It's Over
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner Divorce: A Complete Timeline
Here's everything we know about the Joe-Sophie split
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are ending their marriage — and the divorce proceedings are starting to get messy.
In September, the Jonas Brother star officially filed for divorce from Turner after four years of marriage, with the filing saying their relationship was “irretrievably broken.” What ensued from there was tabloid back-and-forth with different, often conflicting, reasons for their sudden split.
Before getting into their separation, first a recap of their seven-year love story: Jonas and Turner first met in 2016 after Jonas slid into Turner’s DMs. The couple made their relationship Instagram official on New Year’s Day 2017.
By September 2017, they had adopted their dog Porky, and in October, the couple announced their engagement. The couple wed on May 1, 2019, during a surprise ceremony at a Las Vegas wedding chapel shortly after attending the Billboard Music Awards. The couple got married once again in a more extravagant ceremony in Sarrians, France, on June 29, 2019. Turner and Jonas welcomed two children: their first daughter, Willa, on July 22, 2021, and later a second baby in July 2022. (They haven’t revealed the second child’s name.)
Here’s everything we know about Jonas and Turner’s split:
Sept. 1, 2023 — Joe Jonas Officially Files for Divorce
After both Jonas and Turner were spotted in public without their wedding rings, reports began to surface that Jonas had obtained a divorce lawyer. Shortly after, Jonas filed for divorce from Turner in Miami on Sept. 1, claiming “the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken.”
According to People, the filing confirmed that a prenup was in place.
Sept. 6, 2023 — Joe and Sophie Issue Statement
The day after the divorce filing, Jonas and Turner shared a “statement from the two of us” on their Instagram accounts confirming the news.
“After four wonderful years of marriage, we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” the statement read. “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.”
Sept. 9, 2023 — Joe Alludes to the Divorce at Jonas Brothers Concert
During the Jonas Brothers’ show at Los Angeles’ Dodgers Stadium on Sept. 9, Jonas seemed to address his split from Turner and a lot of the tabloid speculation that had already begun circulating online.
Before singing their song “Hesitate,” a track inspired by his relationship with Turner, Jonas told the crowd it had “been a crazy week.” He was not wearing his wedding ring at the show, per People.
“I just want to say, if you don’t hear it from these lips, don’t believe it. Okay?” he said. “Thank you, everyone, for the love and support to me and my family. I love you guys.”
Sept. 19, 2023 — Sophie Turner and Taylor Swift Have a Girls Night out
Who better for Turner to vent to about her breakup with Jonas than Taylor Swift? The two stars seemingly bonded over their now-shared ex during a night out in New York City, which naturally set the internet on fire. The pair were pictured linking arms as they went from a restaurant into Temple Bar on Lafayette Street.
Swift and Jonas briefly dated in 2008. (Jonas infamously broke up with Swift via a 27-second phone call.) It is also widely speculated that Swift wrote “Mr. Perfectly Fine” from Fearless (Taylor’s Version) about Jonas. Several other songs from Fearless, including “Better Than Revenge,” “Last Kiss,” and “Holy Ground” are rumored to be about the JoBro.
Sept. 21, 2023 — Sophie Sues Joe, Asks to Return Kids to England
On Sept. 21, Turner filed a lawsuit against Jonas, asking that he return the children to their permanent residence in England, alleging that the singer had the kids “wrongfully removed or wrongfully detained” since Sept. 20.
In the lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, the actress claimed that she and Jonas had agreed to make England their “forever home” in December 2022 and were in the process of buying a home in April before she was filming Joan this summer.
“[Jonas] refuses to return the passports to [Turner] and refuses to send the children home to England,” the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit also claimed that Turner and Jonas had agreed — though Turner had “some hesitation,” per the suit — to have the children spend time in the U.S. with Jonas on tour since he has “periods of the day to spend time with the children.”
“The parties’ agreed plan was that when the mother finished filming on Sept. 14, 2023, she would travel to New York to collect the children and return home to England,” the filing read. “The parties’ plan was for the mother to spend a week with the family in New York, and then return home to England with the children on Sept. 20.”
The filing also claimed that the breakup “happened very suddenly” after they had an argument on Aug. 15, adding that Turner “found out through the media” that Jonas had filed for divorce on or around Sept. 1.
Sept. 21, 2023 — Joe’s Rep Claims Sophie Was “Aware” That He’d File for Divorce
After Turner’s court filing where she claimed that she had “found out through the media” that Jonas had filed for divorce, the singer’s rep issued a statement to media outlets claiming that the actress had been informed.
“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case,” read a statement from Jonas’ rep. “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,” the statement continues. “Sophie was served with this order on September 6, 2023, more than two weeks ago.”
Sept. 25, 2023 — Legal Filing Declares Children Must Remain in New York
Less than a week after Turner filed a lawsuit against Jonas claiming he would not allow their children to return to England, a new legal filing declared that both parents are prohibited from removing their children from the United States.
“The Mother and Father are prohibited from removing their two children, WRJ, born in 2020, and DMJ, born in 2022 (collectively, the “children”), or causing the children to be removed from the jurisdictions of the United States District Courts for the Southern & Eastern Districts of New York pending further order of this Court,” the interim consent order reads.
Through the order, the court retains the authority to “take or cause to be taken measures under Federal or State law, as appropriate, to protect the well-being of the child involved or to prevent the child’s further removal or concealment before the final disposition of the petition.”
The proposed interim consent order was proposed by Turner as she awaits Jonas’ responsive pleading, which is not yet due. The case is scheduled to enter a pretrial conference on Oct. 3.
Oct. 3, 2023 — Joe Jonas Says He’s ‘So Grateful’ for His Brothers
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Joe Jonas said he has been “so grateful” to have his brothers alongside him on the tour, since they give him “time to have some normalcy.
“You know, we’ve been a band, but we’re also a family,” Joe says, revealing that the guys “had a great dinner” the other night and that he and Nick have been playing golf and binge-watching the Paramount+ series, Special Ops: Lioness as a way to “decompress” as of late.
“We’re also like an extended family,” Joe added, “because we’ve had the same guys working with us on the band front to the management side for over 15 years at this point. So it feels like one big family on the road.”
Oct. 3, 2023 — Court Sets Custody Trial Date
A Manhattan federal judge revealed that Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner will see their day in court in regards to their custody battle on Jan. 2.
“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,” one of her lawyers said in court, per the New York Post. Jonas’ team asked that the date be set until after the JoBros’ tour concludes.
The trial date comes after Jonas’ youngest daughter’s name — Delphine — was revealed in court documents.
Oct. 10, 2023 — Legal Filing Clears Sophie Turner to Temporarily Return to England With Children
Following a period of mediation, which took place between Oct. 4 and 7, a new legal filing has cleared Sophie Turner to travel with their children within the United States and United Kingdom while they are in her custody. Turner’s custody period has been scheduled for Oct. 9 through 21, at which point in time it will be transferred to Joe Jonas from Oct. 21 through Nov. 2, who is also permitted to travel within the two countries with their children.
“After a productive and successful mediation, we have agreed that the children will spend time equally in loving homes in both the U.S. and the UK,” Turner and Jonas said in a statement. “We look forward to being great co-parents.”
Turner and Jonas will continue alternating every few weeks through Jan. 7, a few days after they are due in court in regards to the custody battle. The children must be returned to New York City by the end date of each custody period. An additional status report letter has been ordered to be submitted to the court on Dec. 23 with updates on the status of mediation in regards to these legal proceedings.
“Parties have reached this Second Interim Consent Order as a result of their participation in mediation, which remains ongoing,” the court document reads. “Due to the ongoing and productive nature of mediation, the parties jointly request entry of this Second Interim Consent Order in anticipation of an amicable resolution of all issues being reached.”
May 15, 2024 — Sophie Turner Describes Divorce Announcement Period as the ‘Worst Few Days of My Life’
In a recent interview with British Vogue, Sophie Turner recounted the media storm that formed around the announcement of her divorce from Joe Jonas, describing the time period as “the worse few days of my life.” The actress pointed specifically to the narrative that she was an unfit mother, stating that it was a particularly complicated moment because she was contracted to remain on set for the film Joan for two additional weeks while her children were in New York with Jonas.
“There were some days that I didn’t know if I was going to make it. I would call my lawyer saying, ‘I can’t do this. I just can’t.’ I was just never strong enough to stand up for myself. And then, finally, after two weeks of me being in a rut, she reminded me that it was my children I was fighting for,” she said. “Once anyone says to me, ‘Do it for your kids,’ I’m doing it. I wouldn’t do it for myself, but I’ll find the strength for them.”
Turner added: “I’m unhappy with the way everything played out, especially when it comes to my children. They’re the victims in all of this. But I think we’re doing the best we can. I’m confident that we can figure it out. Joe is a great father to our children and that’s all that I can ask for.”
This article was updated on Sept. 25 to include new legal filing regarding their children.
This article was updated on Oct. 3 to include the trial date and a Joe Jonas interview.
This article was updated on Oct. 10 to include new legal filing regarding their children, and a statement from the former couple.
This article was updated on May 15 to include insight shared from Sophie Turner in an interview with British Vogue