Hallmark Star Joey Lawrence's Cheating Scandal, Explained

These days, it seems like every Hollywood love story is coming to an end, and Hallmark star Joey Lawrence and his third wife, Samantha Cope, are the latest casualties. The reports of Cope filing for divorce on August 13, 2024, came just two years after Lawrence shared the happy news of their marriage. Unfortunately, his divorce from Cope, a former co-star, is complicated by alleged infidelity on his part, which was apparently the final straw for her. Interestingly, these allegations didn't come directly from Cope. Rather, her divorce filing reportedly pointed to "irreconcilable differences," and beyond a few heartbroken Instagram posts, the actor has not even mentioned her soon-to-be-ex lately. 

However, social media users have already taken sides, not just because of Lawrence's dating and marriage history but also thanks to an entirely separate divorce filing between his co-star Melina Alves and her husband Edward Rider, who alleges that Alves was cheating on him with, yes, Lawrence. According to TMZ, who obtained access to the divorce filing, Rider claims that he found out about the affair in March 2024, while both parties were still married. 

According to People, a source familiar with the situation agrees with Edward Rider, revealing that Joey Lawrence and Melina Alves began their affair after meeting on the set of their upcoming Hallmark flick, "Socked in for Christmas." As the insider detailed, "He then love-bombed her just like he love-bombed Samantha. He continued to date Melina even after Samantha found out about it and confronted him." Lawrence reportedly had no interest in fixing his marriage, and even though he attended couples counseling with Samantha Cope, the actor would reportedly openly "get ready for dates with Melina while Sam watched, bawling her eyes out."

However, another People source clarified that Lawrence is actually the victim in all this and is relieved by the divorce filing, as he can now focus on building a better relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife as the actor did with his prior former partner. The insider also claimed that Lawrence and Alves "had a working relationship and were partners on a couple things" who bonded over their mutual breakups. The "Melissa & Joey" star hasn't addressed the rumors of infidelity as of yet or even publicly spoken about his divorce on social media at the time of writing. But, notably, his alleged secret lover has.

Despite the huge media onslaught, the accused couple seems determined to clear their names. In an Instagram post shared on August 28, Melina Alves denied having an affair with Joey Lawrence "while we were on set filming Socked In For Christmas." It's natural to wonder if this was a phrasing error or if Alves was only denying that they had a relationship during filming. If so, what about afterward, and were they both still married at the time regardless? The Hallmark star went on to say that she met her co-star and was "immediately struck by his kindness, warmth, and genuine character."

There was, crucially, no mention of either his professionalism or even Lawrence's acting prowess. Alves also noted they had built up a "supportive friendship that has been a source of strength for" both parties. The actor also argued that her husband cooked up the lies of an affair to get back at her, disclosing that they have been estranged but still living together since January 2023 and that she even had to get a temporary restraining order against him. 

Edward Rider violated their restraining order, and when she reported him to the police, he sold a false story to the press to get back at Alves. Although it's currently a case of he said, she said, there's no doubt that both of these two ongoing divorces will spill more tea in the days to come. Worse still, Lawrence shares one of his three children with Samantha Cope, and judging by her request for full custody, the former couple has a long legal battle ahead.