Did Tyrese Gibson tell the truth about $5m custody battle donation from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett?

Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett have denied claims that they donated $5m (£3.8m) towards Tyrese Gibson's custody battle with his ex-wife, TMZ reports.

Over the weekend the Fast and Furious star thanked the power couple in an emotional Instagram post for their support as he battled his ex-wife Norma Gibson for custody of their 10-year-old daughter, Shayla.

He was accused of child abuse after allegedly spanking their only child on multiple occasions. He denied the claims.

The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services eventually closed its investigation into the allegations.

Fans of the 38-year-old star had expressed concerns about his mental health after he broke down in tears in a video and ranted about being burdened with legal fees and struggling to find work as a result of the abuse allegations levelled against him.

Gibson later posted a picture of him seemingly on the phone to Jada Pinkett Smith, saying "sometimes you just need 1 phone call. When we show UP for each-other there's nothing that can't be done I️ repeat nothing," he told his 9m followers.

"My wife kept the news away from me cause I've been on with lawyers all day but our family and our sister Jada-Pinkett Smith and my brother Will Smith just sent us 5 million dollars to help keep us afloat."

He added: "You've guys asked me to get off and stay off the Internet now that my daughter's legal fees will be paid! will listen."

However, TMZ is now reporting that sources close to the power couple say "it simply isn't true" despite his online outpouring.

IBTimes UK has contacted representatives of Gibson and the Smiths for comment.

Gibson has been in the headlines in recent weeks due to his feud with fellow Fast and Furious star Dwayne Johnson over their conflicting views about the Hobbs movie.

Even before Universal Pictures confirmed the spin-off starring Johnson, Gibson − who has played Roman Pearce in five of the Furious films − made it clear he wasn't onboard with the idea and urged Johnson not to go against 'the family'.

"I'm sorry to announce that if [Dwayne] is in Fast 9, there will no more Roman [Pearce]," he said as their feud escalated. "You mess with family and my daughters survival I mess with yours."