Joe Jonas is clapping back at Sophie Turner!
On Thursday, the Game of Thrones star filed a lawsuit in Manhattan alleging the singer has essentially abducted their two young daughters by refusing to hand over their passports. She says she tried to pick them up earlier this week so they could return to their “forever home” in England with her, per a reported agreement — but he refused!
Now we’re finally getting his response to the shocking suit — and he’s calling BS on it all!
In a heated statement obtained by TMZ on Thursday morning, the Camp Rock alum argued Sophie was the one crossing a line and blamed her for allegedly violating an order by a Florida judge (where he initially filed for divorce) by trying to take the kids to the UK.
Related: Shannon Beador Appears Injured After Hit-And-Run
A rep for the Disney Channel alum began by seemingly debunking claims Sophie was blindsided by the divorce, saying:
“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 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.”
The rep also slammed any notion Joe is the one preventing the kids from leaving — noting he’d be going against the law if he agreed to the actress’ demands! The statement continued:
“Less than 24 hours later, Sophie advised that she wanted to take the children permanently to the UK. Thereafter, she demanded via this filing that Joe hand over the children’s passports so that she could take them out of the country immediately. If he complies, Joe will be in violation of the Florida Court order.”
While he insists the kids’ home is in the United States, Joe does make it clear he’s open to sharing custody, even if his ex-wife moves to England full-time, adding:
“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 UK. 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.”
Whoa. The fact that the parents live in two different countries is making this VERY complicated! There’s a lot riding on this custody battle for both of them. That said, the Burnin’ Up crooner blasted the X-Men star for claiming he’d abducted their small children — when it fact, it’s completely “misleading,” adding:
“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. 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 UK and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently.”
Hold on… She HAS the kids right now?! Does she have custody in New York City — is the lawsuit just so she can take them with her to the UK??
Related: Halsey Has A New Man In Her Life
According to her lawsuit, Sophie returned to the Big Apple last week to retrieve her kids from her ex to bring them back across the pond with her. But without those passports, she’s stuck. If Joe really did wait to divorce her while she was in the middle of an acting gig in another country, that’s awful. Still, it’s not like Joe is on the run with the children, so “abduction” does seem somewhat inflammatory.
Interestingly, the rep went on to say Joe and Sophie actually had a “cordial” interaction over the weekend after passing off the kids:
“Joe and Sophie had a cordial meeting this past Sunday in New York, when Sophie came to New York to be with the kids. They have been with her since that meeting. Joe’s impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup.”
Not wanting to be painted as the bad guy, the DNCE frontman’s team hit back at any “disparaging” comments made about Sophie, stressing Joe’s intention to make this as amicable a split as possible, concluding:
“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.”
His team is certainly trying to make him look like the good guy in all of this. Just when we thought this split was dying down, we get a whole new bomb to recover from! Who do you think is in the wrong here?! Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
