More than a week after Samantha Cope filed for divorce, Joey Lawrence is breaking his silence on their split.
Lawrence shut down rumors that he cheated on Cope with “Socked in for Christmas” co-star Melina Alves, writing on Instagram, “With a deep sense of responsibility, I want to respond to the recent allegations surrounding my personal life, including my divorce and the claims of an affair with Melina Alves. Melina and I became close friends and I did not have a physical relationship with her while filming the movie ‘Socked in for Christmas’. These rumors are false. Our bond was based on shared experiences and an understanding of the challenges we were both facing in our personal lives.”
Joey revealed that he met Melina while he was “in the midst of a deeply troubled marriage.”
“I was clinging to hope that I could save a relationship that, in my heart, I knew was beyond saving. My short-lived marriage was fraught with difficulties from the beginning. Our differences became insurmountable,” Lawrence added.
According to Joey, things started to fall apart due to his daughters’ relationship with Samantha.
He wrote, “As a father, my three daughters are my world. They are, and always will be, my top priority. The unraveling of my marriage was tied to my realization that there is no way my two eldest daughters were ever going to accept my wife to be part of the family. 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.”
On the same day, Melina took to Instagram to address the cheating allegations. She wrote on Instagram, “First and foremost, I want to clarify that there was no sexual relationship between Joey and myself while we were on set filming ‘Socked in for Christmas.’ Our relationship was a meaningful friendship that developed naturally due to the many similarities in our personal situations.”
Melina’s ex-husband Edward Rider recently accused her of cheating with Joey. She denied the allegations, saying, “My ex-husband and I have been estranged since January 2023, and we have been living in separate rooms since that time.”
She went on, “Our marriage had been struggling for some time, and the separation was a necessary step for both of us.”
Just days ago, Samantha spoke out after filing for divorce.
The actress posted on Instagram not to avoid crying over sad situations. She wrote, “An amazing friend of mine recently told me ‘don’t be afraid of the tears. Let them flow. Because every tear is God gently squeezing the pain and devastation from your heart to make room for new beautiful feelings to come in.'”
More humorously, she added, “She also reminded me: ‘the more you cry, the less you pee.’ So let them flow. You got this. 🩵🙏🏻.”
Cope, 37, married Lawrence, 48, two years ago.
In the court docs, Cope revealed that they separated on June 7.
Now, TMZ has just posted a video of Lawrence and Alves dancing at Añejo Cantina and Grill in Sherman Oaks on June 14.
Sources told the outlet that they even kissed at one point during their night out together.