Joey Lawrence’s Wife Samantha Cope Files for Divorce & Requests Sole Custody of Their Daughter

Joey Lawrence‘s wife, Samantha Cope, has filed for divorce after two years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their separation.

According to court documents obtained by Page Six on Wednesday, August 21, Cope has waived any rights for spousal support but has requested sole physical custody of their one-year-old daughter, Dylan Rose. The docs request that Lawrence only be allowed to visit his daughter at Cope’s discretion.

The filing adds that the couple’s daughter will not be with Lawrence for extended periods of time until she is old enough to consent.

“Once Dylan is 3 or older, Joe will have the option to take her for 2 nights in her home location if he is not working and can facilitate her visiting,” the docs state, per Page Six. “He will not take her for long, extended periods of time until she is old enough to specifically ask for the visitation time and all parties agree and able to facilitate.”

The filing continues, “He must be available for the full time she is visiting while she is a minor. She is not to be in the presence of any non-family members while with Joe unless agreed upon by Samantha.”

Cope also reveals that she and Lawrence separated two months prior to her filing the divorce papers.

Lawrence, who is best known for his roles in Blossom and Melissa & Joey, met Cope while they were working on the Lifetime movie My Husband’s Secret Brother, which was released on September 17, 2021. The actors began dating and got engaged in August 2021.

“Guess the cats outta the bag,” Lawrence wrote on his Instagram page at the time. “We are beyond excited to see what the future holds for us and to know we will grow old and super wrinkly together is the ultimate blessing.”

Lawrence was previously married to Chandie Yawn-Nelson, with whom he shares two daughters, Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14. The former couple split in July 2020 and finalized their divorce in February 2022, just a month before Lawrence and Cope tied the knot.

Eight months before Lawrence and Cope separated, the Dancing with the Stars third-place finisher spoke to People about his and Cope’s “unexpected” relationship.

“I’d never dated somebody that I’d worked with before,” Lawrence told the outlet. “That was just very, very much out of the ordinary for me. I’ve never actually gotten into a serious relationship with somebody that I actually worked with, never.”

“It was very unexpected,” he continued. “These wild twists and turns that you get to be our age. You just kind of go, ‘All right, well, I guess that’s what it is.’ You learn to accept the unorthodox way some things just sort of roll out and you’re thankful for — you’re thankful for it, even though it’s not what you expected.”