Update: There was an error in reporting in reference to Lisa Wu’s role, or lack thereof, in issues Ed Hartwell and Keshia Knight Pulliam had during their marriage. She is not the ex in question that Hartwell still cares for, an ex he brought up during his Page Six interview. Therefore, that information has been removed from this article. The author apologizes for the misprint and any confusion it may have caused.
Fresh off the heels of Keshia Knight Pulliam’s first interview since Ed Hartwell filed for divorce this week, the former NFL player is speaking out to explain why he claims their relationship didn’t work, and why he still wants that paternity test.
In an interview with Page Six TV via Skype, Hartwell, 38, said something that put a major dent in their relationship was her desire to have a child soon after they married. As in immediately. With their dating relationship not lasting much time, he wanted to wait and get to know Pulliam better (wrong order to do things). This was especially important because he would realize that he wasn’t so sure he was in love with her after saying “I do.”
“She wanted a baby really fast, and what I was trying to explain to her was that — from my beliefs, from seeing other successful people — that when you first get married, especially since we didn’t have a long courtship, that we should actually focus on each other and not just have a baby. That’s something she really did want to do.”
According to him, there were conversations where Pulliam, 37, allegedly took issue with his lack of readiness to bring another child into the world. Eventually, he said he came to the conclusion that she wanted a child more than she wanted to be married.
“She was asking, If you don’t want a baby can I adopt?” he told Page Six TV. “If you don’t want a baby can I do in vitro? If you don’t want a baby, can I freeze my eggs and you freeze your sperm so I can make sure? She was adamant…that’s one of the reasons why we stopped having sex.”
After ceasing sexual intimacy, things went to hell in a handbasket. Hartwell allegedly found out that a woman he dated for four years “lost a baby.” It’s unclear if the baby was his, but when he tried to provide support to the woman, he realized that he still had feelings for her. When Pulliam found out, they fell out big time. But not for the reasons you think.
“[Knight Pulliam] wasn’t mad that I still cared about her,” Hartwell said. “All she was a mad about was, ‘You don’t want to have a baby, but you’re mad about her baby. You can’t talk to her 13-year-old daughter.’ And there was a big fall-out.”
According to him, that’s when things really changed in their relationship. Pulliam reportedly started spending more time away from home with friends, and sometimes wouldn’t return for days. So when Pulliam eventually told him that she was pregnant, he claims that he tried to be supportive but ended up being skeptical.
“I can’t say she’s been unfaithful. I can say she’s stayed out, she’s not came home, she’s went out-of-town … for three days, I don’t know what’s going on. I can say that,” he said. “I can’t say she was unfaithful. I can say she wanted to get in vitro, I can say she wanted to do some things to make sure she got pregnant. I just want to make sure it is mine.”
He continued, “So for me it’s not me saying she’s a bad person. She wants what she wants, I want what I want: she wants a baby, I want to find love and happiness. But at the end of the day, I think if things don’t add up, I think it’s fair for me, if things don’t add up, to want a test.”
As for her Entertainment Tonight interview, Hartwell said she didn’t tell the whole story.
“I think she stretched,” he said. “She would tell a half-truth to make it seem like she was, I don’t want to say a victim, but like she was the one that’s right.”
And while he admits that he made mistakes during their marriage, he’s only speaking out in this way now to ensure that the truth is presented. “That’s what prevails.”
