Updated on October 11, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. ET:
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have come to an agreement in their ongoing custody battle over their daughters, 3-year-old Willa and 15-month-old Delphine. According to People, the former couple landed on a temporary custody arrangement while in mediation, and they're feeling good about it.
"After a productive and successful mediation, we have agreed that the children will spend time equally in loving homes in both the U.S. and the UK. We look forward to being great co-parents," Turner and Jonas shared in a joint statement, their first since they announced their divorce in early September.
According to the court docs, the arrangement lasts through January 7, 2024 and lays out a clear plan for the remainder of 2023 in terms of who will have the children at what time and where they're allowed to go.
The children will be with Turner through October 21 and are allowed to travel to England with her, as well as across the United States. After that, either Turner or the nanny will bring the girls to Jonas, who will have them through November 2; he is also allowed to travel with them during that time. They'll be with Turner from November 2 to the 22nd, then back to Jonas until December 16, then with Turner for the holidays from December 16 through January 7. Turner and Jonas must update the courts with further arrangements by December 23.
Updated on September 22, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. ET:
Things are getting… messy. Mere hours after news broke of Sophie Turner suing her soon-to-be ex-husband Joe Jonas, Jonas hit back with a statement of his own. As noted by TMZ, the musician's rep issued a statement about the situation, claiming that taking the children to England would violate a Florida court order. He also denies Turner's claim that she found out about their divorce in the news.
“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case. Sophie was aware that Joe was going to file for divorce,” the statement reads. “The Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating the children. Sophie was served with this order on September 6, 2023, more than two weeks ago.”
Related: Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas's Relationship Timeline, From DM to Divorce
According to Jonas, he and Turner had a “cordial” meeting in New York when she came to be with the children and he was under the impression they were working on an “amicable co-parenting setup.” However, he claims that 24 hours later, Turner wanted to take the girls to England and “demanded via this filing” that he hand over their passports. Jonas claims that if he gives Turner the passports and lets the children go back to the U.K., he'll be in violation of the aforementioned court order.
“Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also okay with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the U.K.,” the statement reads. “The children were born in the U.S. and have spent the vast majority of their lives in the U.S. They are American citizens.”
The musician also takes shots at language used in Turner's filing and alleges that Turner is trying to move their divorce proceedings to England. “This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending. When language like ‘abduction’ is used, it is misleading at best, and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst,” says his statement. “The children were not abducted. 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 U.K. and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently.”
At the end of the statement, Jonas says that any “statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparaging of Sophie” were made without his approval. He shares that he wants to “move forward in a more constructive and private manner” and that "his only concern is the well-being of his children.”
Original story follows.
Previously (September 21, 2023):
Shortly after the couple announced their split, Sophie Turner is now suing Joe Jonas.
According to Page Six, Turner has filed for the return of the couple's two children to England. The court documents, which Turner filed on September 21 in New York, state that the children have been “wrongfully retained in New York City since September 20 from 'their habitual residence' in England.”
Her petition asks for the “immediate return” of the two children to London, and adds that Jonas and Turner had been living in London and “often discussed their desire to raise their children in England”; they agreed to make it their "forever home" around Christmas 2022. According to the document, the former couple had been living in England since April 2023 and were looking for a home there as Turner began filming the miniseries Joan.
The petition also notes that Turner agreed “with hesitation” to let the children travel with Jonas while he was on tour, but it was not a permanent arrangement; Turner would allegedly take them back to England after filming wrapped. “The children would then at least be able to spend some time during the day with one of their parents until the Mother finished her filming commitments,” the document reads.
Sophie Turner also alleges that Joe Jonas will not give up their two daughters' passports to allow them to return to England; Jonas's legal team reportedly communicated to her legal team that he would not allow the children to move back with Turner. “The Father has possession of the children’s passports,” the documents state. “He refuses to return the passports to the Mother and refuses to send the children home to England with the Mother.”
That's not the only bombshell in the petition, either. According to Turner, she and Jonas had an argument on August 15, and she found out alongside the rest of the world that Jonas had filed for divorce in early September when it made headlines in “the media.”
Teen Vogue will continue updating this story as it develops.
