Joey Lawrence and his wife Samantha Cope have decided to part ways after two years of marriage. Samantha Cope filed for divorce on August 21, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split. In court documents obtained by E! News, she listed June 7 as the date of their separation and requested that neither party receive spousal support.
Cope is seeking sole physical custody of their 19-month-old daughter, Dylan, with a proposal for shared legal custody. According to the filing, Samantha will retain full physical custody, with visitation for Joey only at her discretion. Once Dylan turns three, Joey may have the option for two-night visits if he is available and can arrange for them, though he will not be allowed to take her for extended periods until she is older and can request visitation.
Samantha’s proposed plan also stipulates that Joey must be present for the entire duration of any visitation and that Dylan should not be around non-family members while with Joey unless agreed upon by Samantha.
This marks Joey Lawrence’s third divorce. His previous marriages were to Michelle Vella and Chadie Yawn-Nelson, with whom he shares two daughters, Charleston and Liberty. Joey and Samantha first met while working together on the 2021 Lifetime thriller My Husband’s Secret Brother, where Joey played her lover-turned-murderer.
Reflecting on their relationship in a December interview with People, Joey noted, “Life is a beautiful, sometimes crazy-unexpected journey, and the ups and downs are real. I’m very thankful that people that I love are around me and that there’s health around us.”
