Joey Lawrence Speaks Out About Divorce from Wife Samantha Cope and Melina Alves Affair Allegations

Mar. 15, 2025

Joey Lawrenceis breaking his silence after his estranged wifeSamantha Copefiled for divorce.

More than a week after Cope filed for divorce on Aug. 20, Lawrence, 48, spoke out about their decision to go their separate ways after two years of marriage and addressed allegations of an affair with hisSocked in for Christmascostar Melina Alves.

“With a deep sense of responsibility, I want to respond to the recent allegations surrounding my personal life, including my divorce and the claims of an affair with Melina Alves,” he began in a statement onInstagram.

“Melina and I became close friends and I did not have a physical relationship with her while filming the movie ‘Socked in for Christmas’. These rumors are false,” he continued. “Our bond was based on shared experiences and an understanding of the challenges we were both facing in our personal lives.”

Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope.Joey Lawrence Instagram

Lawrence noted that he met Alves amid his “deeply troubled marriage” to Cope, adding, “I was clinging to hope that I could save a relationship that, in my heart, I knew was beyond saving. My short-lived marriage was fraught with difficulties from the beginning. Our differences became insurmountable.”

The actor then addressed the relationship between Cope and his eldest daughters Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14 (both of whom he shares with ex-wifeChandie Yawn-Nelson).

Joey Lawrence is pictured at FOX’s Tubi and TikTok - First Ever Live Long-Form Reunion Event, Sneakertopia at HHLA in Los Angeles, California, on June 30, 2021.Frank Micelotta/FOX/PictureGroup/Shutterstock

Frank Micelotta/FOX/PictureGroup/Shutterstock

“I understand that my life is often in the public eye, and with that comes a level of scrutiny that can be difficult to bear,” he added. “However, I must emphasize that the well-being of my children is of the utmost importance.”

(L-R) Samantha Cope; Joey Lawrence.Samantha Cope/Instagram; Joey Lawrence/Instagram

Samantha Cope/Instagram; Joey Lawrence/Instagram

In a statement of her own, Cope said: “As a mother who values her daughter above all else, I find these false accusations deeply troubling.”

“I am confident that the truth is known to me, to Joey, and to God,” she added. “I am choosing to put my focus on healing, caring for my daughter, and processing the loss of my marriage and my family. "

Lawrence’s words echo Alves' previous statement released on Aug. 28, in which she stated the pair’s relationship began as a “meaningful friendship” onSocked in for Christmas anddenied having any “sexual relationship” with Lawrence at the time.

Shortly after the divorce news broke, a source close to the family told PEOPLE that Lawrenceallegedly had an affairwith Alves. The source claimed the two “had a working relationship and were partners on a couple things.”

“He knew she was also going through a divorce,” the source continued. “He was very empathetic to her situation as well and called her collateral damage when it comes to all this.”

Another source later told PEOPLE that Lawrence and Cope’s separationhelped improve the actor’s relationship with his loved onesand mend his coparenting relationship with Nelson.

“Once they split, things got exponentially better between him and his ex wife and their girls,” the source said of Lawrence. “Joey’s strong and strong in his faith so he’s trying to take it all in stride, but he is very disappointed and upset at how all of this has turned out.”

Joey Lawrence, Samantha Cope, and Dylan Lawrence.Joey Lawrence/Instagram

Joey Lawrence/Instagram

After meeting on the set of their Lifetime movieMy Husband’s Secret Brotherin 2021, Lawrence and Cope said"I do” in front of their friends and familyat the Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California in May 2022.

Shortly after their nuptials, the duo announced in September 2022 that they were expecting their first child together. They welcomed daughter Dylan — Lawrence’s third daughter — in January 2023.

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Speculation about the former couple’s separation was first sparked when Lawrence was spotted without a wedding ring in PEOPLE’sexclusive photosof his family vacation to Jamaica in August. Cope was also noticeably absent from the pictures.

source: people.com