Keshia Knight Pulliam Says 'Hardest Part' of Ed Hartwell Divorce Drama Is Impact on Her Stepson: 'He Deserves to Be a Big Brother'
Keshia Knight Pulliam and Ed Hartwell's divorce is getting more heated by the minute.
Shortly after her ex defended his demand for a paternity test, alleging in a Thursday interview with PageSix TV that Pulliam pressured him to have a baby almost immediately after they tied the knot, the expectant actress responded with more of her side of the story.
During the second half of her interview with Entertainment Tonight, which aired Thursday, the Cosby Show alum addressed the contentious split – and said she's particularly upset about the impact it will have on her 9-year-old stepson E.J., Hartwell's child with his ex-wife, former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lisa Wu.
"That's the hardest part," said Pulliam, 37. "I really, really love him."
Pulliam said E.J. was "so excited" about her pregnancy, which she announced earlier this week.
"Every night he would hug me, say 'I love you,' and then he'd say to the baby, 'and I love you,' " Pulliam said. "I hate that he doesn't have that experience anymore. He deserves to be a big brother."
Pulliam also adamantly denied reports that she and Hartwell had been fighting in the weeks leading up to the split.
"It's funny how people try to spin things. I'm not going to allow someone to rewrite the truth," she said. "There's feelings. There's a baby in the middle of this. If we don't want to be married, that's fine. We agree on that. Neither one of us wants to be married."
Hartwell, 38, filed for divorce from Pulliam earlier this week – just six months after the couple wed and one week after the actress announced she is expecting.
The couple did not sign a prenup, and on Thursday, Pulliam filed her response to Hartwell's divorce petition, deeming the marriage "irretrievably broken with no hope of reconciliation."
She requested sole temporary possession of their Atlanta home, separate distribution of any earnings before the marriage, equal division of the assets and earnings earned during the marriage, and that Hartwell pay her laywer's fees.
Pulliam told ET she hasn't seen or spoken to her ex since he filed for divorce.
"There's nothing to say. I'm not about dragging people through the mud in the media," she said. "One day he will have to answer to her and explain to her."
RELATED VIDEO: Keshia Knight Pulliam Speaks Out on Divorce and Paternity Test Drama
Pulliam first spoke out about the bombshell split Wednesday. Of Hartwell's demand she undergo a paternity test, Pulliam told ET that she never cheated on him, instead alleging her ex was the one who was unfaithful and that it almost tore the couple apart.
"When earlier in my marriage I was faced with this, I was ready to leave," she said. "I had divorce papers ready. I presented them to him. He begged … He said: 'Please, I want my family,' he said all the right things. Once I was pregnant I decided to give him another chance."
After being blindsided by the divorce, Pulliam said she has "no desire to continue to be married to him."
"I'm doing this one interview, and I'm done," she added. "I'm not going to continue to revisit, regurgitate, but I'm not going to continue to allow people to tell blatant lies about me."
Meanwhile, Hartwell, 38 told Page Six he "can't say she's been unfaithful," but is concerned about the timing.
"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," 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."
