is not a mechanism for you to earn an income. Being on a show puts her in a vulnerable position. I don't think it's healthy for her development or growth. Until she can legally elect to make that decision on her own I won't agree to sign."
"He might have forgotten about the fact that our daughter was born on TV. And she was on two seasons of Flipping Out," Lewis said during his show. "There was no issue with that then… when he was getting paid."
Jeff Lewis/Instagram Jeff Lewis and Gage Edward with daughter Monroe
Monroe's televised birth previously became an issue when their surrogate sued the former couple, Bravo and Flipping Out's production company, Authentic Entertainment, in June 2018, claiming that they had filmed her delivery without her permission and that Lewis had made "disgusting" remarks about her. That lawsuit was dropped in March 2019.
On Thursday, Lewis said of his ex, "He's very concerned about her privacy, but all he does is post pictures of her on his very public Instagram."
The interior designer then claimed that Edward "has hired the family law attorney again" and "hired a litigator" amid this contention.
"I don't know what we're litigating," the television personality said. "I think his team is under the impression that we're filming [with Monroe] without the release, but we have not done that. It's threats."
He also said the upcoming IMDb TV show would "be a little, little, little bit of Monroe" in addition to other aspects of his life and work with celebrity clientele.
"This is retribution. This is exercising the little power he has….," Lewis said. "He uses her as a weapon. That's what they do. That's their strategy. It is about control. You've got to understand, he can't control anything anymore, and that's driving him crazy."
Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage Jeff Lewis
RELATED: Jeff Lewis and Gage Edward Together for Daughter Monroe's Graduation Following Custody Battle
Edward did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. However, a source close to the star tells PEOPLE it was Lewis who first initiated the threat of litigation last week.
"Gage has been opposed to Monroe being documented on television for some time, something he told Jeff months ago when the pair were amicable. When Gage ultimately wouldn't sign the appearance release, Jeff told Gage he would be forced to litigate because not having Monroe as part of the show impedes on his ability to earn income," the source tells PEOPLE. "Gage obviously then assembled a team to defend and protect Monroe's interests."
Another source who knows both Lewis and Edward says there's much more that's happening in the communication between the exes than is being shared on the radio.
"It's a testament to Gage's parenting that he's not engaging in Jeff's back and forth banter," the insider tells PEOPLE. "He could certainly say more, but he's quiet in the interest of Monroe."
The source adds, "He hasn't wanted her filmed because he wants her to have the ability to grow up just being a kid and a young girl without public influence. I would think every parent would agree."
Cindy Ord/Getty Images Jeff Lewis and Gage Edward
RELATED: Gage Edward Reacts to News of Ex Jeff Lewis' New Show with a Single Emoji
Lewis's forthcoming return to TV was announced in May.
According to a press release, the currently untitled show will be executive produced by Lewis and showcase "unique home design, celebrity clientele and never-before-seen design innovation." Similar to his former 11-season Bravo series, the show will follow the reality star as he balances "high-maintenance celebrities and ambitious home design projects while juggling his staff and personal life, which are all a work in progress," the release continued.
Also in May, Lewis announced that after more than two years of fighting over custody of Monroe, he and Edward agreed to split custody and drop their lawsuits against each other.
RELATED: Jeff Lewis Threatens to End Friendship with Tamra Judge Over Her Liking His Ex's Instagrams
Gage Edward/Instagram Gage Edward and daughter Monroe
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Their joint custody agreement went into effect in June.
"At the time, I was seeing a lot of him and Monroe, so it didn't feel like any sort of sacrifice," Lewis said on his radio show last month. "But once it ended, as of June 1, it went to a strict 50/50. So now what's happening is, over the last eight weeks, I have really missed Monroe. I feel like a real sense of loss because I don't see her...I've always had her a majority of the time, so it's been a hard adjustment."
Lewis would later reveal that he and Edward tried giving their relationship another shot and briefly dated for about three months earlier this year before cutting ties once again.
"We don't speak the same language," Lewis said when talking about their downfall. "I felt like he wanted to fight, and I don't want to fight."
