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

Joey Lawrence is breaking his silence after his estranged wife Samantha Cope filed for divorce.

More than a week after Cope filed for divorce on Aug. 20, Lawrence, 48, opened up about their decision to separate after two years of marriage and addressed allegations of an affair with his For Christmas costar Melina Alves.

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

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

Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope split after two years of marriage

Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope. Joey Lawrence Instagram

Lawrence noted that he met Alves in the midst of his “deeply troubled marriage” to Cope, adding: “I was desperately hoping to save a relationship that I knew, in my heart, was impossible to save. My short-lived marriage was filled with our the differences became insurmountable from the beginning.

The actor then addressed the relationship between Cope and his eldest daughters Charleston (18) and Liberty (14) (both with ex-wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson).

“As a father, my three daughters are my world. They are, and always will be, my top priority,” he said. “The unraveling of my marriage was tied to my realization that there was no way my two oldest daughters would ever be accepted by my wife as part of my family. I cannot and will not compromise on the love and care my daughters deserve, which is realization played a significant role in the breakup of my relationship.”

Joey Lawrence is pictured at FOX’s Tubi and TikTok – the first long-form live reunion event, Sneakertopia at HHLA in Los Angeles, California on June 30, 2021.

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 handle,” he added. “However, I must emphasize that the welfare of my children is of the utmost importance.”

He concluded the statement by thanking the fans for their “understanding and respect”.

(L-R) Samantha Cope; Joey Lawrence.

Samantha Cope/Instagram; Joey Lawrence/Instagram

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

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

Joey Lawrence, Samantha Cope ‘had issues from the start’ of relationship, source says (exclusive)

Lawrence’s words echo Alves’ previous statement released on August 28, in which she said the pair’s relationship began as a “meaningful friendship.” Worn for Christmas and denied having any “sexual intercourse” with Lawrence at the time.

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Cope cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split and filed the paperwork on Aug. 13 — two months after the separation date, which was listed as June 7, 2024. Cope requested that the court block the possibility award spousal support to either party. She is also seeking full physical custody of their daughter Dylan, 19 months, while allowing Lawrence visitation at her discretion.

Shortly after news of the divorce broke, a source close to the family told PEOPLE that Lawrence allegedly had an affair with Alves. The source claimed that the two “had a working relationship and were partners in several 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 of this.”

Another source later told PEOPLE that Lawrence and Cope’s split helped improve the actor’s relationship with his loved ones and mend his co-parenting relationship with Nelson.

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

Joey Lawrence, Samantha Cope and Dylan Lawrence.

Joey Lawrence/Instagram

Joey Lawrence Is Trying To Take Samantha Cope’s Divorce ‘Easy’ But Is Very ‘Upset’ With How It’s Going (Exclusive Source)

After meeting on the set of their Lifetime movie My husband’s secret brother 2021, Lawrence and Cope said “I do” in front of their friends and family at the Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California in May 2022.

Shortly after their wedding, 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 split was first sparked when Lawrence was spotted without his wedding ring in PEOPLE’s exclusive photos from his family vacation in Jamaica in August. Cope was also noticeably absent from the pictures.

Lawrence and his brothers Matthew, 44, and Andrew, 36, described the trip as “the holiday of a lifetime”. The three siblings were joined by their mother, Donna Melissa & Joey alum’s daughters, Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14, as well as Andrew’s girlfriend, Brittany McGowan, on a Caribbean getaway.

“Nothing is more important in this life than the beautiful memories you share with loved ones,” the brothers told PEOPLE at the time. “It was the vacation of a lifetime and we can’t wait to go back!”

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