Brett Fairley, a 28-year-old from Mississippi, said he was misled into co-parenting a child who turned out not to be biologically his.
He has been sharing his side of a complicated situation in a series of videos, even though he was under a gag order.
People online have been talking about it, with some pointing out that he’s lucky he wasn’t immediately held in contempt of court for speaking out.
In his video, Brett, a former Harrison High School football player, admitted that he could be arrested for breaking the order.
There’s now talk that he may actually be in jail, and folks even mentioned seeing his mugshot.
He claimed he initially agreed to be a sperm donor for Maria Nguyen, but the situation quickly turned into something much more involved.
Believing he was the father, Brett says he spent over $52,000 helping raise the child, only to later learn through three paternity tests, including one ordered by a court, that he shares no biological connection to her.
Now, he’s speaking out, saying he was deceived and unfairly drawn into a role he never agreed to.
Brett Fairley Says He Was Tricked Into Fatherhood Before Learning He Wasn’t the Dad
When reached by phone, Maria Nguyen, 35, had little to say, citing the gag order as the reason for her silence.
She did hint that “karma” would play its part, but offered no further comments.
Fairley said he had no doubt he was the child’s father until August of last year.
He said he agreed to help Nguyen as a sperm donor, but the arrangement became co-parenting.
Despite his original intentions, he ended up helping raise the little girl and even paid child support.
When the child was born, Fairley signed both the acknowledgment of paternity and the birth certificate that legally tied him to the child, even though he hadn’t planned to be at the hospital that day.
It wasn’t until much later that he took paternity tests, which he said proved he’s not the biological father.
Brett claimed he knows who the real father is but hasn’t publicly shared that name.
He also alleged that Nguyen misled him initially, even telling him she was pregnant in June 2021 when she wasn’t.
In one video, he showed footage from a brunch with Maria Nguyen and a friend named Dillion, where Nguyen, who had already told him she was pregnant, was seen drinking heavily.
Unraveling the wildest story you’ll ever hear: Part 1 #marianguyenbiloxi #paternityfraud pic.twitter.com/AUiM21KZLz
— Brett Fairley (@BrettRFairley) April 29, 2025
Brett says that moment raised red flags for him and Dillion, though Nguyen insisted it was fine.
He also said that based on his own timeline and research, Nguyen couldn’t have gotten pregnant until more than a week after that brunch, when he had already returned to California.
Fairley claimed Nguyen later confirmed in now-deleted videos that she didn’t officially find out she was pregnant until June 12, 2021—six days after she told him he had gotten her pregnant.
He also shared a screenshot of an ultrasound she sent him in January 2022, which stated she was 32 weeks and 1 day along.
According to his calculations, that would have placed the start of her pregnancy around June 6, after she had already claimed to be expecting.
Despite everything, he says Nguyen encouraged his family to be involved, even inviting them to the birth.
Brett Fairley Says He Faced Financial Pressure and Legal Costs After Being Wrongly Named a Child’s Father
Brett Fairley’s current girlfriend, Hadley Vlahos, shared on a podcast that his involvement in the child’s life started after his parents found out he had agreed to be a sperm donor for Maria Nguyen.
Eventually, Nguyen and the baby moved into one of Brett’s Airbnb properties.
He said this led to financial loss of around $31,000 due to missed rental income.
As time went on, Brett claims Nguyen began making severe demands.
According to him, she threatened to take the child away unless he agreed to cover various expenses, including child support and dance lessons, as shown in text message screenshots he shared.
By August 2023, Nguyen allegedly asked for $10,000 in back child support, along with ongoing payments.
Brett says he started paying $750 monthly beginning November 1, 2023. Altogether, he said he spent about $6,750 in direct support and nearly $17,000 in court-ordered expenses despite later learning he was not the biological father.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Brett graduated from West Harrison High School in 2015.
- He played varsity soccer as a goalkeeper (#32) and varsity football as a fullback (#41), and was also involved in swim and baseball.
- He played in several key soccer matches during the 2014–2015 season, including playoff games in the 5A Boys Soccer Championship.
