“Little Mermaid” star Halle Bailey and her rapper ex-boyfriend DDG decided this week to temporarily put their differences aside in their months-long custody battle over their 1-year-old son, Halo.
The pair of musicians, who dated from 2022 to 2024, agreed to drop their mutual domestic violence restraining order requests and settled on temporary custody terms to co-parent their child, according to a stipulation filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The stipulation, signed by both parties, is a significant development in the exes’ dispute, which came to a head in the summer.
When Bailey (of the “Do It” sister-singer duo Chloë x Halle) and DDG (born Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.) announced their split in October 2024, the latter said “we are still best friends and adore each other” and would work to co-parent their son. But tension between the exes surfaced in May after Bailey secured a temporary restraining order alleging the father of her child was abusive throughout their two-year relationship and had continued to behave badly since their breakup. “Darryl has been and continues to be physically, verbally, emotionally, and financially abusive towards me,” she said at the time, according to court documents. Bailey, 25, requested that DDG, 28, be ordered to stay away from her and their son.
Influencer DDG, known for the 2016 single “Balenciaga,” fired back with allegations against Bailey and a request for his own domestic violence restraining order. He accused his ex-girlfriend of “emotional instability and coercive control,” raised concern about her “repeated threats of suicide and self-harm” and alleged instances where she “endangered the child’s safety while in emotional distress.”
Though the stipulation states both Bailey and DDG must “immediately dismiss” their restraining order requests, they can each file new requests in case of future abuse.
Court documents say that Bailey will have physical custody over Halo except on Wednesdays and certain weekends. The stipulation also outlines a custody agreement for birthdays and the upcoming holidays.
The latest court documents also address each parent’s social media use, which proved to be a point of contention after the breakup. Notably, DDG brought baby Halo with him for Twitch star Kai Cenat’s livestream in November 2024.
“Neither party shall post, upload or disseminate on the internet or any social media platforms, photographs, images, and or/information regarding the Minor Child,” court documents say. Friends and family of the two musicians are also barred from posting about Halo. Additionally, neither Bailey nor DDG can “disparage the party publicly” or in the presence of their child, who turns 2 in December.
Bailey was a fan of DDG years before they became an item. After sparking up a romance via social media DMs, the former pair made their red carpet debut at the 2022 BET Awards. The singer was vocal about how she was smitten with DDG, telling Essence the romance was her “first deep, deep, real love.”
Through their time together, the former couple faced their share of ups and downs — including DDG’s diss track about his ex’s starring role in “The Little Mermaid” and some criticism from Bailey’s older sister Ski Bailey.
Halle Bailey currently has more than just family matters on her plate.
She released her debut solo album, “Love?…or Something Like It,” on Friday. Upon announcing the release earlier this month, she said on Instagram that the project is a “story of first love, heartbreak, and everything that comes after.”
Times assistant editor Christie D’Zurilla andeditorial library director Cary Schneider contributed to this report.
For Chinaka Hodge, it’s important that Riri Williams is unapologetic.
Comparing the young engineering prodigy to the billionaire tech CEO and Avengers founding member Tony Stark, the head writer and executive producer of Marvel’s “Ironheart” says she wanted her show’s lead character to share some of that brash confidence to speak her mind yet still feel grounded.
“I wanted her to be unapologetic about her intellect,” says Hodge during a recent Zoom call. “I wanted her to be unapologetic about the people she hung out with — that they would look and feel like the America we inhabit.
“It was really important to me to make a character that didn’t just feel like a superhero in a skirt [but someone with] real dimension, real depth and real challenges and concerns,” she added.
Out now on Disney+, “Ironheart” follows Riri (portrayed by Dominique Thorne), a 19-year old MIT student introduced in the 2022 film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” as she finds herself back in her hometown of Chicago.
After getting whisked away to Wakanda to help save the day, Riri is more driven than ever to complete her own version of a high-tech Iron Man-like suit to cement her legacy. But unlike Tony or the Wakandans, Riri doesn’t have unlimited resources to do so, which leads her to make some questionable decisions.
Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) in “Ironheart.”
(Jalen Marlowe / Marvel)
“She’s incredibly reverent of Tony Stark [being] ahead of her, but her path is not the same as his,” says Hodge, who can relate to Riri having “no blueprint” for her journey. “How to empower your idea without resource, without changing your morals, is a really difficult road, and that’s basically where we put Riri for the life of the series.”
Compared to most of her Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts, Riri is a fairly new character. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, the 15-year-old tech whiz made her comic book debut in a 2016 issue of “Invincible Iron Man.” Besides Tony Stark, Riri has crossed paths with characters such as Pepper Potts (Rescue), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Miles Morales (Spider-Man).
A self-described “Marvel head,” Hodge explains that Riri initially hit her radar because of her friendship with fellow poet and scholar Eve Ewing, who was the writer on the first “Ironheart” comic book series.
“My first encounter with Riri was watching Eve literally leave a poetry [event] and say, ‘I have to go to my house … I’m working on some cool things,’” Hodge says. “In a true fan kind of way, I’m interested in characters that look like me, and low-key, Riri really looks like me, [so] I very much leaned in.”
“Ironheart” head writer Chinaka Hodge says Riri Williams is in for a difficult road.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
As she became more familiar with the character, what also struck Hodge, as someone on the autism spectrum, is how Riri can be read as neurodiverse. “One of the most important things about Riri [is] how she feels like me and my mom and other women who lean into their brains,” she says.
Fans of Ironheart from the comics will recognize that elements of Riri’s characterization and backstory draw upon what has been established in the books, but Hodge notes that they were not beholden to those storylines in terms of whom the teen could encounter on the show, regardless of the timeline or dimension. Hodge’s learning curve, however, did include discovering the different levels and types of magic that exist in the broader Marvel universe, as well as potential storylines getting derailed because it fell under another character’s purview.
Though she is still a teen genius, the Riri in the series is slightly older than in the comics. Hodge also describes this Riri as more of an antihero because she has the potential to land on either side of the hero/villain line based on the choices she makes.
Hodge, along with “Ironheart” directors Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes, sing Thorne’s praises, for her portrayal of Riri and as a collaborator. Hodge calls the Cornell-educated actor “a genius” and says she strove to pull Riri’s dialogue up to the level of Thorne’s intellect, rather than the other way around. Bailey, who directed the first three episodes of the series, says Thorne “brought such a soulfulness to the character.” And Barnes, who directed Episodes 4 through 6, commends her capacity to be present for her fellow actors.
“It was exciting to just create the environment to let her do her thing and feel safe within doing that,” Bailey says.
“Ironheart” marks the first time the MCU has spotlighted Chicago, and for the show’s creative team, it was important to get the city right. Hodge, who grew up in Oakland, admits that while she may not have direct knowledge as an outsider, she can relate to how Riri regards her home and wanted to treat the city with respect.
“Chicago’s my favorite cast member,” Hodge says. “I think Riri feels about Chicago how I feel about Oakland. It’s a hometown, but it’s [also] a legacy we’re carrying. Us being from there means something if we do something right with our lives.”
That type of hometown pride was shared by many in the “Ironheart” cast and crew. Hodge says the aim was to tap as many Chicago artists and musicians — from local bucket drummers to cast members like Shea Couleé — to capture the true texture of the city. Among those with strong personal ties to the city is Bailey, who is from Chicago, and Hodge credits the director with helping to bring their vision to life.
Zoe Terakes, left, Sonia Denis, Shakira Barrera, Dominique Thorne, Shea Couleé, Anthony Ramos and Manny Montana in “Ironheart.”
(Jalen Marlowe / Marvel)
“I feel like Chicago has this beautiful chip on its shoulder,” Bailey says. “We don’t trust a lot of people. We’re very protective of the city and its inhabitants. … There was a bit of rebelliousness I wanted to capture … and the different types of people that populate that city, which I don’t feel like we get to see a lot onscreen.”
As the director of the first half of the series, Bailey’s goal was to set up the backstory and establish the vibrancy of everyone introduced in the early episodes to prepare for the adventure to come.
“It was really important to really make these characters feel like people and feel like people you wanted to be around and feel like people you want to root for,” says Bailey.
Among these characters in Riri’s orbit are those she shares a history with, like her mother, Ronnie (Anji White), her close friend Xavier (Matthew Elam) and even the neighborhood’s youngest businessman, Landon (Harper Anthony). But Riri soon finds herself in the company of a new crew led by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), who some might compare to Robin Hood or a freedom fighter, at least initially.
Mindful of spoilers, Barnes only teases that the second half of the series involves Riri having to face some of the consequences of choices she made in earlier episodes.
“[Riri] made this decision to maybe hang out with people that aren’t necessarily the most savory of people,” says Barnes. “They also have their own reasons for doing what they’re doing, but … she gets in a little deeper than she imagined.”
A self-proclaimed MCU fan, Barnes emphasizes how the show was intentional in everything from its set pieces to decoration, including how the design for the heads-up display of Riri’s suit was inspired by infographics from the works of W.E.B. Du Bois. But she also recalls the fun they had during production, like flipping a truck and building a White Castle in a parking lot.
Chinaka Hodge wanted to make sure people could see themselves reflected on the show.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
For Hodge, “Ironheart” marks one of her highest-profile projects to date. The poet and playwright turned to screenwriting after realizing she wanted to expand beyond working in first person and enrolled in USC’s graduate film school in 2010. There, she’d meet fellow student filmmakers like “Black Panther’s” Ryan Coogler, who is an executive producer on “Ironheart,” and “Creed II’s” Steven Caple Jr. (“I would just follow Ryan around campus [saying], ‘Hire me,’” she says. He eventually did.)
Among the things Hodge was excited about while working on the series was getting to explore larger themes around access, autonomy and safety through specific situations that consider how a young girl from Chicago’s South Side might be perceived differently than Tony Stark for owning a weapons-grade tech suit because of what they look like. She was also eager to populate the show with people who reflect the diversity of the real world.
Broadly speaking, “you’re gonna see yourself if you turn on the screen on this show,” says Hodge, who is glad the MCU has moved to “feel like a universe that’s inhabited by the people who read publishing and go to the movies.”
“I’m excited for the little, quirky Black girl watching the show who sees herself in it [and] for the queer kid who finds it for their Pride Month activities and wants to watch it,” she says. “I’m really excited for that Black boy who wants to play with a Riri Williams action figure and finds it in the store and gets to fly it around his own house. I’m excited and I’m nervous [and] thrilled, and I feel like that’s exactly how Riri feels when she’s flying over the Chicago skyline.”
DDG has failed for now in his attempt to get a domestic violence restraining order preventing Halle Bailey from taking their son, Halo, out of the country — but not for lack of trying.
The rapper, real name Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr., made serious allegations about Bailey in a new court filing this week after she served him with a domestic violence restraining order in mid-May. DDG must keep his distance from his “The Little Mermaid” ex and their son, who turns 2 in October. He was also ordered to refrain from contacting them in any way, including electronically.
On Wednesday, when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was expected to consider whether to make the temporary order more permanent, the 27-year-old influencer’s attorney requested that Bailey be prevented from traveling internationally with Halo, specifically to Italy, alleging there was a risk she would kidnap the child. The filing also asked that the hearing be continued to a later date.
DDG’s team got the later date. His attorney did not reply to The Times’ request for comment.
The domestic violence restraining order request, which was denied pending a hearing later this month, was supported by DDG’s version of some of the same incidents his 25-year-old ex cited in her May filing, according to court documents reviewed by The Times. It includes declarations from Tonya Granberry, DDG’s mother, and George Charlston, her fiancée, who is also DDG’s driver, alleging they found Apple AirTags that had been hidden in the rapper’s vehicles and in Halo’s diaper bag, presumably by Bailey.
DDG’s team complained in his filing about Bailey’s alleged “emotional instability and coercive control,” her “repeated threats of suicide and self-harm” and instances where she “endangered the child’s safety while in emotional distress.”
The filing includes text exchanges in which Bailey sent myriad frantic-sounding messages, many more than DDG replied with. In one exchange, which occurred after he drove off following an argument in 2022, Bailey sent texts “claiming she had a knife and implying she would harm herself if he did not return,” the filing says.
“YOI HATE ME AND WANT ME TO DIE!!!” she said amid a flurry of text messages in March 2024, according to the filing, following up with texts saying “I WANT TO DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!!!” and “I WILL DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!!!”
In February, Bailey told DDG via text that “everyday i want to die because of the way you embarrass me online and allow other women to speak on me,” the filing says.
The two dated for two years before breaking up in October 2023; their son was born a couple of months later. Bailey allegedly “weaponized” her pregnancy to try to persuade DDG to reconcile with her, the filing says. The court filing alleges she tried to medically abort Halo in June 2023 but didn’t take the second dose of medication that would complete the task.
The rapper said the singer-actor went through his phone while he was asleep, slapped and punched him during a fight over the phone, falsely claimed that he slammed her head into his car’s steering wheel during a custody exchange and surveilled him by planting Apple AirTags in his vehicles.
He accused her in the filing of tracking the AirTags to show up uninvited to events and studio sessions where he was, “often resulting in confrontations.”
“During emotional outbursts,” the filing says, Bailey “has destroyed my personal property including my laptop that contained critical music and content word” and “stole my legally owned firearm during an argument in August of 2023 and was found outside the house in possession of it.”
In March 2024, Bailey allegedly sent DDG “a series of alarming text messages threatening to kill herself and suggesting that their infant son, Halo, might also be harmed,” the document says. “She then proceeded to drive her vehicle — with the child in the car — while in an emotionally unhinged state. [DDG] was so disturbed by her condition that he immediately contacted [her] godmother to intervene and assist.”
The filing, which includes photos of a gash in DDG’s thumb that he said Bailey caused, notes that similar exchanges happened last September and October, demonstrating that Bailey’s alleged “instability is not a thing of the past, but a present and ongoing danger.”
Bailey’s attorney did not respond immediately to The Times’ request for comment.
DDG found out about Bailey’s restraining order against him via a phone alert in the middle of a livestream in May — no advance notice of the request was given because Bailey, according to court documents, was afraid he would retaliate with violence or by taking Halo out of the area.
In her declaration, Bailey accused DDG of “badmouthing” her to his millions of fans on Twitch and YouTube whenever he “wants to cause upset.”
“He claims I am withholding our son and that I am with other men. As a result, I then receive threats and hate on social media. He seems to try to set up drama for his fans. He goes ‘live’ ranting about me and alleges that I am keeping Halo from him. This is false. I have requested a set schedule, which he refuses.”
She also said he frequently calls her “b—” and says she is “evil.” She detailed one physical altercation from January of this year that ended with her bruised with a chipped tooth. Bailey was giving DDG their son and strapping him into the rapper-streamer’s car when, according to her filing, she asked when the child would be returned. A verbal dispute quickly turned physical, the court document said, and he pulled her hair and slammed her face into the steering wheel.
But DDG says that is false — according to his filing, she hit the steering wheel while launching herself forward from the back seat while trying to hit him. He says he attempted to “shield himself” by holding her arms down so she couldn’t keep hitting him.
“I wanted to get out of the car with Halo but was now stuck,” Bailey said in her filing. “Darryl then said that since I would not leave the baby in the car, he would take me with them. He drove quickly towards his house. When we arrived at his house, I was crying and told his family what happened. I begged his family who were there to help me figure out a schedule with him. They said just leave Halo and go. I left hysterical.”
A hearing in the case is now scheduled for July 24.
On Thursday evening, DDG lamented his public status on X (formerly Twitter) and got a heaping helping of backlash in return.
“now I know how michael jackson felt being famous,” he wrote. “s— crazy.”
For the most part, X users did not agree. Here’s a sampling of the reactions:
LEON BAILEY is expected to seal a life-changing £25 million move to Saudi Arabia this week.
The Aston Villa forward is the subject of an offer believed to be from league newcomers Neom.
3
Leon Bailey scored only two goals in 38 games for Villa this seasonCredit: Reuters
3
The Jamaican international did not enjoy a good second half of the seasonCredit: Reuters
3
Villa boss Unai Emery has a big summer ahead of himCredit: Reuters
His agents have already held initial discussions with the Pro League club.
Jamaican international Bailey, 27, is set to earn up to £10 million a year, tax-free.
He was a key member of the Villa squad that qualified for the Champions League last season but has since fallen out of favour.
The emergence of Morgan Rogers and the arrival of Marcus Rashford, combined with a series of niggling injuries, frustrated Bailey throughout the past campaign.
Bailey’s imminent departure adds to mounting speculation that Emi Martinez could also leave the club this summer.
The Argentine World Cup winner was left in tears after Villa’s final home game of the season, further fuelling rumours that it may have been his last appearance at Villa Park.
When asked about the futures of both Bailey and Martinez ahead of the final game of the season, Villa boss Unai Emery said: “Now we are focused on the matches we are playing.
“It is the last match here I don’t know, we will see. We will see about the team and the players.
“How they respond and how focused they are on how we prepare for games.”
Why these WILD Chris Wood & Morgan Rogers stats could spell disaster for Chelsea & Man Utd | Experts’ best bets – Weekend Wager
Villa are set for a big summer having already said goodbye to winger Marcus Rashford, who arrived from Manchester United late last season and made a significant impact.
The 27-year-old had been sidelined by United manager Ruben Amorim but was a breath of fresh air as Villa narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot.
Sunsport understands Rashford has not entirely ruled out a return to Villa Park.
However, interest from clubs abroad has made negotiations delicate at this stage.
Martinez, 32, fuelled speculation when he broke down in tears and took a bow in front of the Holte End after Villa’s final home game of the season.
Some feared it was a farewell and since then he was linked with a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League.
Man United, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are also rumoured to be keen.
Martinez’s contract runs until 2029 but a bid of £40million or more would ease Villa’s PSR concerns.
Halle Bailey secured a temporary restraining order Tuesday against rapper DDG, alleging that the father of their son Halo was abusive throughout their two-year relationship and has continued to behave badly since they broke up last year.
The “Little Mermaid” star, 25, and the rapper-blogger, 27, whose real name is Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr. split up in October, declaring at the time that they were “still best friends.” Son Halo was born in December 2023 after Bailey worked hard to keep her pregnancy off the radar.
“Throughout our relationship and continuing to date, Darryl has been and continues to be physically, verbally, emotionally, and financially abusive towards me,” she said in court documents reviewed by The Times. “I am seeking orders to protect myself and our son Halo from his ongoing abuse.”
The TRO was granted by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Bailey indicated in court documents that she was concerned for her safety and that of their son, Halo Saint Granberry, and asked that DDG be ordered to stay away from both of them. No advance notice was given to DDG because Bailey was afraid he would retaliate with violence or by taking Halo out of the area, the documents said.
DDG appeared to find out about the restraining order Tuesday in the middle of a profanity-laden livestream, prompting his co-streamers to decry what appeared to be a phone alert as fake news.
“That can’t even be real,” DDG said, staring at his phone.
He is temporarily prohibited from approaching Bailey and his son or contacting them through any means including electronic.
In her declaration, Bailey accused DDG of “badmouthing” her to his millions of fans on Twitch and YouTube whenever he “wants to cause upset.”
“He claims I am withholding our son and that I am with other men. As a result, I then receive threats and hate on social media. He seems to try to set up drama for his fans. He goes ‘live’ ranting about me and alleges that I am keeping Halo from him. This is false. I have requested a set schedule, which he refuses.”
She also said he frequently calls her “b—” and says she is “evil.” She also detailed one physical altercation from January of this year.
DDG went to Bailey’s house on Jan. 18, she said in the declaration, to pick up Halo. She said she asked DDG when he would return the child and alleged he wouldn’t give her an answer.
“The discussion continued as I walked with him outside to assist to put Halo into the car seat. I was buckling the baby into his seat and physically got into the back seat to adjust the car seat. I had left my front door open and was not even fully dressed as I was not even wearing shoes. Darryl kept repeating ‘Get out of my car, B—.’ Halo was crying.”
Bailey said she was nervous leaving the baby with her agitated ex and repeatedly pleaded with him to stop calling her a b—. Then the argument escalated, she said.
“The next thing I knew, things got physical between us. We fought each other, wrestling and tussling. At one point, Darryl was pulling my hair. He then slammed my face on the steering wheel, causing my tooth to get chipped. I then stopped fighting back as I was in a lot of pain,” Bailey wrote.
“I wanted to get out of the car with Halo but was now stuck. Darryl then said that since I would not leave the baby in the car, he would take me with them. He drove quickly towards his house. When we arrived at his house, I was crying and told his family what happened. I begged his family who were there to help me figure out a schedule with him. They said just leave Halo and go. I left hysterical. I had bruises over my arms and a chipped tooth.”
Bailey also detailed a violent incident on March 7 that ended up with her filing a police report. She and Halo were home sick with RSV when DDG came over to see his son, whom Bailey didn’t want to leave the house because of his illness. That angered DDG, she said, and he started yelling and calling her names.
“He then saw that the Ring camera was recording; he unplugged the Ring camera, opened the side door, and threw the Ring camera out of my home. I went outside to retrieve the Ring camera. He then locked me out of my house,” Bailey said in the declaration.
“I went around the back and came into the house through another entrance. I plugged the camera back in and called my family member for help. With her on the phone line, I repeatedly asked Darryl to please leave. I told him that he was being rude, and I was too sick to deal with him. He would not leave. When he realized that my family member was on the phone line, he became enraged. Around this same time, I noticed that he also saw the Ring camera was back on so he smashed the camera. I have this recorded and will bring the recording to the hearing.”
Halle Bailey and DDG, who share son Halo, broke up last October.
(Scott Garfitt / Invision / Associated Press)
She said DDG then grabbed her phone and hung up on her relative while she managed to get Halo away from him.
“Darryl then ran out of the house with my phone. I followed, begging to please give my phone back. He got into his car and closed the car door on me while I was holding Halo. Darryl then drove off and threw my phone out the window and yelled ‘GO GET IT B—.’ As a result of this incident, I filed a police report.”
Both parties have been ordered to participate in a May 30 mediation teleconference to determine custody or visitation if the two fail to come up with a plan before then using online court tools. A court hearing is scheduled for June 4.
In her Tuesday declaration, Bailey said that their relationship “ended in 2024 because of Darryl’s temper and lack of respect towards me. There have been numerous incidents of physical abuse, even before Halo was born.”
The document contains other alleged acts, including DDG declaring on social media that she was with another man on Mother’s Day. She said she was not, then mentioned that he had riled up his fans so that they accused her online of withholding the child and sleeping with other men. She also said DDG has never paid child support and she has never asked him to do so.
Bailey is also asking the court to allow her to take Halo to Italy for eight weeks while she is filming a movie.
“This is not child-centered,” she said of the conflicts between them, “and Halo is only being used to further his fan base and online presence.”
That’s a far cry from the rosy picture she painted in interviews while they were a couple.
Bailey and DDG first sparked romance rumors in January 2022, then made things red carpet official at the 2022 BET Awards that June. Speaking to Essence in August 2022, Bailey said she had been aware of DDG since 2015 from his YouTube channel. Their relationship began with private messages on social media, she said.
“I grew up being on YouTube and would always see the young Black creators and was constantly inspired by them,” she told the magazine. “He was one of them.”
When the magazine asked Bailey whether she was in love with DDG, she replied, “Yes. For sure I am.”
But shortly after the live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” premiered in May 2023, DDG released the song “Famous.”
In the explicit song, he raps, “Hardest things I did was fall in love with a famous b—.” If that wasn’t enough of a nod to his girlfriend, DDG’s lyrics also seemingly hint at Halle’s Ariel falling for co-star Jonah Hauer-King’s Prince Eric (“Filmin’ a movie now you kissing dudes”) and their time on the press tour (“Why is y’all holdin’ hands in the photo?”).
DDG, and his relationship with Bailey, quickly drew criticism online. One X user slammed DDG and his “embarrassing antics,” while another said “the whole song is the nastiest thing he could’ve done” to his girlfriend.
Amid the backlash, DDG said Halle heard the song, and said, “It’s just music.”
Bailey seemed to recover after that drama. “You know, you have puppy love experiences, you think that’s love,” she told Cosmopolitan in September 2023. “But this is my first deep, deep, real love.”
Times staff writers Carlos De Loera and Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this post.
