Samantha Cope and Joey Lawrence’s short-lived romance has ended in marital woes for the Blossom actor. 

Cope and Lawrence officially ended their marriage on August 21, 2024, when the actress filed for divorce. The legal documents state irreconcilable differences as the reason for their ultimate split. 

The divorce papers reveal the couple’s separation date as June 7, 2024. Notably, Cope also requested to prevent the court from awarding any spousal support to either party. 

In a surprising turn of events, Samantha is also seeking sole physical custody of their infant daughter, Dylan. According to her demands, Joey will only be allowed visitation rights at her discretion.

Her demands in the filing read,

“Samantha will have 100% physical custody of Dylan with visitation to Joe at Samantha’s discretion. 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”. 

Samantha Cope’s Fiery Custody Battle Demands Against Joey Lawrence 

As if that weren’t enough, the Frankie Meets Jack star has made even more stringent demands in her custody filing. The documents specify that Joey Lawrence is prohibited from bringing their daughter into the presence of any non-family members without Cope’s prior approval.

Additionally, the filing read,

“He will not take [Dylan] for long, extended periods of time until she is old enough to specifically ask for the visitation time and all parties agree… He must be available for the full time she is visiting while she is a minor”. 

Samantha Cope had previously hinted at trouble in paradise with a cryptic Instagram post before the couple’s separation was public knowledge. On June 12, 2024, just days after their official split, the actress shared a suspicious message that read,

“Not everything you lose is a loss. Some things are a freedom. Some things are a second chance… Some things are a detachment long-needed…  Some things are a devastation…”

Samantha Cope and Joey Lawrence first met in 2021 on the set of their film, My Husband’s Secret Brother. After dating briefly, the couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Temecula, California, in May 2022. They welcomed their baby girl in January 2023. However, after just two years of marriage, the couple has now filed for divorce and gone their separate ways.

Fans Infuriated With Samantha’s Unreasonable Custody Demands 

Samantha’s custody battle has taken a dramatic turn, with fans expressing outrage over her seemingly unreasonable demands. Some such comments on a Facebook post read,

“Holy cow talk about controlling! This is ridiculous!”

“Her request are ridiculous and she wants to call the shots”.

Some netizens criticized the former couple for their brief marriage. Such sarcastic comments read,

“Wasn’t he married already for like a minute”

These Hollywood couples don’t even make it to the 7 year itch!”

As Samantha and Joey’s divorce proceedings unfold, the custody battle is sure to remain a topic of heated discussion among fans. Only time will tell how the court will rule on the actress’ severe custody demands.