Sophie Turner is suing Joe Jonas. Two weeks after the singer filed for divorce from the actress, Sophie sued Joe in an effort to get their children — 3-year-old Willa and a 1-year-old daughter whose name they’ve yet to share — to the U.K.
Prior to Sophie’s lawsuit, Joe filed for divorce, citing that “the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken.”
In the wake of the news, a source told ET that the 27-year-old Game of Thrones star and the 34-year-old “Burnin’ Up” musician “have been spending more time apart recently,” and that “Joe has been busy on tour and spending a lot of time with his family.”
The pair was first romantically linked in 2016, and a year after that, they confirmed their engagement. They tied the knot during a surprise Las Vegas wedding ceremony two years later.
In the wake of the pair’s divorce news and Sophie’s legal proceedings, ET is taking a look back at their romantic journey, from first meeting, through marriage to their eventual split.
November 2016 — Concert Cozy-Up
The DNCE frontman and the Game of Thrones actress sparked romance rumors in early November 2016, when they were spotted looking pretty friendly at a pre-MTV Europe Music Awards Kings of Leon concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In pics posted by a fan, Jonas had his arm around Turner, as the two sat closely together.
An eyewitness told People at the time that she saw the two kissing during the show. “The two or three times I was watching they were kissing,” the source told the magazine. “She was all smiley and he looked really sweet. They seemed pretty comfortable.”
They were previously spotted spending Halloween together with Joe’s musician siblings, Kevin Jonas and Nick Jonas.
December 2016 — Officially Official
ET confirmed, shortly after they were first romantically linked, that Joe and Sophie were officially dating.
“Sophie and Joe met through mutual friends,” a source told ET at the time. “They have been dating for a couple of months. They spent Thanksgiving together in Mammoth Lake. They are really into each other and having a great time.”
May 2017 — Sophie Talks Romance
Sophie — best known for her role as Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones — opened up about her romance with Joe in an interview with InStyle magazine, explaining that, while she prefers to “keep things pretty private,” when it comes to her love life, she does feel that there are some real benefits of dating someone else in the entertainment industry.
“I found it easier to date someone who understands the industry or is in that world,” she said. “You realize that you’re not going to see each other all the time. And you don’t feel like a jerk when you’re like, ‘My publicist says I can’t do this.'”
October 2017 — Rules of Engagement
The singer took to Instagram on Oct. 15, 2017, to reveal that he’d popped the question. Joe posted a picture of Sophie rocking her shiny new engagement ring, and wrote in the caption, “She said yes.”
Turner, 21, Instagrammed the same snap, writing, “I said yes.”
May 2019 — Sin City Surprise!
After the couple’s adorable night at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas — where Joe and his brothers performed in their first awards show since announcing the JoBros reunion earlier in the year — they hit up a local wedding chapel to tie the knot.
The first hint at the festivities came on Diplo’s Instagram Story, where the DJ shared a clip of Sophie in a white dress, entering a Vegas chapel with Jonas and his brothers, who were dressed in suits.
“Gonna hit up this wedding real quick,” Diplo captioned the clip. ET confirmed the union with a copy of the couple’s marriage license.
Later videos from Diplo’s Instagram showed the Game of Thrones star walking down a short aisle, surrounded by friends and fellow BBMA attendees, like singer Khalid. The actress’ bridal ensemble was completed with a veil and blinking bouquet, as country stars Dan + Shay played their hit “Speechless.”
Diplo also went live on his Instagram story, showing the couple reciting their vows to one another in front of an Elvis impersonator.
June 2019 — Married Once More
Not long after their Sin City ceremony, Joe and Sophie decided to pull out all the stops for a big destination wedding with their families and friends in the south of France.
“Sophie and Joe knew the moment they decided to tie the knot in Vegas that they would do it ‘right’ the second time around,” a source explained to ET at the time. “They both are spontaneous and loved their Vegas wedding but there was never a question as to if they would get married ‘properly,’ as they referred to it, later in the year.”
“They just needed to plan so they could create a perfect fairy tale, which is what they did,” the insider added. “Sophie wanted to have a very traditional, almost royal wedding and never ever considered wearing anything but white. France was the obvious choice for both of them because they felt it’s not only truly beautiful, but also an ideal spot in the summer for everyone to come together.”
“The wedding went off without any issues at all; it was exactly how Sophie and Joe had planned it, which isn’t always an easy feat when throwing a wedding so far from home,” the source continued. “They wanted an ultra-private wedding in the South of France.”
July 2020 — Welcoming Willa
“Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are delighted to announce the birth of their baby,” the couple’s rep told ET on July 27, 2020. “Joe and Sophie welcomed a baby girl last Wednesday in L.A. and are over the moon. The couple is already obsessed and can’t stop gloating about their new addition. The couple is taking time to enjoy this special moment and have only shared the news and updates with family and friends. With the pandemic, Joe and Sophie have been very cautious about who is around them and their little girl.”
Sophie and Joe remained private about expecting their first child together throughout her pregnancy, which the two never officially confirmed — though her baby bump was clearly visible during multiple outings. News broke of Sophie’s pregnancy the previous February, and in March, they were snapped shopping at a children’s store in Studio City, California.
July 2022 — Baby No. 2!
Nearly two years after welcoming their daughter Willa, the couple welcomed their second daughter — whose name has not officially been revealed to the public as of yet. A rep for Sophie told ET at the time, “Joe and Sophie are happy to announce the arrival of their baby girl.”
Sophie and Joe have been notoriously private when it comes to their family, so it wasn’t until she was well into her second pregnancy that the actress broke her silence on the exciting news as she showed off her baby bump for ELLE UK‘s June issue.
“It’s what life is about for me — raising the next generation,” Sophie gushed. “The greatest thing in life is seeing my daughter go from strength to strength. We’re so excited to be expanding the family. It’s the best blessing ever.”
The actress — who seemingly showed off her bump as she walked to Met Gala red carpet in May before confirming her pregnancy — went on to tell the magazine why it’s important for her and Joe to keep their family life private.
“Every time Joe and I do a red carpet together, we make sure it’s for the right reason and makes sense for our careers,” she explained. “You never want to market yourself as a celebrity couple. It’s not that cool. And my daughter never asked for any of this. I know what it can do to your mental health to be in this industry, and to be photographed every day and have the comments. It’s not something I want her to deal with unless she says, ‘This is what I want to do.’ We’re quite strict about that.”
Sept. 5, 2023 — Calling It Quits
After spending four years together as a married couple, and welcoming two baby girls, Joe filed for divorce from Sophie on Sept. 5. In documents obtained by ET, the Jonas Brother filed in Miami, Florida, citing that “the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken.”
According to the petition, the couple’s two children have been living with Joe in Miami, Florida, and “it is in the best interests of the minor children that the parties have shared parental responsibility.” The former couple also has a prenup in place.
News of the filing comes two days after multiple reports confirmed that Joe retained a divorce attorney. A source told ET that the former flames “have been spending more time apart recently.”
“Joe has been busy on tour and spending a lot of time with his family,” the source said. “Joe has also been caring for their kids a lot.”
The breakup news comes after it was reported that Joe and Sophie sold their residence in Miami, Florida, for $15 million in August.
Sept. 21, 2023 — Sophie’s Lawsuit
Two weeks after her estranged husband filed for divorce, Sophie filed documents of her own in New York court. In her petition, which was obtained by ET, Sophie asked for the “immediate return” of their two daughters to the United Kingdom. The docs stated that the couple made England their permanent home in April.
The court docs revealed that the pair met recently to discuss their separation, but it seems the custody arrangement has become a point of contention.
“On or about September 17, 2023, the parties met to discuss their separation,” the docs read. “[Sophie] reiterated the parties’ agreed plan for the children to return home to England that week. [Joe] has possession of the children’s passports. He refuses to return the passports to [Sophie] and refuses to send the children home to England with [Sophie].”
In a statement to ET, Joe’s rep claimed that, if the musician were to hand over his kids’ passports, he would be in violation of a Florida court order.
“Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also okay with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the U.K. 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,” Joe’s rep said. “… 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.”
Also in Sophie’s docs, she claimed that she found out Joe had filed for divorce via the media. In a statement to ET, a rep for Joe denied Sophie’s claim.
“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case,” the statement read. “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.”
As for Joe’s feelings on Sophie’s filing, his rep said, “His wish is that Sophie reconsider her harsh legal position and move forward in a more constructive and private manner. His only concern is the well-being of his children.”
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