Joe Jonas Wishes Parents at Jonas Brothers Concert ‘Best of Luck’ Amid Sophie Turner Divorce & Lawsuit
It’s no secret that Joe Jonas is going through a rough spot in his parenting journey amid his recent split from Sophie Turner, who filed a lawsuit Thursday (Sept. 21), alleging that her estranged husband has “wrongfully retained” their two young daughters and preventing their return to England. That same day the actress’ lawsuit was filed, Jonas performed in concert with brothers Nick and Kevin at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center — and while he didn’t address the drama head-on during the show, he did take a moment to give a shoutout to all the other parents in the room.
“This next one is all about being a parent,” the 34-year-old musician told the Jonas Brothers’ crowd, according to People, as he introduced the band’s song “Little Bird.”
Then, after asking whether there were “any parents in the house,” the DNCE frontman added, “If you’re trying to have kids, best of luck. We’re rooting for you.”
Jonas’ remarks come just weeks after he filed for divorce from Turner on Sept. 5, soon after which he admitted to having had a “tough week” while performing at a Sept. 9 Jo Bros show. “I just want to say, look, if you don’t hear it from these lips, don’t believe it,” he added at the time, speaking to fans in the crowd at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.
Shortly after the “Sucker” singer’s divorce filing, in which he called his marriage to Turner “irretrievably broken,” he and the Game of Thrones actress posted a joint statement to social media confirming that they’d “mutually decided to amicably end” their relationship following “four wonderful years of marriage.” In the weeks since, however, things have gone from “amicable” to messy, with Turner alleging in her new lawsuit that she found out about Jonas’ divorce filing “through the media.”
The actress also accused Jonas of refusing to give her their daughters’ passports, thus blocking the 3-year-old and 1-year-old from returning to the family’s home in England. Both children have dual citizenship in the U.K. and U.S., but Turner’s suit claims that she and Jonas had both previously agreed to establishing the England estate as their family’s “permanent residence.” Her lawsuit also states that Jonas and Turner agreed “with hesitation” that the kids would travel on tour with their father (and the family’s nanny) because he had more free time during the day than Turner, but that the arrangement was only “temporary.”
In a statement to Billboard, a representative for Jonas denied Turner’s claims, and said that the former couple had met Sunday in New York to discuss an “amicable co-parenting setup.” “Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also OK with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the U.K.,” the said. “This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending.”
Meanwhile, Turner has been making waves via her recent public outings with Taylor Swift (who herself dated Jonas more than a decade ago). The two women were spotted out to dinner in New York City twice this week, once on Tuesday (Sept. 19) and again on Thursday (Sept. 21).
Watch a clip of the Jonas Brothers performing “Little Bird” in Philadelphia below:
Billboard
Billboard
