Tristan Thompson Has Heartfelt Message For Khloe Kardashian After Paternity Test Reveal

Tristan Thompson is putting his NBA-sized foot in his mouth big-time after getting the paternity test results for the baby Maralee Nichols gave birth to in early December. Despite Khloé Kardashian’s ex stating he wouldn’t be involved in the baby’s life — and allegedly trying to pay Nichols $75,000 to keep her from talking publicly about the baby — Thompson appeared to be shifting gears after it was revealed that he is, in fact, the father. The current Sacramento Kings power forward followed up on that news by releasing a statement on Instagram that included a heartfelt apology to Kardashian.

Maralee Nichols gave birth to a baby boy early in December 2021, a paternity test results have revealed the infant to be Tristan Thompson’s third child. At the time of the affair with Nichols, Thompson was still dating Khloé Kardashian, the mother of his second child, True. Despite his initial denials and other allegations, Thompson took full responsibility for his actions via his Instagram Stories, first saying that he looks forward to raising the child "amicably" with Nichols. 

Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols. I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son. I sincerely apologize to everyone I've hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately.

That’s quite a turn of events for someone who was willing to go to such lengths to keep Maralee Nichols from speaking out, but whatever his reasons, he seems to be in a better place now that his paternity has been established, and he appears willing to put his child first. 

In the second part of his statement, Tristan Thompson also addressed Khloé Kardashian, as the positive paternity test proves he cheated on her (again) when his newest son was conceived in March 2021. 

Tristan Thompson apologizes to Khloé Kardashian after paternity test shows he fathered a child while they were dating.

(Image credit: Instagram)

The NBA star, who had been quiet on social media since October, acknowledged that Khloé Kardashian didn’t deserve the heartache and humiliation he’s caused her — and not just with this incident, but with his other cheating scandals over the years. Kardashian broke up with Tristan Thompson (likely for good) in June 2021 after allegations that he had cheated on her with model Sydney Chase

Maralee Nichols’ allegations, which became known to the public after Tristan Thompson and Khloé Kardashian broke up, were just the latest in a long line of infidelity issues on his part. Just a few days before Kardashian gave birth to her and Thompson’s daughter True, news broke that Thompson had cheated on her with multiple women. The Revenge Body author stayed with Thompson following the birth of their daughter, but broke up with him less than a year later after reports that he made out with Jordyn Woods, the best friend and roommate of Kardashian’s youngest sister, Kylie Jenner.

That wasn’t the end for Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson, however, who reconciled after quarantining together in 2020 so they could both continue raising their daughter. It seems the happy family couldn’t exist outside of quarantine, though, as Thompson’s third child was conceived in March 2021 with Maralee Nichols, and the cheating allegations with Sydney Chase came to light in April 2021. 

It’s been a truly unfortunate time for all involved, to say the least, but now that the paternity test has revealed the truth, hopefully they can all put the children’s interests first and move forward as co-parents. While Khloé Kardashian hasn’t spoken out about the Maralee Nichols situation at this point, here's hoping the took to heart one part of Tristan Thompson’s apology — that she deserves better than the way he treated her. Hopefully we’ll get an update on what Khloé and her family have been up to soon, so stay tuned to our 2022 TV Schedule to see when the Kardashians’ new Hulu series is going to premiere.

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.