No one could have imagined that Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas would end their marriage. The former couple became known for their comical social media antics and playful public appearances, but everything changed when they announced their split in early September. Then, they got into a messy custody disagreement that was settled on October 10.
Scroll down to look through Sophie and Joe’s divorce timeline, from their separation to the results of their custody battle.
Sophie and Joe Announce Their Split
Shortly after the Jonas Brothers kicked off their 2023 tour, reports swirled that Joe contacted divorce attorneys in Los Angeles in early September. Following Labor Day weekend, the “Burnin’ Up” artist filed for divorce from the Game of Thrones alum after four years of marriage. The pair then issued a joint statement via Instagram, acknowledging their separation.
“After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” Joe and Sophie wrote on September 6. “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.”
Joe Tells Fans Not to Listen to Rumors
During a Jonas Brothers concert at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium on September 9, the “Cake By the Ocean” artist informed fans that they shouldn’t believe everything they hear.
“It’s been a tough week. I just wanna say, look, if you don’t hear it from these lips, don’t believe it. OK?” Joe said while on stage. “Thank you everyone for your love and support. Me and my family love you guys.”
Sophie Sues Joe Over the ‘Immediate Return’ of Their Daughters
On September 21, Sophie filed a lawsuit against Joe in Manhattan for “the immediate return of children wrongfully removed or wrongfully retained.” The estranged spouses share daughter Willa and a second daughter, Delphine.
In the court documents, the U.K. native claimed that she and the New Jersey native agreed over Christmas 2022 to move to her home country, England. She also alleged that they had planned to look into new schools for their eldest child. Furthermore, Sophie claimed that she “found out through the media” that Joe had filed for divorce from her.
Joe Responds to Sophie’s Lawsuit
Hours after the Joan star filed her lawsuit, a rep for Joe responded with a statement to HollywoodLife.
“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case,” the rep wrote. “Sophie was aware that Joe was going to file for divorce. The Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating the children. Sophie was served with this order on September 6, 2023, more than two weeks ago.”
The rep added that Joe and Sophie “had a cordial meeting this past Sunday in New York, when Sophie came to New York to be with the kids” and that “Joe’s impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable coparenting setup.”
Joe’s rep continued, “Less than 24 hours later, Sophie advised that she wanted to take the children permanently to the U.K. 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.”
In the statement, the representative noted that the DNCE frontman is “seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also OK with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the UK. The children were born in the U.S. and have spent the vast majority of their lives in the U.S. They are American citizens.”
“This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending,” the rep wrote. “When language like ‘abduction’ is used, it is misleading at best and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst. The children were not abducted. After being in Joe’s care for the past three months at the agreement of both parties, the children are currently with their mother. Sophie is making this claim only to move the divorce proceedings to the U.K. and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently.”
The rep concluded that Joe had “already disavowed any and all statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparaging of Sophie” and added that the reports were “made without his approval and are not consistent with his views.”
Sophie Hangs Out With Joe’s Ex Taylor Swift
Amidst her lawsuit against Joe, Sophie was photographed spending time with one of his most famous ex-girlfriends, Taylor Swift, in New York City. The women were spotted hanging out twice so far.
Sophie and Joe Reach Interim Agreement Over Their Kids
On September 25, both Sophie and Joe signed an interim order that agreed to keep their children in New York, according to Page Six. The former couple will have to appear at a pretrial conference on October 3.
Sophie Reveals She and Joe Were Buying a Home in England
In court documents obtained by Page Six on September 29, Sophie revealed that she and Joe put down a large deposit on a home in England two months before they divorced. She also included a letter from her estranged husband that he had written to the seller of the house.
“When my wife and I decided we were going to spend more time in the UK and search for a permanent home, our daughter expressed three unwavering requirements: having chickens, a pony and a Wendy house,” Joe wrote. “I have been completely charmed by the idea of dropping my children to school on the boat and being able to spend a leisurely afternoon cruising to the pub with friends on my very own boat.”
The outlet reported that the sale was scheduled to be finalized on December 2, 2023. However, a source claimed that the sale was “never closed.”
Sophie and Joe Begin Mediation in New York City
The mother-of-two and her estranged spouse began mediation in New York City on October 4, amid their split, as reported by PEOPLE. Sophie was photographed leaving her apartment in Manhattan with her legal team by her side. One day prior, the New York Post revealed that the exes were set to begin mediation to discuss their custody and separation disagreements. Along with the mediation, the judge reportedly set a trial date for January 2 in regards to custody of their two daughters.
Sophie’s legal team “pressed” for a trial date to be set ASAP, as she has a work commitment at the start of 2024. “We have young kids, and we have the petitioner who is here now in the United States, but she has work commitments in the UK in January,” they said during the hearing. Joe’s ex also reassured the judge via her legal rep that they are both still seeing their kids amid the custody battle. “The parties are both seeing their children in a very unfettered way,” her lawyer said. At this time, Sophie is reportedly living at one of Taylor’s apartments in the Big Apple.
After day one of mediation on October 4, Sophie was seen smiling as she returned to one of Taylor’s apartments where she’s reportedly living amidst the divorce. Joe, meanwhile, left the mediation session two hours after Sophie, according to Daily Mail. The exes did their second mediation session at the World Trade Center the following day, on October 5. Sophie was photographed taking her two daughters for a walk after doing mediation.
Sophie and Joe Settle Custody of Their Daughters
Sophie and Joe reached a temporary custody agreement on October 10, according to court documents obtained by US Weekly. The agreement reportedly states that the former couple’s daughters will stay with Sophie until October 21 and she can take them anywhere in the U.S. and to the U.K. during that time. Then, Joe will get the kids until November 2. The exes will continue to swap custody of their kids every two weeks until January 4, 2024. Joe gets the kids for Thanksgiving while Sophie will have them for Christmas, US Weekly reported.
Joe and Sophie Agree to Settle Divorce Privately
On October 11, the duo agreed to “pursue an amicable resolution of all issues,” as Joe filed to dismiss his dissolution in Miami, per court documents obtained by Page Six.
