After Messy Ryan Lochte Divorce, Kayla Reid Shares Her Financial Reality and His $25K Offer for Their Kids (Exclusive)

Please, Kayla Rae Reid says, don’t call her a “single mom” who is “co-parenting” her three kids with ex-husband and swimmer Ryan Lochte

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Ryan Lochte’s ex-wife, Kayla Reid, opens up in this week’s issue of PEOPLE about how she approaches motherhood in the wake of her split from the 12-time Olympic medalist

“It’s not ‘co-parenting’ because co-parenting requires two people to parent with consideration and respect. That’s why I call it ‘parallel parenting,’ ” she says

As for their messy divorce, Reid says she was fighting for financial support and now gets $1,000 each month: “That might be kind of taboo to discuss, but here I am”

Please, Kayla Rae Reid says, don’t call her a “single mom” who is navigating “co-parenting” her three kids with ex-husband and swimmer Ryan Lochte.

“I’m looking for a rebrand of the name ‘single mom.’ We keep saying ‘head parent in charge,’” Reid, 35, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue of how she approaches motherhood in the wake of her protracted split from the 12-time Olympic medalist.

As for raising son Caiden and daughters Georgia and Liv, Reid says bluntly of her former spouse: “It’s not ‘co-parenting’ because co-parenting requires two people to parent with consideration and respect. That’s why I call it ‘parallel parenting’ because it’s kind of like — you do your thing, I do my thing.”

Reid, a former model, filed for divorce from Lochte, 42, in early 2025 after nearly a decade together and three kids.

Their split was finalized in early July and dragged out due to various disputes. Speaking out for the first time in detail about the divorce, Reid tells PEOPLE that a major issue was monetary.

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“Truthfully, I was fighting for support,” says Reid, who works in real estate in Florida and co-hosts The Comeback Era podcast. “And that might be kind of taboo to discuss, but here I am.”

“I’ve almost felt guilty asking for help when I shouldn’t. I know that I shouldn’t, because these are shared children,” she continues. “They’re both of our responsibility.”

Reid says that Lochte pushed her to sign an NDA (she didn’t) and maintained throughout the divorce process that they would pay all of their bills separately. But, in effect, she ended up shouldering increased costs for their kids.

“I was paying for their home, the utilities, the dogs, the food,” Reid says, “[and] their extracurricular activities for after school, their doctor’s appointments.”

“I have over $40,000, basically, of expenses that will go unpaid,” she says.

Court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that as part of their divorce settlement, Lochte will pay Reid $1,000 each month and they will split daycare costs as needed.

However, says Reid, Lochte had offered Reid $25,000 for custody and the ability to move their kids to Missouri — where he now teaches college swimming — with him and his fiancée, Molly Gillihan.

“I, obviously, declined and said no amount of money is worth my children,” Reid says.

Now, “I have primary custody. … The kids will be residing with me most of the time, and he is going to be seeing them for four days a month,” she says.

She and Lochte will rotate summer months and holidays.

“He’s moved away full time now so it’s a lot easier — and harder in a lot of ways too,” says Reid, who is currently single.

“It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of pressure,” she says of parenting alone. “It’s daunting but also challenging in a good way. I believe in myself, and I’m like, ‘There’s nothing I can’t do. It’s okay, I’ll figure it out.’ And I’ve kind of had that mentality for the last few years.”

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In response to Reid, Lochte tells PEOPLE in a statement: “Over the past several years, I’ve taken responsibility for the mistakes I’ve made and have spoken openly about some of the lowest moments in my life. Looking back, I wasn’t ready to be a husband or the man my family deserved at that point in my life.”

“That’s on me,” Lochte says. “I’m incredibly grateful for my children, and they are the greatest gift to come from that chapter of my life.”

He adds, “I’m not going to engage in a back-and-forth about my divorce or respond to every allegation or characterization.”

As for the NDA, he says that “any discussion about a confidentiality agreement was never about hiding the truth or protecting my reputation. ... It was about protecting my children from exactly this kind of situation. I’ve always believed that my children’s privacy should come before headlines.”

“My focus is on being the best father I can be, building a wonderful life with Molly,” Lochte says, “and embracing this next chapter with gratitude and purpose.”

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