Star of Joan Sophie Turner appeared to have a fairy-tale marriage to Jonas Brothers singer Joe Jonas. However, since their divorce, things have proven to be quite the opposite.
After years of being considered “couple goals”, Sophie and Joe tied the knot in 2019. They also started a family, welcoming daughters Willa, four, and two-year-old Delphine. But by September 2023, things weren’t as they seemed after Joe filed for a divorce in Miami, Florida.
“The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken,” the court docs stated. However, as time has gone on, more and more has risen to the surface about their relationship and acrimonious split.
Joan star Sophie Turner had ‘problems’ with Joe six months before split
Days before Sophie and Joe announced their split, TMZ claimed that they were expected to divorce. An inside source alleged that “Joe had his people contact and consult with at least two LA-area divorce lawyers and he is on the cusp of filing divorce docs to end his marriage to Sophie”. The same source also alleged that Sophie and Joe had been having “serious problems” for at least six months beforehand.
While on tour, fans noticed that Joe was not wearing his wedding band, causing further speculation that the rumours were true. However, on September 5, a day before the official divorce announcement, Joe shared a snapshot of himself on Instagram wearing the ring.
‘The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken’
According to a report from Today, Joe filed for divorce on September 6. In the petition, it stated: “The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken.” Joe also asked to split custody of their two daughters, with the petition revealing: “It is in the best interests of the minor children.”
The document also stated that Joe and Sophie signed a prenup before walking down the aisle.
“They were not separated, but they’ve been living separate lives for months,” a source told PEOPLE, adding that they “haven’t gotten along in a while, but they’re hoping to resolve this all amicably.
“As far as custody goes, this literally all just happened, so they’re figuring it out in real time. They did have a prenup. As a family, they were based in Florida. The kids were with him the last few months, traveling with him with family while he’s been on tour. Sophie’s been working in the UK.”
‘This is a united decision’
In a joint statement posted to Instagram on September 6, Joe and Sophie said: “After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision.”
The pair said they “sincerely hope everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children”.
An inside source told Page Six that divorcing Game of Thrones star Sophie was the “last resort” for him.
“He never wanted to break up his family, but he had to take what he felt was the best course of action for his girls. An unhappy home isn’t a home, and the truth is that he and Sophie were going through it this year. There’s a lot of noise out there, but it wasn’t a straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back situation like it’s being reported.”
The ‘ring cam’ was when Joe knew it was ‘all over’
Following their joint statement announcing their split, TMZ published an article about a “ring cam” that made Joe want to end everything.
“Joe had access to a ring cam that he said captured Sophie saying and/or doing something that made him realise the marriage was over,” the publication claimed.
Weeks later, Us Weekly claimed the cam caught Sophie speaking “somewhat negatively” about her ex-husband with a friend of hers. “It wasn’t anything more than that, but that was the final straw,” a source said.
Joe ‘refused’ to return his daughters’ passports to Sophie
After giving birth to their daughter Delphine, TMZ reported that Joe pressured Sophie to make public appearances she didn’t want to. Sources told the outlet that “Joe complained Sophie was MIA and felt she needed to get out more” when she chose to not attend another event.
Weeks later, Sophie filed legal documents that claimed Joe was “unlawfully keeping their children in New York City”. She wanted her two daughters to be “returned” to her in the UK.
According to the documents, Sophie and Joe had previously come to an agreement that England was going to be the “permanent home” for them and their daughters.
As Sophie was shooting a “very intense” time-consuming series, she reportedly agreed “with some hesitation” that Joe could have their daughters while he was on tour. However, the documents claim that Joe “refused to return the passports to the mother and refuses to send the children home to England with the mother” after they agreed he would.
Joe’s rep stepped in and told Page Six that Joe called the lawsuit a “harsh legal position” that went against the “amicable co-parenting setup” he believed they were both working on.
“Less than 24 hours later, Sophie advised that she wanted to take the children permanently to the UK. Thereafter, she demanded via this filing that Joe hand over the children’s passports so that she could take them out of the country immediately,” Joe’s rep added.
“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.”
In January, Sophie’s child abduction lawsuit against Joe was dismissed.
‘Sophie is open to the idea of dating again’
Nearly two months after Joe filed for divorce, Sophie was seen sharing a kiss with British aristocrat Peregrine Pearson.
In photos exclusively obtained by The Sun, Sophie and Peregrine “arrived together at the chauffeur pick-up location outside of [the Gare du Nord railway station]. It looked like they might have both come on the Eurostar from London.
“They stood there for a few minutes and were chatting and laughing a lot. He then took his hat off and leaned in to give her a big kiss. After the kiss they parted ways.”
A couple of days later, a source insisted Joe wasn’t “concerned” about Sophie’s dating life. They also claimed that dating was “not on his radar” at that time.
“Sophie is open to the idea of dating again,” another source claimed, alleging she was “keeping her options open”.
After much speculation, Sophie and Peregrine went Instagram official in September.
Following Sophie, Joe started dating actor Stormi Bree earlier this year. However, their relationship was short-lived.
Sophie Turner ‘hurt’ during the filming of Joan
Sophie said the aftermath of her divorce from the Sucker singer was “the worst few days of [her] life”.
“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. And all these articles started coming out,” she revealed to British Vogue in May.
“It hurt because I really do completely torture myself over every move I make as a mother – mum guilt is so real!” Sophie continued. “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.”
Referring to the legal drama, she admitted that she “didn’t know if I was going to make it”. After calling her lawyer saying she wasn’t sure if she had the strength, Sophie realised she was doing it for her kids.
In May, Joe’s lawyers requested more time for negotiations as both Joe and Sophie’s custody case could face dismissal for “”ack of prosecution”.
Joe’s upcoming album is not putting anyone on ‘blast’
On October 18, Joe will release his new solo album, Music for People Who Believe in Love.
While telling Billboard the writing process was “therapeutic”, Joe also said it “was scary at times and also freeing”.
Joe has also insisted he will not be bashing his ex-wife in the songs. “I’m not trying to come for anyone on this album. I’m not trying to put stuff on blast. I have a beautiful life that I’m grateful for,” he said.
“I’ve got two beautiful kids,” he continued. “I’m a happy person, and the music needed to resemble that but also the journey to get here.”
Read more: Jamie Lynn Spears’ fallout with sister Britney Spears broken down with full timeline
ED! has contacted reps for Joe and Sophie for comment.
Joan airs on ITV1 at 9pm on Sundays.
So what do you think of their messy split? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know!