Celebrity
Joey Lawrence Returns to Social Media Amid Samantha Cope Divorce
Joey Lawrence returned to social media amid his ongoing divorce from estranged wife Samantha Cope.
Lawrence, 48, took to his Instagram Stories on Thursday, August 22, to repost a fan video of some of his best TV memories. The footage spliced together scenes from his tenures on the likes of Blossom, Brotherly Love, Gimme a Break! and Melissa and Joey.
Lawrence added a “Those were the days” sticker on his Story upload.
The nostalgic post was Lawrence’s first since Cope, 37, filed for divorce.
Us Weekly confirmed on Wednesday, August 21, that Cope filed to end the pair’s marriage after two years. She listed their date of separation as two months prior and requested sole physical custody of her and Lawrence’s 19-month-old daughter, Dylan.
According to Cope’s court filing, she claimed that she would approve of Lawrence staying with Dylan for up to two nights a week after the toddler turned 3. Cope also requested that the court block the ability to award spousal support.
Neither Cope nor Lawrence have further detailed what led to the end of their marriage. One day after Cope’s divorce petition made headlines, the Blossom alum was accused of being unfaithful in his marriage.
TMZ obtained divorce court documents on Thursday, August 22, in which Edward Rider claimed that his now-estranged wife, actress Melina Alves, had an affair with her Socked in for Christmas costar Lawrence. Neither Lawrence nor Alves, 40, addressed the allegations. Us reached out for comment.
Lawrence’s marriage to Cope is his third marriage. He was previously married to Michelle Vella between 2002 and 2005 and Chandie Yawn-Nelson between 2005 and 2020. Lawrence and Yawn-Nelson share daughters Charleston and Liberty, whom they continue to coparent.
“At the end of the day, you always take the high road,” Joey previously told Us in August 2021. “There’s no excuse for being anything but kind. [Our relationship] didn’t work out on a personal level, but we still share two amazing people. You’ve got to put them first and set an example.”
Lawrence and Yawn-Nelson finalized their divorce in 2022 after the former child star moved on with Cope. Us broke the news in August 2021 that Lawrence had proposed and they wed one year later. Cope gave birth to Dylan in January 2023.
One year later, Lawrence joked about his relationship history while sharing life advice.
“Look, it’s all about just trying to be happy,” he told Us in March. “You got to be with the right person. … I’ve been married a billion times and I don’t know, I’m just a hopeless romantic.”