When Joe Jonas filed to divorce Sophie Turner in late 2023, people were floored. Not because they split…
But because of the smear campaign that followed.
The Jonas Brother and the Game of Thrones alum had been together for seven years. They welcomed two kids together and seemed to carry out a pretty normal romance behind closed doors.
But then as they decided to part company, things got progressively worse. Ugly things were insinuated about both Joe AND Sophie.
Things that even a year later still have not died down. In fact, they may even pop up on Jonas’ next album.
So what actually happened during Joe Jonas’ divorce? And how are both of them moving forward? Let’s dive in.
Joe Jonas’ Divorce From Sophie Turner: The Messy Bits
The music superstar filed for divorce on Tuesday September 5, 2023. He immediately hired Tom Sasser, a well-known powerhouse celebrity attorney. (Remember Tiger Woods’ divorce? Same guy!)
Early reports about the reason behind the split really threw Sophie under the bus.
TMZ shared that, according to a source, Joe Jonas chose to divorce Sophie Turner because she parties too much.
“She likes to party; he likes to stay at home. They have very different lifestyles,” the insider claimed.
Another source who spoke to the outlet claimed Joe caught Sophie crossing a line in their own home.
“Joe had access to a ring cam that he said captured Sophie saying and/or doing something that made him realize the marriage was over,” the report read
An insider later spilled to Us Weekly that it was actually NBD. The cam allegedly caught Sophie speaking about Joe “somewhat negatively” with a friend, and according to the source, “It wasn’t anything more than that, but that was the final straw.”
TBH, the suggestion that Sophie was somehow too much of a party girl to remain married had many people feeling suspicious.
When the tables turned, reports painted Joe as “too controlling” and insensitive to Sophie’s needs. At one point, it was suggested that Joe forced Sophie to join him at public events before she was ready after having their second kid.
Taylor Swift Enters The Chat
One of the reasons people speculated that a “Sophie is the villain” narrative was established early on was due to Joe’s own reputation.
The middle Jonas has a history of ending things, shall we say, poorly with his romantic partners and usually, the splits are his own doing.
In short, he’s got a rep for breaking hearts. Just ask Taylor Swift.
Taylor is perhaps Joe’s most high profile romance before marrying Sophie. (No disrespect, Demi Lovato!)
While they were very young at the time, Joe famously dumped Taylor over text message, an act he surely regretted for years given the songs that she wrote about him and the reputation that stuck with him well into adulthood.
Which is why it was likely a deep blow to Joe’s confidence in garnering public support when Sophie was spotted hanging out with Taylor a week after the divorce was announced. Not only that, it was reported that Sophie and her two children actually moved into Taylor’s apartment in NYC when Joe waged a custody war.
Joe Jonas’ Kids & The Custody Battle With Sophie Turner
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are parents to two daughters: Willa and Delphine. When they announced their divorce, they addressed how their split would affect the young girls and begged the public for privacy.
“There are many speculative narratives as to why, but truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children,” their joint statement read.
However, no sooner did they part company before a custody battle imploded.
A couple of weeks after the divorce announcement, TMZ reported that Sophie filed legal documents claiming Joe was “unlawfully keeping their children in New York City” and that she wanted them “returned” to England with her. Per the court docs, Sophie and Joe agreed to make England their “permanent home” with their daughters.
According to TMZ, Sophie agreed “with some hesitation” to have the kids stay with Joe while he was on tour with the Jonas Brothers as she was shooting a “very intense” time-consuming series. They reportedly agreed to have Sophie return to New York to “collect the children and return home to England.” However, the docs allege that Joe “refused to return the passports to the Mother and refuses to send the children home to England with the Mother.”
“Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also okay with the kids being raised both in the US and the UK,” Joe’s rep said in response to the filing, but the matter was hardly resolved.
The situation was meant to go to trial. However, during a 4-day intense mediation, the couple managed to arrive at an “amicable” arrangement. At the start of 2024, the pair finally came to an ”agreed-upon parenting plan.”
And so, the life of a co-parent started for them both!
Sophie Calls Aftermath Of Divorce “Worst Days Of My Life”
In the months that followed, Sophie and Joe were both pretty quiet about the split. He was busy on tour and she was finishing up filming several projects.
When it came time to promote her series Joan, however, she was cornered into talking about the divorce. She also had to face the slew of allegations made against her.
“Those were the worst few days of my life,” Turner said in an interview with British Vogue.
“I remember I was on set. I was contracted to be on set for another two weeks, so I couldn’t leave. My kids were in the States and I couldn’t get to them because I had to finish Joan.”
“It hurt because I really do completely torture myself over every move I make as a mother,” Turner added. “Mum guilt is so real! I just kept having to say to myself, ‘None of this is true. You are a good mum, and you’ve never been a partier.’”
Joe’s Revenge: A New Album About Their Split?
“It was scary at times, and also freeing,” Jonas told Billboard about writing his latest album.
Joe will release his latest solo outing, Music for People Who Believe in Love with Republic Records on Oct. 18. 2024.
“I was going through a lot of life changes,” he said about the years writing the record, “finding out who I was as a person and father and friend, and living under the microscope of what the music industry can be.”
Using music as an “outlet” for the “crazy time” in his life left many convinced that the album will be dedicated to his divorce.
“Things you can’t imagine/Remind you of what you’ve always had/Maybe they need to happen/So you know the worst ain’t all that bad,” he sings on the album’s first single “My Own Best Friend.”
However, while fans may be convinced this will be a revenge album, Joe is quick to squash rumors that his songs will trash his ex.
“I’m not trying to come for anyone on this album,” he said. “I’m not trying to put stuff on blast. I have a beautiful life that I’m grateful for. I’ve got two beautiful kids. I’m a happy person, and the music needed to resemble that — but also, the journey to get here.”