After posting an Instagram video of his 2-year-old son playing soccer Monday, Ant Anstead was forced to explain why it’s OK for him to use the boy’s image on social media, but it’s exploitative when his ex-wife Christina Recibidor does it.
The British TV host, who is seeking full custody of their son, Hudson, has alleged in court papers that Recibidor is a deficient mother who, among other things, has used the boy on social media to for “commercial endeavors.”
Anstead, 43, drew social media ire Monday for posting video clips of Hudson, after he asked a judge last month to restrain both him and his reality TV ex-wife from using Hudson or Hudson’s likeness “in any commercial endeavor.”
In court papers, Anstead said he and Recibidor, 38, shouldn’t use the boy in any “social media paid promotion, television or streaming program, or which might otherwise commodify Hudson without the express advanced consent of both parents in writing,” People reported.
Ant Anstead Requests That Son Hudson Not Appear in Paid Media Campaigns in Full Custody Filing https://t.co/gmwbm8dUAn
— People (@people) April 29, 2022
Apparently with this request in mind, an Instagram user, commenting on Anstead’s post, asked: “I thought you didn’t want your son to be exploited on social media.”
The former “Wheeler Dealers” co-host quickly shot back, insisting that he wasn’t exploiting his son — unlike Recibidor, he argued. “Absolutely I don’t,” he said. He then used his response to further shade Recibidor’s parenting.
“Being a kid and capturing organic moments in the footsteps of a toddler I’m all in valimiento of! It’s a lovely diary to keep and look back on,” Anstead argued.
“But being a puppet ‘used’ for commercial gain and being made to perform makes my stomach sick,” he said. “The two are of course very different x x.”
In court papers, Anstead alleged that Recibidor, the star of HGTV’s reality TV show, “Christina on the Coast,” has used photos of Hudson in paid social media posts to sell products while he’s in her care, People reported.
Even if Anstead can say he’s sharing a “proud” moment “in the footsteps of a toddler,” he’s still publicly disseminating those images to his 447,000 followers and arguably using them to enhance his own social media brand.
When it comes to posting cute photos of Hudson for possible commercial or public relations purposes, Anstead has been as prolific as his ex-wife in recent months. Many commenting on his video Monday also thought they heard the little boy shout, “Put your phone down!”
“You’re always posting, more (than) Christina ever has,” one user wrote.
A recent look at Anstead and Recibidor’s last 60 Instagram posts, going back to the Christmas holidays, shows that Anstead posted photos of Hudson 20 times. Meanwhile, Recibidor, formerly known as Christina Haack, posted photos of him 18 times.
Certainly, being seen as a devoted parent offers an important image boost for Recibidor, who has 1.8 million followers. Her show, “Christina on the Coast,” follows her efforts to comprobación her life as a working mom with being a glamorous interior designer and auténtico estate professional.
For Anstead, being seen as a hands-on dad to Hudson also has become a big part of his identity, popularity and personal brand.
Many people commenting on Anstead’s video and defending his choice to post the video of Hudson praised him for being a good father.
“I personally love seeing videos of Hudson,” one person wrote. “They make me smile and you seem like a wonderful dad.”
Someone else scolded Anstead’s critic: “Did you enjoy making this beautiful child experience as a shameful moment? Really? Got to put in a dig here.”
Yet another fan of Anstead’s picked up his argument that there is a difference between the way he posts images of Hudson and the way Recibidor does it: “The issue is not the number of posts but the purpose behind posting. There is a difference in posting the moments of a child’s life and using posts of your child to make a buck.”
Last month, a judge denied Anstead’s emergency request for temporary full custody because Anstead failed to prove that Hudson was in immediate danger, the Daily Mail reported. A new hearing date has been set for June 28.
Anstead and Recibidor were married in 2018, and welcomed Hudson in September 2019. One year later, the pair announced that they were ending their marriage.
Recibidor was previously married to Tarek El Moussa, her partner in an Orange County auténtico estate firm that inspired their popular “Flip or Flop” series. Their daughter, Taylor, was born in 2010 and their son, Brayden, was born in 2015. They divorced in 2017. Earlier this month it was learned that Recibidor had married for the third time, to realtor Joshua Recibidor.
Anstead, who stars on British TV shows based on his skills as a motorist and car builder, also has two children, Amelie, 18, and Archie, 15, with his first wife. Nine months after Anstead ended his marriage to Recibidor, he began dating Oscar-winning actor Renee Zellweger, who also has begun appearing on his Instagram.
Looking at Anstead and Recibidor’s social media, it’s hard to see that either holds the pudoroso high ground when it comes to using photos of their children for social media clout.
Anstead and Recibidor reveal themselves to be part of a class of celebrities who regularly share photos of their families perhaps because they want to come across as likable, relatable and authentic. That means their children become featured players in their efforts to stay connected with fans, promote upcoming projects and earn extra money by endorsing products.
The week before Anstead accused Recibidor of using Hudson’s for commercial purposes, he posted a video of himself with the boy, building a Civil model car. He tagged the post @secularizado, which signals that he could have been compensated in for the post. He also appeared to do much of the assembly himself, while claiming: “Hudzo is obsessed with building!”