Sophie Turner Suing Joe Jonas To Return Their Daughters To England Amid Escalating Divorce

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas’ divorce has taken a dramatic turn. The “Game of Thrones” star, 27, is suing her estranged husband, 34, to return their children to England amid the couple’s escalating split, Access Hollywood confirms.

According to legal documents obtained by Access on Thursday, Sophie has filed a petition alleging the “wrongful retention” of her and Joe’s two daughters in New York City from their “habitual residence” of her home country of England.

Access has reached out to Sophie and Joe’s respective reps for comment.

Celebrity Breakups Of 2023: Britney Spears, Sofia Vergara & More

View Gallery

The papers claim that the alleged wrongful retention began on or about Sept. 20, one day before the actress filed her petition. The docs note that both girls, 3-year-old Willa and a 1-year-old whose full name has not been made public, are both dual citizens of the U.K. and the U.S.

According to the petition, Sophie and Joe had been living in multiple locations during their relationship and allegedly agreed to settle permanently in England with their girls. They began searching for their “forever home” overseas in late 2022 and were “very excited” for the move, the papers claim.

Joe filed for divorce in Florida on Sept. 5 after four years of marriage, a move which Sophie claimed in her petition came as a surprise. According to the docs, the pair had an argument in mid-August and Sophie found out about the divorce through the media.

The actress had been working in England on her upcoming TV series “Joan” in recent weeks while Joe remained in the States with the girls during his tour with brothers Nick Jonas and Kevin Jonas. Sophie’s petition claims she had “hesitation” about the arrangement.

In her lawsuit, Sophie’s legal team accuses Joe of refusing to return their daughters’ passports. The petition claims that the pair met after their split to discuss custody arrangements, when Joe allegedly revealed he had changed his mind about having the kids live in England full-time.

In a statement to NBC News on Thursday, Joe denied the claims made in Sophie’s petition, alleging that she was indeed aware he intended to file for divorce, and claiming that the Florida court order prevents either of them from relocating the children at this time.

According to Joe’s rep, the singer felt that he and Sophie had reached an understanding about their co-parenting approach during their post-split meeting. The statement claims that less than 24 hours later Sophie expressed her desire for the children to be taken to England permanently, which Joe’s team claims is a violation of the Florida court order, adding that the kids have spent the majority of their lives in the states and Joe “is okay” with them being raised in both the U.S. and the U.K.

Sophie and Joe have only issued one joint statement on their breakup, saying in respective Instagram posts on Sept. 6 that they had “mutually decided to amicably end” their marriage. They also referenced the “speculative narratives” surrounding the news and insisted the choice was a “united” one.

In his divorce filing, Joe called the marriage “irretrievably broken” and indicated plans for joint custody of the girls.

After a two-year engagement, he and Sophie tied the knot in 2019 in double ceremonies – one in Las Vegas after that year’s Billboard Music Awards and then in a more formal ceremony in France.

Earlier this week, Sophie was spotted out in New York City with Taylor Swift, a former girlfriend of Joe’s, as the pals enjoyed dinner together.