Joey Lawrence broke his silence on his divorce from Samantha Cope and alleged affair — before dropping some bombshells of his own.
The actor told his Instagram followers on Thursday that he felt a “deep sense of responsibility” to deny recent accusations he cheated on his estranged wife with his “Socked in for Christmas” co-star Melina Alves.
Echoing Alves’ own social media statement on Wednesday, Lawrence, 48, claimed to simply be “close friends” with the actress.
Joey Lawrence broke his silence on his and Samantha Cope’s divorce.joeylawrence/Instagram
The actor claimed his estranged wife did not accept his teen daughters.joeylawrence/Instagram
“At the time I met Melina, I was in the midst of a deeply troubled marriage,” the “Melissa & Joey” alum wrote, adding that the relationship was “beyond saving” and “fraught with difficulties from the beginning.”
He elaborated on his and Cope’s “insurmountable” issues — which he says centered around his and ex-wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson‘s teenage daughters.
“They are, and always will be, my top priority,” Lawrence wrote of Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14. “The unraveling of my marriage was tied to my realization that there was no way my two eldest daughters were ever going to be accepted by my wife to be part of my family.”
He co-parents Charleston and Liberty with ex-wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson.WireImage
Lawrence called his children his “top priority.”WireImage
He continued, “I cannot and will not compromise on the love and care that my daughters deserve, and this realization played a significant role in the breakdown of my relationship.”
The game show host concluded by emphasizing the “well-being of [his] children [being] the utmost importance.”
Cope called her ex’s “accusations deeply troubling,” telling People, “I am confident that the truth is known to me, to Joey, and to God.”
Lawrence also shares daughter Dylan, 1, with Cope.samanthaccope/Instagram
The actress has requested sole physical custody in last week’s divorce filing.samanthaccope/Instagram
She and Lawrence welcomed their now-1-year-old daughter, Dylan, in January 2023, less than one year after their Temecula, Calif., wedding.
In Cope’s divorce filing last week, the actress requested sole physical custody of the little one.
She has yet to speak out on her split besides a vulnerable Instagram video about letting her tears flow in order to replace her “pain and devastation” with “new beautiful feelings.”
The following day, Lawrence made headlines for an alleged affair with his co-star.joeylawrence/Instagram
He and Melina Alves have both denied cheating in Instagram statements.iammelinaalves/Instagram
News broke one day after her divorce filing that Alves’ estranged husband, Edward Rider, believes his partner cheated with Lawrence.
Alves issued a denial via Instagram Wednesday, claiming she and Rider had been living in separate rooms since January 2023.
“Our relationship was a meaningful friendship that developed naturally due to the many similarities in our personal situations,” she told her followers, slamming Rider for “unjustly dragging” Lawrence into their drama.
