Sophie Turner found out Joe Jonas was divorcing her ‘through the media’

Court filing alleges that while Jonas filed for divorce on 1 September, Turner learnt the news through the media five days later

Ellie Muir
Sunday 24 September 2023 12:49 BST
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A court filing alleges that Sophie Turner found out that her husband Joe Jonas was divorcing her after seeing media reports that he had filed a petition at a Florida court.

Court documents obtained by The Independent – filed on Thursday (21 September) in the southern district of New York – claimed that Turner had not been informed that Jonas was filing for divorce until she saw media reports that the Jonas Brothers singer was filing for separation after four years of marriage.

The filing was made because Turner is suing Jonas to return their two daughters to England after Jonas reportedly refused to hand over their passports.

Details about the breakdown of their marriage are disclosed in the documents. It states that while Jonas filed for divorce on 1 September, Turner learnt the news through the media five days later.

The court documents read: “The parties had an argument on August 15, 2023. On or about September 1, 2023, the Father [Jonas] filed a divorce case against the Mother [Turner] in Florida.”

It continues: “On or about September 5, 2023, the Mother found out through the media that the Father had filed for divorce.”

The Independent has contacted representatives of Jonas for comment.

Jonas and Turner issued a joint statement about their divorce on 6 September, following days of speculation that Jonas had filed a petition after it was reported that the pair had been experiencing difficulty in their marriage over the last six months.

“After four years of wonderful marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” read the statement, which was posted Wednesday (6 September) on both Jonas’ and Turner’s respective Instagram accounts.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner photographed at the Met Gala in 2022
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner photographed at the Met Gala in 2022 (Getty Images)

“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.”

On 21 September, Turner filed a petition for the return of their children to England, with the filing claiming that the former couple’s daughters have been wrongfully retained in New York City from “their habitual residence” in the United Kingdom.

The documents state that the former couple had made England their permanent residence in April 2023 and had been planning to buy their “forever home” in England in December.

After Jonas filed for divorce, the pair reportedly met on 17 September to discuss their separation and Turner reiterated their agreement for their daughters to return to England. The petition, however, claims that Jonas was in possession of their passports and “refused to hand them over” to Turner, which is why she is now suing.

In a statement to The Independent, a representative for Jonas stated that – following the singer’s divorce filing in Florida – the Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating their children. Turner was allegedly served with this order on 6 September.

“Joe and Sophie had a cordial meeting this past Sunday in New York, when Sophie came to New York to be with the kids. They have been with her since that meeting,” said Jonas’s representative in an email.

“Joe’s impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup. Less than 24 hours later, Sophie advised that she wanted to take the children permanently to the UK.

“She demanded via this filing that Joe hand over the children’s passports so that she could take them out of the country immediately. If he complies, Joe will be in violation of the Florida Court order,” they said.

You can find a timeline of Jonas and Turner’s relationship here.

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