While we're used to celebrity marriages coming and going, there are some breakups that hit fans hard. And it's safe to say that Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's divorce has hit us like a punch in the gut. They were once the "it" couple in Hollywood; both famous in their own right, both attractive, and both utterly in love with each other. But where did it all go wrong? Well, we've uncovered the truth about the dramatic divorce settlement that's left everyone stumped.
The News That Shook the World
Early September 2023 started off as a month like any other. And while we assumed that the celebrity world would be full of normal celebrity drama (as it usually is), rumors about Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas suddenly reared their heads. Nothing was confirmed by the duo, but when TMZ claimed that "sources with direct knowledge" of the couple had confessed that the marriage between the legendary starlets was over, many assumed it to be true.
Of course, there others who weren't convinced. But when both Sophie and Joe took to Instagram to confirm their decision to "amicably end our marriage," it was clear the rumors had been true. So, what happened?
The Security Camera That Saw Everything
While we're used to celebrities breaking up, the news about Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner just didn't add up. After all, they had still been posting about each other on Instagram, and all seemed to be well. Even in their breakup announcement, they claimed that the separation had been amicable and mutual - but everyone knew that something serious must have happened to make them question the marriage that fans had fallen in love with.
According to TMZ, Joe knew that their marriage was over when he spotted Sophie doing or saying something on the Ring doorbell security camera. But this didn't just come out of the blue. Apparently, their divorce had been brewing for a while.
A Marriage on the Brink
Whatever Joe saw or heard on the doorbell camera must have been the final nail in the coffin for the Jonas Brother, and it's been suggested that the couple had been having problems behind the scenes. In fact, a source close to the couple told the Daily Mail that the couple had been on the rocks since Christmas 2022. And while they had hoped to sort things out for the sake of their family, this wasn't possible.
Of course, getting a divorce when you have children is a difficult process - something they probably knew at the back of their minds. And it seems as though their children have been caught in the crossfire between these two feuding celebrities.
Was Joe a Solo Parent?
Despite living in the public eye, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner have made every effort to keep their children out of the spotlight. They want their kids to grow up away from the cameras, and they even ask paparazzi to blur their kids' faces when posting photos online. Unfortunately, their kids were caught up in the middle of their separation drama when it was announced that they would be ending their marriage.
According to sources, Joe had apparently been a solo parent of their children three months prior to their announcement. He was also touring at the time, and stories began to suggest that Sophie had abandoned her children.
The Start of the Wedding Ring Saga
As more and more stories about the couple made their way into the press, all eyes were on Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas. Before they confirmed their separation, eagle-eyed fans were hoping to spot signs that the famous marriage was on the rocks. And when both Joe and Sophie were spotted numerous times without their wedding rings, some began to wonder whether the rumors of their breakup were true after all.
Taking your wedding rings off - especially in public - is a big deal in Hollywood. And when any celebrity is spotted without their wedding rings, alarm bells start ringing. But then, Joe seemed to have a change of heart.
The Wedding Ring Goes Back on
As countless stories of their lack of wedding bands made the rounds, Joe Jonas seemed intent on making a point. In his next Instagram photo, a post about his family Labor Day celebrations, it was clear to see that Joe had put his wedding ring back on. So, what did that mean? Was their marriage back on? Or was Joe just trying to save face for the sake of his family and his reputation?
But what makes this photo even more confusing is that, according to reports, Joe reportedly filed for divorce just hours after he posted this particular photo on Instagram. It just didn't make sense.
Looking Back, the Signs Were There
For many fans, this official filing for divorce came as a huge shock. But looking back, it seems as though the signs were there. Not only were their wedding rings on and off in the run-up to this news but the couple had barely been seen together the few months prior. In fact, the last time they were spotted at the same event was in April 2023, and even then they didn't look happy to be together.
The couple looked strained, and they looked as though they were saving face for the sake of the cameras in front of them. Sophie looked especially strained, which probably had something to do with her husband's requests.
He Pressured Her Out the House
As more and more people tried to uncover the reasoning behind their divorce, stories about Joe's behavior towards his wife made their way into the public sphere. In fact, sources close to Sophie confessed that she often felt pressured into leaving the house for public events just weeks after giving birth. And while she wanted to stay home with her children, her husband encouraged her to leave them and attend public outings.
Sophie also didn't want to be photographed during this time, but the source claimed that Joe pressured her into leaving the house and posing for photos. Maybe that's why she didn't attend a very important event in August 2023.
Absent at His Birthday
Although Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner announced their split in September 2023, it seemed as though they were taking some time apart in the month prior. Fans noticed that Sophie was absent from the photos of his birthday party that Joe posted on social media. So, was she there - but just in the background unwilling to be photographed? Or had she finally put her foot down and decided to stay at home?
Sophie did celebrate her then-husband in a loved-up social media post of her own, but looking back it seems as though she was simply saving face before they announced their breakup to the world.
Not Like the Other Wives
Being married to a Jonas Brother must be hard, as the band is constantly jetting off across the world to perform for adoring fans. But while Sophie may not have attended Joe's birthday party, she was reportedly spotted at the opening night of their tour in mid-August. Even then, though, it seems as though she was doing this more because it was expected of her, rather than because she wanted to.
While Nick and Kevin Jonas' wives attended multiple shows of the tour, Sophie was allegedly only spotted at the one. Fans also noticed something else about the Jonas Brothers tour, too.
Scrapping Sophie's Song
Like many other singers before him, Joe Jonas has written many songs about love over the years - and about the people he has fallen in love with. One of his most famous love songs is "Hesitate," which he wrote for his wife, Sophie Turner. And while he used to love performing this song for his adoring fans, he reportedly stopped performing this song during the Jonas Brothers tour amidst rumors of their separation.
According to sources close to the singer, Joe reportedly found it too difficult to get up on stage each night and sing about how much he loved his wife when they were going through such a difficult time.
Putting Their House up for Sale
Of course, there were so many other signs that the couple were on the rocks - but we just didn't realize it at the time. This was the case in 2022 when they decided to put their house up for sale, just one year after they purchased it for $11 million. At the time, we didn't think anything of it. After all, celebrities buy and sell houses all the time, and their actions weren't uncommon.
But now we think about it, could this have been one of the first signs that their family was falling apart? Especially as Sophie had never wanted to live there in the first place, but had put her sights on somewhere else.
Sophie Wanted to Go Back to Her Roots
If you're a fan of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, you should already know that they are from two very different walks of life. While Joe grew up in America, Sophie grew up in the UK - which is where her family and friends still live. As her career grew and she married Joe, Sophie knew that living in the United States was probably the best move for her at the time.
However, after having their children, Sophie no longer wanted to live across the pond. She wanted to move back to the UK for the sake of their kids and her own mental health.
Joe Tried to Make It Work
When their marriage reportedly hit a rough patch, Sophie made her way back to England to be close to the ones who meant the most to her. But it's been revealed that Joe flew over to visit his wife in early 2023 to try and fix their marriage. He didn't want to just give up, and he wanted to give them the chance to rectify their wrongs and spend time together with the kids.
During this time, it's even been suggested that Joe agreed to move to the UK full-time. But, unfortunately, things didn't follow through - and it's been hinted that their careers got in the way of this.
Two Very Different Careers
It's no secret that marriage requires a huge amount of work and a huge amount of compromise. This can be difficult to do when you're managing two very different careers in Hollywood. On the one hand, you have Sophie, a talented actress who may have to spend weeks at a time away from her family to bring a movie or television show to life. On the other hand, you have Joe, a touring musician.
At the start of their marriage, the couple seemed to master this compromise. But it seems as though what we see is very different to what goes on behind closed doors.
They Got Cold Feet
Yes, did you know that both Sophie and Joe got cold feet before they got married? They were so freaked out by the idea of committing themselves to each other for what they thought would be the rest of their lives that they even broke up. This breakup only lasted around 24 hours before they decided to get back together and go through with the wedding, but that's still something that suggests they weren't fully ready.
It seems as though they struggled to build this strong foundation at the beginning of their marriage, which ultimately caused them to crumble. And it's been suggested that age played a part in that.
Six Years Between Them Both
It's not uncommon for Hollywood couples to have an age gap. Sometimes, we see decades between two people - and while sometimes it works, there are other occasions where it doesn't. In the case of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, there is an age gap of almost seven years. And while that doesn't seem like a huge age gap, they were at two very different stages of their lives when they decided to tie the knot.
Although Joe was older, he was still a party boy at heart and wanted to go out and socialize with friends and fans. On the other hand, Sophie Turner described herself as a "homebody" who wanted to stay in. She wasn't always like that, though.
Feeling Trapped by Commitments
When they first started dating, Sophie Turner was in her early 20s. And while other celebrities her age would spend their days schmoozing with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Sophie wanted to create a life with the man that she loved. She wanted to be a young mom, and she wanted to build a family unit that she was proud of. However, sources suggest that she later regretted that decision.
According to the Daily Mail, Sophie began to feel trapped by the commitments of her life with Joe and their family the older she got. She believes that she missed out on the party lifestyle her friends got to experience.
She Grew up Fast, Too
Of course, missing out is something that Sophie is used to. Sophie Turner was just 13 years old when she was cast as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, which meant that she didn't have a normal childhood. Instead of going to school and then hanging out with her friends at the weekend, Sophie was being homeschooled on set and working hard to among a cast of much older people.
In 2019, Sophie candidly spoke about this time. She explained, "I wish I'd had the university experience," and she even wished that she would be able to leave the house "without it being photographed."
Moving From One Commitment to the Other
Now that she's older and she has children, Sophie reportedly understands that she missed out on having a relatively normal life - and that's something she regrets. Since she was 13, she has simply moved from one commitment to the other, both in her personal and professional lives. In fact, she married Joe Jonas the same year that she finished filming the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.
Now, it seems as though she wishes she had been able to have more of a break to truly enjoy her life and the people in it. But it seems as though her sisters-in-law didn't help her feelings of sadness, either.
Compared to the Other Women
If you didn't already know, all of the Jonas brothers are married. And while this has upset many fans over the years, there's no doubt about the fact that these wives are very well-received. Fans love Danielle Jonas, Kevin's wife, and they can't get enough of Nick's wife, the famous actress Priyanka Chopra. However, it seems as though having another famous actress in the family isn't something Sophie could handle.
Sophie has reportedly felt a lot of pressure since Priyanka joined the family, with their fans and family alike comparing the two of them in terms of their careers and the way they approach their relationships.
It Started so Well
Amongst these family comparisons and the pressure to be a wife, it seems as though both Sophie and Joe forgot where they started. After all, they had been together for almost a decade before they got lawyers involved and filed for divorce. Their relationship had started so well, with the Jonas Brother reportedly sliding into Sophie's DMs after spotting her beauty and acting talent on his screen as he watched Game of Thrones.
But he didn't just message her out of the blue. It's been reported that the couple had many mutual friends between them when he slid into her DMs, but Joe still had a lot of work to do to convince her to go out with him.
She Was Prepared to Be Single
Getting a message from a Jonas Brother must have been a strange experience for Sophie, who had always considered herself to be a fairly low-level celebrity. She had no intention of being incredibly famous, and she wanted to live a relatively normal life. In fact, she had even prepared herself for a life of being single, as she didn't think that anyone would want to date her at any point in her life.
Of course, her family was a little concerned when they learned that Joe was older than her, but she told Rolling Stone in 2019 that she didn't mind the age gap personally. His dating history concerned her, though.
Joe's Lengthy Dating History
Like Sophie, Joe Jonas had also been in the limelight since he was a teenager - but his experience had been very different. While Sophie kept herself to herself and lived a relatively private life, the fame associated with The Jonas Brothers and their role on the Disney Channel thrust Joe into the spotlight. He dealt with adoring fans on a daily basis, and it meant that he dated some of the most famous women in the business.
Over the years, Joe dated pop stars and models such as Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid, and Demi Lovato. He became known as somewhat of a teen heartthrob, and this reputation carried him throughout his older years, too.
The Date That Changed Everything
With such different lives and such different dating histories, we don't blame Sophie Turner for being a little cautious about the singer who slid into her DMs in 2016. But it seems as though he managed to win her over, and he managed to convince her to go on a date that changed everything. From that moment, they became inseparable, and they were spotted out on countless occasions after that first date.
But despite the fact that many fans had spotted them out and about looking incredibly close and cosy with each other, it seems as though the couple weren't confident about going public with their relationship. Not yet, anyway.
They Finally Went Public
When the pair were spotted together, speculation was rife. But it wasn't until a few months later that Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner decided to make their relationship Instagram official. Of course, they didn't write a post outright confirming their new love, but they posted photos of each other on social media for the first time - a tell-tale sign that celebrities are serious about their relationships. Sophie was still pretty coy about it, though.
During television and magazine interviews a few weeks after her first post about Joe, Sophie refused to share any details about her new relationship, despite the fact that she was "very happy."
Taking the Next Step
Despite the fact that neither of them outright spoke about their new love for each other, it was clear to see that they were loved up and enjoying spending time together. Not only were they spotted out and about, looking incredibly loved up, but it soon became clear that they saw a future as a pairing. Yes, the couple adopted a dog! Inspired by her time on Game of Thrones, Sophie and her new boyfriend adopted a husky.
In the beginning, they were seen everywhere together - and it was clear to see that they didn't want to be apart. That's why we should have noticed that things started to change in 2023.
Turning Down the Met Gala
Since the very beginning of their relationship, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner have been regular attendees of the prestigious Met Gala. This annual event sees some of the biggest and brightest stars in Hollywood descend upon the New York Met for a night of fun, frivolity, and fabulous outfits. The couple has attended the event on numerous occasions, but in 2023, they were noticeably absent from the event. Was this a sign?
At the time, we didn't think much of it. Celebrities have busy schedules, and they had children to look after, so we thought they'd simply decided against it. But maybe that wasn't the case.
Keeping Things to Themselves
What's made their divorce so difficult for fans to understand is the fact that - despite being fan favorites - they're extremely private about their personal lives. However, the couple gave fans what they wanted in October 2017 when they announced on Instagram that they had gotten engaged. While some people were taken aback by the quick development of their relationship, others were over the moon for the young and talented celebrities.
They didn't seem to care what other people thought about their decision, and they kept their announcement on Instagram sweet and subtle. After all, Sophie was convinced that she was doing the right thing.
It Was Love at First Sight
Although Sophie and Joe kept schtum about their engagement and their subsequent marriage, Sophie decided to open up during an appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show in 2022. As she talk show host questioned her about her life, she confessed for the first time that she felt very confident going into her marriage with Joe. After all, she knew that he was her person - and she knew it from the moment she met him.
She told Jimmy that she wanted to marry the singer "the first night I met him." Luckily for her, he seemed to fall just as hard. But they would never have guessed where their marriage would take them.
A Quiet and Quick Ceremony
Despite the fact that Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner got engaged just months after they first met, they took a little more time to fully commit to themselves. They were engaged for around a year and a half before they eventually walked down the aisle. However, this wasn't just any aisle, as the celebrity couple decided to head to Las Vegas and get married on a whim after the Billboard Music Awards!
It's been noted that the couple were married by an Elvis impersonator and spent just $600 on the whole night. And the only reason we found out was because Diplo live-streamed the whole thing.
They Planned a Bigger Wedding
This whirlwind wedding ceremony wasn't completely unplanned, though. The couple had been planning a much larger ceremony in the South of France with all of their friends and family around them, but it seemed as though they just couldn't wait to make their love legally binding. So, they popped to the wedding chapel to sign the documents, and then focused their attention on planning a bigger affair in July of the same year.
This stunning and elegant event took place at the Château du Martinet in the South of France, and it seems as though their first wedding hadn't taken the shine away from such an emotional day.
Expanding Their Family
News of their extravagant wedding warmed the hearts of fans who had fallen in love with the celebrity couple, but it seems as though that wasn't the end of their good news. A few months after they tied the knot, it was confirmed that they had welcomed a daughter, Willa, into the world. Sophie and Joe didn't share any details of this pregnancy with fans until after she was born, though.
It was a different case in May 2022, though, when Sophie confirmed to the media that she was pregnant with their second child. She was also photographed with a bump during this pregnancy, too.
Two Was Enough for Sophie
While Sophie Turner has made it clear that she loves her two children with all of her heart, she also knows in herself that two kids are enough for her. She understands how hard it is growing up in the limelight, and she knows that her children will be famous by-proxy. So, she wants to ensure that they are protected and that she can give them the time and attention they deserve.
Apparently, this didn't go down well with Joe. He reportedly wants even more children, which is one of the reasons why the rift between them grew bigger and bigger as their marriage wore on.
Sharing the Load
Of course, we now know that lawyers are involved and that Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are headed for official divorce. And that leaves us questioning what happens to their children - especially with both of them wanting to live in two different countries. According to reports, it seems as though Sophie and Joe want to make the transition as easy for their children as possible. So, they're going to share the load.
It's believed that the parents will share their time with their children across the two countries and that they'll get to share the major holidays - with Joe having the kids for Thanksgiving, and Sophie having them for Christmas.
The Prenup Is Ironclad
One saving grace of their divorce is the fact that they were both extremely famous when they got married. Because of this, they had the right kind of people around them who helped them navigate the tough world of celebrity marriages and finances. In fact, they reportedly put together an "ironclad prenuptial agreement" that means that they shouldn't have any trouble separating their finances and dividing their assets during the course of their divorce proceedings.
Everything they earn separately, and everything they had before they were married, will remain theirs. It's only the things that they bought together - such as their homes - that they will need to split between them.
Joe's Hired the Best
Despite the fact that their divorce settlement should be relatively easy, it seems as though Joe Jonas is preparing himself for the worst. To get himself ready for the court, he's hired one of the best lawyers in the business; Thomas J. Sasser. As one of the most in-demand celebrity attorneys in the world, he's dealt with some of the biggest A-lister divorces of all time - and he's extremely successful.
In fact, he's been involved in divorces between Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods, Brooke Sealey and Jeff Gordon, and even Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady. Unfortunately, this hasn't sat well with fans.
Joe's Team Have Been Slammed
Although Joe has every right to protect himself with a good lawyer during his divorce, the singer and his team have been criticized over the way that they've handled the breakup. As rumors of their spiral started to spiral in the media, it was suggested that Joe's camp was behind a smear campaign that attempted to paint Sophie in a bad light. They even tried to spin the story that Sophie had abandoned her children.
This didn't go down well with those who were well and truly team Sophie, with many people calling out the singer for slamming his ex before their split had even been confirmed.
Facing Criticism From Every Angle
Although it seems as though Joe's team tried everything they could to spin the story so that he was the good guy and Sophie was the bad guy, this didn't work the way he had hoped. Fans knew that Sophie would never abandon her children or give up on her marriage so easily, and they had faith that the stories were false. In fact, celebrities even came out to publicly support Sophie and condemn Joe's smear campaign.
Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel even claimed that Joe's team "started camping too soon" after rumors began to stir, and that this ultimately ended up backfiring.
We'll See What Happens Next
Thankfully for Sophie, things seemed to have quietened down. And while rumors are starting to suggest that she has already moved on from Joe with a British aristocrat, there's no doubt about the fact that there's a long road ahead for this former couple. And while they were once like two peas in a pod, they're now co-parents who have lawyers working between them to reach a divorce settlement they're happy with.
This will continue to be a tough pill for fans of the couple to swallow, but we hope that they can come to an arrangement that gives them both peace.