Sophie Turner & Joe Jonas’ Custody Dispute Just Got More Complicated

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner have called for a temporary truce amid their messy split. The duo announced their divorce with matching posts on Instagram on Sept. 6, writing: “After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children.” Despite those words, it didn’t take long for that united front to crumble down. On Sept. 21, Turner sued Jonas for “wrongful retention” of their two children — but on Sept. 25, they reportedly agreed on a new arrangement.

According to the newest legal agreement, obtained by the Daily Mail, Turner and Jonas must keep their two children in New York. Per the terms of their arrangement, the kids must stay within New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island. The court agreement was designed to “protect the well-being of the (children) involved” and to “prevent the (children's) further removal or concealment before the final disposition of the petition.” This new arrangement will be the children’s status quo “pending further order of this Court.”

This filing marks a reprieve from Turner and Jonas’ custody drama, only four days after it began. On Sept. 21, Turner requested “the immediate return of children wrongfully removed or wrongfully retained,” which allegedly began on Sept. 20. The court documents, obtained by Page Six, allege that Jonas has not allowed their children to go back to England with Turner. “The Father has possession of the children’s passports... He refuses to return the passports to the Mother and refuses to send the children home to England with the Mother,” the paperwork states. (Per the docs, Jonas’ refusal is considered a “breach” of her custody rights in the UK, where she also intends to file.)

Apparently, before their breakup, Turner and Jonas decided that England would be their “forever home” and where they’d raise their children. “The parties were both excited for the family’s move to England,” the docs claim. But with Turner’s filming schedule, she agreed “with hesitation” to have their daughters tour in America with Jonas. The documents refer to this decision a “temporary arrangement,” clarifying the reasoning: “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.” At that point, the kids would move to England to reunite with Turner.

But now that Jonas and Turner have split, it sounds like he is no longer OK with their plan to move to Britain. Per the filing, on Sept. 19, Jonas’ attorney confirmed he did not intend to return their daughters’ passports or allow them to move to the UK.

However, Jonas (through his rep) is contradicting this version of events, calling the filing a “harsh legal position” that isn’t in line with the “amicable co-parenting setup” they were attempting. (Per his rep, their last conversation about custody happened Sept. 17, only four days before she sued him.) “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,” Jonas’ rep said.

“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 US and the UK,” his rep continued, before clarifying, “The children were not abducted... When language like ‘abduction’ is used, it is misleading at best, and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst.”

“This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending,” Jonas’ rep added.

Turner’s original paperwork also revealed some details about their breakup. Per the filing, on Aug. 15, Jonas and Turner had an argument that “very suddenly” led to their split. Jonas filed for divorce on Sept. 1, and according to the recently-filed docs, Turner only found out about it four days later “from the media.” Per Jonas’ rep, however, Turner was “aware” of the divorce after “multiple conversations” leading up to the filing.

Jonas’ rep also clarified the rumors surrounding their divorce — specifically, those that pegged Turner as a partier who was never home with the kids. “Joe has already disavowed any and all statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparaging of Sophie,” his rep said. At a concert on Sept. 9, Jonas referenced the divorce speculation, “I just want to say, look, if you don’t hear it from these lips, don’t believe it. OK?”

This wasn’t the only time Jonas hinted at the breakup mid-concert. During his Philadelphia show on Sept. 21, Jonas introduced their song “Little Bird” with a note on parenthood. “This next one is all about being a parent,” Jonas said, per Page Six, before saying “good luck” to the future parents in the audience. In the song, they sing, “You came in the world, my baby girl, beautiful angel.” Considering the recent drama, Jonas’ introduction seemed pointed, but perhaps the latest court filing means the end of shady song introductions.