Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas got engaged after just one year of dating. Soon, they married and welcomed two children. Throughout their relationship, they’ve supported each other on red carpets and shared glimpses of their love story on social media and on interviews—which is why fans were surprised when news broke that the stars’ union had reached its end.
Ahead, see everything we know about Turner and Jonas’s yearslong relationship and recent split.
September 21, 2023: Sophie files a lawsuit against Joe over the “wrongful retention” of her kids.
Turner files a lawsuit against Jonas over the “wrongful retention” of their two kids, three-year-old Willa and a one-year-old daughter referred to as D. in documents.
The suit, which was obtained by People, demands “the immediate return of children wrongfully removed or wrongfully retained.” Turner’s legal team alleges the children’s “wrongful retention” began on September 20.
The court documents claim: “The Father has possession of the children’s passports. He refuses to return the passports to the Mother and refuses to send the children home to England with the Mother.” Jonas’s attorney reportedly confirmed to Turner’s team on September 19 that, not only would he not hand over the passports, he is also withholding consent for his daughters to move to England.
In the suit, Turner alleges that she and Jonas had decided to make England their “forever home” during conversations that occurred in December 2022. Thereafter, they sold their mansion in Miami and began to look for residences in the English countryside in April. Around this time, the Game of Thrones alum also began filming a new drama series, Joan.
When Jonas began his world tour with the Jonas Brothers last month, the couple decided Willa and D. would stay with him, since he “had more daytime hours to be available to them than Turner did amid filming,” People says—noting that the lawsuit says Turner had “hesitation” over the “temporary arrangement.”
On August 15, the end to the couple’s four-year marriage occurred “very suddenly,” Turner says in the suit. When Jonas filed for divorce on September 1, the actor claims she first heard about it “from the media.”
September 9, 2023: Joe breaks his silence on the split.
While performing with his brothers at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium on Saturday night, the singer addresses the news of his separation from Turner.
“It’s been a tough week. I just wanna say, look, if you don’t hear it from these lips, don’t believe it. Okay?” he said during an interlude. “Thank you everyone for your love and support. Me and my family love you guys.”
During the show, Jonas is also seen getting emotional and wiping tears from his eyes while singing “Hesitate,” which he wrote about Turner.
September 6, 2023: Joe and Sophie confirm their split.
In a heartbreaking statement shared on Instagram, the former couple confirm they are divorcing. “After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” the message reads. “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.”
September 6, 2023: A source share details on the stars' split.
Jonas tried to “salvage” his marriage to Turner before filing for divorce Tuesday, a source close to the family tells Page Six. “Divorce was a last resort for Joe. 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.”
According to the source, the former couple had “many disagreements,” including some related to their contrasting lifestyles, as Turner reportedly “likes to party” while Jonas “likes to stay at home.”
“It just kept building, and Joe finally reached a point where he felt that he had exhausted all options to salvage the marriage,” the insider says. “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.”
September 5, 2023: Joe files for divorce.
It’s official. The singer filed a petition for divorce in Florida today in Miami-Dade County, according to public records obtained by CNN. In it, he cites that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.”
The filing also states that the two have a prenup, and Jonas is seeking shared custody of their two daughters.
September 3, 2023: Sophie and Joe are reportedly looking into divorcing.
TMZ reports that the couple are considering divorce, with a source telling the outlet that Turner and Jonas have had “serious problems” for at least six months. The source also alleges the couple’s two children have been with Jonas as he tours the United States, and that he has been caring for them “pretty much all of the time.”
The news follows fan speculation that the pair was splitting up based on photos taken in recent weeks, in which they were seen without their wedding rings.
August 14, 2023: Sophie supports Joe at a Jonas Brothers concert.
The actor joins her husband at the first Jonas Brothers World Tour concert, which took place at New York City’s Yankee Stadium. She later posts a series of photos from the big night, including one where the pair are seen walking backstage, with Turner sweetly kissing Jonas’s hand.
July 2022: The couple welcomes their second daughter.
Reps for the married couple confirm to People that they have welcomed their second child, whose name has not been revealed. “Joe and Sophie are happy to announce the arrival of their baby girl,” they said.
July 22, 2020: The newlyweds welcome their daughter Willa.
Several outlets report that the couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Willa. Their reps confirm to People, “Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are delighted to announce the birth of their baby.”
The news comes a month after the couple were spotted out in Los Angeles, with Turner sporting a baby bump. A source told People at the time, “They are definitely preparing for the baby... She and Joe are both very happy.”
June 29, 2019: The couple gets married again in France.
The pair have a second wedding ceremony with friends and family, held at Le Château de Tourreau in Sarrians, France. Turner wears an elegant long-sleeved wedding gown designed by Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière. Game of Thrones costar Maisie Williams serves as her maid of honor, while Jonas’s brothers and bandmates Nick and Kevin are groomsmen.
Days later, Turner shares a black-and-white image of the couple walking down the aisle, the only photo they shared with the public at the time.
May 1, 2019: Joe and Sophie tie the knot in a surprise Vegas wedding.
While in Las Vegas for the Billboard Music Awards, the couple have an impromptu wedding that same night at A Little White Wedding Chapel. Among the wild details: Diplo live-streamed the event on his Instagram, Dan + Shay played music, an Elvis impersonator officiated, and they said their vows with Ring Pop wedding rings. Jonas later opened up about the night and revealed that, while his brothers were there, he forgot to invite the parents.
“We had to get legally married in the States, so we thought it’d be really fun to get all of our friends, invite them out, and do an impromptu wedding,” he told GQ. “And we actually had some people that I didn’t really even know that well there.”
October 3, 2018: The couple make their red-carpet debut at Paris Fashion Week.
After nearly one year of being engaged, the GoT alum and the singer finally make their red-carpet debut at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week, where they coordinate in gray and black looks. Turner also shares a photo from inside the event, where she smiles as Jonas wraps his arm around her and kisses her cheek. She captions the post, “With my love in Paris.”
October 15, 2017: Sophie and Joe get engaged after a year of dating.
The couple announces their engagement with matching Instagram posts, with a close-up image of Turner’s hand—and her gorgeous pear-cut engagement ring—resting on top of Jonas’s.
“She said yes,” Jonas captioned his pic, while Turner wrote, “I said yes.”
July 2017: Sophie is “very happy” as she speaks on their relationship for the first time.
The Game of Thrones star slowly begins opening up about the romance in several interviews. At the start of the month, per the Sunday Times, she confirms that she’s in a “very private relationship” with a special someone, not naming Jonas but adding that the new relationship has drawn her out of her shell.
“I’m in a relationship, but it’s a very private relationship,” she tells the outlet. “I very much isolated myself for a while and forgot what was fun. Going out with friends, going out to eat, not really having a care. And people I’ve met recently in my life have drawn me out of that. It really helps you own those insecurities. The things I tortured myself about before, I can forget about.”
Then in a Marie Claire UK interview, the actor says that she’s “very happy” with Jonas, but adds that it’s not easy being in public.
“You do feel like you’re living in a fishbowl! It's frustrating [that] it’s the most mundane things that make the news—how boring! There are really no other headlines?” she says.
January 1, 2017: They make their relationship Instagram-official.
On New Year’s Day, Turner starts off the year by going public with the romance. The actor shares a photo of Jonas riding on the back of a boat while holding a cigar. She captions the simple post, “Miami daze.”
December 2016: Sources confirm that Sophie and Joe are dating exclusively.
After several public sightings, a source confirms to People that the Game of Thrones actor and the DNCE singer are officially dating. The news comes after the couple spent Thanksgiving weekend celebrating with family and attending a friend’s wedding alongside Joe’s brother Nick.
“They’re dating exclusively. He was playing the field, but he really likes her and is willing to settle down for her,” the source tells the outlet.
October 2016: Sophie and Joe meet for the first time after he slides into her DMs.
In a May 2019 interview, Turner reflects on the start of her and Jonas’s relationship, revealing that they first started talking after he reached out on Instagram.
“We had a lot of mutual friends. And they’d been trying to introduce us for a long time,” she tells Harper’s Bazaar UK. “We were following each other on Instagram and he direct-messaged me one fine day, out of the blue.”
Soon after, the singer invited the actor to meet up while his tour was passing through the U.K. Turner later revealed in an interview that the pair had an instant connection, though she hadn’t expected to like him.
“He didn’t bring security. He brought a friend, and they drank just as hard as the rest of us. I remember us two spending only a couple of minutes on the dance floor, and then we found a space in the far corner and we just talked,” she said. “We talked for hours, and hours, and hours. And I wasn’t bored. It wasn’t contrived, it wasn’t small talk—it was just so easy. Soon, we were inseparable. And then I went on tour with him.”
Quinci LeGardye is an LA-based freelance writer who covers culture, politics, and mental health through a Black feminist lens. When she isn’t writing or checking Twitter, she’s probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car.
Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.
As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset.
