Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s Divorce Is Getting Messy: See the Timeline Amid Their Custody Battle

September 3, 2023

Fans first learned that Joe and Sophie were heading for divorce after four years of marriage when multiple outlets reported that the couple had been having problems for several months. The reports also stated that Joe was talking with multiple divorce lawyers in Los Angeles and getting ready to file. That same day, however, Joe was seen wearing his ring on stage as Sophie reportedly watched him perform.

September 5, 2023

Two days later, Joe made it official by filing divorce paperwork in Miami-Dade County, according to court documents obtained by In Touch. In the filing, he claimed that his and Sophie’s marriage was “irretrievably broken.” He asked for joint legal custody of their daughters.

September 6, 2023

On September 6, Joe and Sophie broke their silence on the divorce with a joint statement on social media. “After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” the couple both posted on their Instagram accounts. “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.”

Despite their attempt to silence the speculation, sources close to the couple continued to fuel rumors with possible explanations for the split. There have been claims that Joe was tired of Sophie’s alleged partying and that he allegedly saw or heard something on a Ring camera that made him realize the marriage was over. Other reports claimed that Joe and Sophie had trouble balancing parenting duties. 

Ultimately, “they just reached a point where it wasn’t meshing anymore, and it became painfully apparent that they’re not very well suited for the long term,” a source told In Touch.

September 7, 2023

Joe was spotted out with his two daughters in Sherman Oaks, California. While some on social media praised his active role as a father, other watchers claimed that Joe was trying to get ahead in the estranged couple’s PR tactics.

September 9, 2023

Joe verbally alluded to his divorce on tour for the first time at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. “It’s been a tough week. I just wanna say, look, if you don’t hear it from these lips, don’t believe it,” he told the audience, as seen in several fan recordings from the night. “Okay? Thank you everyone for your love and support. Me and my family love you guys.”

September 19, 2023

Though Sophie kept her own damage control tactics close to her chest, she and Taylor Swift — who famously dated Joe and was the subject of a 27-second breakup phone call back in 2008 — stepped out for a girls’ night in New York City. Social media quickly went into a frenzy over the budding friendship.

September 20, 2023

The divorce proceedings took a turn when Sophie filed a lawsuit against Joe for the return of their daughters to England. She claimed that Joe has “wrongfully retained” the children since the divorce filing, according to court documents obtained by In Touch. The documents state that their family spent the Christmas 2022 holiday in England and decided together to find a “forever home” there. However, Joe, who has their daughters with him on tour, is now “refusing” to give up their passports to allow them to return to England with Sophie despite the couple previously agreeing to this arrangement.

“On September 19, 2023, the Father’s Florida attorney confirmed that the Father will not return the passports to the Mother and will not consent for the children to return home to England,” the documents read.

Joe’s rep responded to the lawsuit with a scathing statement.

“When language like ‘abduction’ is used, it is misleading at best, and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst. The children were not abducted,” the statement read. “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 UK and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently.”

The statement continued, “Joe has already disavowed any and all statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparaging 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. His only concern is the well-being of his children.”

September 21, 2023

One day after filing the lawsuit against Joe, Sophie headed out with Taylor for the second time in a week. The pals were photographed leaving the Barrière Fouquet hotel in New York City separately after reportedly having dinner together.

September 25, 2023

Five days after Sophie filed her lawsuit against Joe, the former couple temporarily agreed to keep their daughters in New York.

The interim consent order states that Sophie and Joe must keep their children in the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, according to documents filed on September 25 in New York and viewed by In Touch. The area includes New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

Both Sophie and Joe agreed to the terms, according to the filing. “The parties have agreed to the entry of the attached proposed Interim Consent Order, without prejudice to either party’s claims and defenses, prohibiting the removal of the parties’ children from the jurisdictions of the United States District Courts for the Southern & Eastern Districts of New York pending further order of this Court,” the documents states.

If the order is violated, the court has the right to “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.”

October 10, 2023

Following three days of mediation, Joe and Sophie were seemingly able to find common ground amid their custody battle. The former couple found “an amicable resolution on all issues between them is forthcoming,” according to legal documents viewed by In Touch on October 10.

They have agreed to a temporary child custody agreement, in which Sophie will get their daughters from October 9 through October 21. Additionally, she is allowed to travel to the UK with them.

Joe will later get the kids from October 21 until November 2. He will then return them to Sophie until November 22. After the kids will presumably spend Thanksgiving with their father, they will go back to Sophie on December 16 and will stay with her until January 7.

October 11, 2023

One day after successfully reaching a temporary child custody agreement with Sophie, Joe filed to dismiss his divorce case in Miami, In Touch can confirm. While the estranged couple still plans to divorce, they will settle the rest of the divorce in private.

“The rest of the case was abated to see if the parties can resolve it themselves,” a spokesperson for Joe shared in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

January 17, 2024

Sophie dropped the “wrongful retention” claim against Joe in January 2024.

A U.S. judge approved to dismiss the filing after the former couple signed a consent plan that was approved by a UK judge on January 11, 2024, according to legal docs viewed by People on January 17, 2024.

Joe and Sophie agreed to have the filing dismissed “with prejudice, and without attorneys’ fees, expenses, costs and/or disbursements awarded to either party” after they came to a mutual agreement regarding parenting.

March 19, 2024

Sophie’s lawyers filed paperwork in Miami-Dade County, Florida, asking for her and Joe’s divorce case to be reactivated, Us Weekly confirmed on March 19, 2024. The filing came after their temporary custody agreement expired in January 2024.

“The filing was a legal formality, and the couple continues to negotiate an amicable resolution,” Joe’s rep said in a statement to Page Six about the matter.