Joe Jonas [1] and Sophie Turner's marriage is coming to an end. Speculation about a breakup arose on 3 Sept. when a source told People [2] that Jonas had retained a divorce lawyer. Two days later, he officially filed after four years of marriage [3] with Turner. And the next day, the pair broke their silence about the split by posting a joint statement on Instagram [4]. In part, they wrote, ". . . We have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision."
Turner, 27, and Jonas, 34, eloped on 1 May, 2019, in a Las Vegas-style wedding [5]. A month later, they tied the knot again in France [6], where they were surrounded by close family and friends. Since then, they've welcomed two children [7] together: daughter Willa [8], 3, and another 1-year-old baby girl [9] whose name is not yet known.
Since their divorce was made public, many stories have swirled about Jonas and Turner's relationship — from what could've led to the split to the lawsuit Turner filed against Jonas on 21 Sept. to return their children to their home in England. Both appear to have different accounts about their breakup, as Turner's petition noted that she found out about it through the media the same day Jonas filed for divorce. However, a rep for Jonas told POPSUGAR that Turner "was aware that Joe was going to file for divorce."
So much has happened between the two in less than a month's time, so we've gathered all the need-to-know details about their breakup. Ahead, find a complete timeline of Jonas and Turner's ongoing divorce.
- 3 September: Breakup rumours about Jonas and Turner swirl. People reported, via a source, that Jonas retained a divorce lawyer after four years of marriage to Turner. TMZ [11] was the first to break the news. The day before, Jonas posted a photo with his brothers, Nick and Kevin, on Instagram [12] for Labour Day, in which he was seemingly still wearing his wedding ring.
- 5 September: Jonas files for divorce from Turner. The singer filed for divorce in Miami-Dade County, Florida, according to online records viewed by POPSUGAR. The filing, according to People [13], stated that "the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken."
- 6 September: Jonas and Turner address their divorce news. Early that day, the pair shared a statement on Instagram that reads: "After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage." They added, ". . . We sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children."
- 9 September: Jonas seemingly addresses his split from Turner at a concert. Before performing the song "Hesitate" — which is about Turner [14] — during a Los Angeles show with his brothers, Jonas told the crowd, "It's been a crazy week," seemingly referring to news about him and Turner. He added: "I just want to say, if you don't hear it from these lips, don't believe it. OK? Thank you, everyone, for the love and support to me and my family. I love you guys."
- 19 September: Turner steps out for a girls' night out with Jonas's ex, Taylor Swift [15]. Per photos obtained by People [16], Turner and Swift were spotted walking arm-in-arm in NYC [17] after dining at a restaurant. The two also reportedly went to a bar that night.
- 21 September: Turner sues Jonas for the return of their children to England. Jonas's rep later responds on his behalf. Turner's petition filed in the southern district of New York claims that she and Jonas's two kids have been wrongfully retained in NYC since 20 September from their "habitual residence of England." According to the court documents, the former couple decided in December 2022 to look into making England their "forever home," also hoping to have their daughters attend school there, too. The petition claims that they planned to move to England permanently this December.
It also states that Turner and Jonas agreed to have their kids travel with a nanny and the latter amid his tour with the Jonas Brothers in August, while the "Game of Thrones" alum filmed a new drama series in the UK. According to the documents, the kids were to stay with Jonas until Turner finished filming her project, then she'd travel to New York in mid-September and bring them home. On 17 September, Turner and Jonas met to discuss their separation, during which the former reiterated their agreement for their children to return to England that week. However, per the court documents, Jonas is in possession of their daughters' passports and refuses to hand them over so Turner can take them back to England, which it notes is "a breach of the mother's rights of custody under English law, England being the children's habitual residence." Yet, Jonas's rep told POPSUGAR, "A Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating the children." They also claimed, "Sophie was served with this order on Sept. 6."
Jonas's statement from his rep added: "Joe and Sophie had a cordial meeting this past Sunday in New York, when Sophie came to be with the kids. They have been with her since that meeting. 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. Thereafter, 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."
According to Jonas's rep, he's "seeking shared parenting" so the pair's kids can be raised in both the US and UK. The statement added, "This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending . . . Sophie is making this claim only to move the divorce proceedings to the UK and to remove the children from the US permanently." Per Jonas's rep, the singer "has already disavowed any and all statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparageing of Sophie. They were made without his approval and are not consistent with his views. His wish is that Sophie reconsider her harsh legal position and move forward in a more constructive and private manner." Reps for Turner did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR's request for comment on Jonas's rep's statement.
- 25 Sept.: Jonas and Turner agree to temporarily keep their kids in New York. POPSUGAR obtained an interim consent order that states that the former couple have agreed to keep their daughters in the southern and eastern districts of New York "pending further order" from the court. If the order is violated, the documents note that "take or cause to be taken measures under Federal or State law, as appropriate, to protect the well-being of the child involved or to prevent the child's further removal or concealment before the final disposition of the petition."
- 10 Oct.: Jonas and Turner reach a temporary custody agreement. According to court documents obtained by POPSUGAR, the pair's children will be with their mother from 9 Oct. through 21 Oct. During this time, Turner is allowed to temporarily travel with her kids to the UK and/or any state in the US. On Oct. 21, Turner or their children's nanny will return the kids to Jonas. Their daughters will then stay with their father from 21 Oct. through 2 Nov. Similar to Turner, Jonas can temporarily travel with his kids to the UK and/or any state in the US. On 2 Nov., Jonas or the children's nanny will return the kids to Turner and they'll remain with her through 22 Nov. After that, they'll stay with Jonas from 22 Nov. through 16 Dec., and Turner again from 16 Dec. to 7 Jan., 2024.