Heavy/Hallmark
Joey Lawrence denies affair.
Hallmark actor Joey Lawrence has spoken out following accusations that he had an affair with a co-star.
“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,” read his statement posted on Instagram.
“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,” he continued.
Alves’ ex-husband, Edward Rider, claimed that Alves and Lawrence were having an affair, according to TMZ. Rider made the claims in his own divorce filing in New Jersey, per the report. Alves also released a statement on Instagram in which she denied having an affair with Lawrence.
Cope filed for divorce from Lawrence in August 2024 citing irreconcilable differences, according to Page Six. The former couple have a 1-year-old daughter together.
Samantha Cope Responded to Joey Lawrence’s Statement
Lawrence met Alves whilst in the middle of a “deeply troubled” marriage, per his statement. He added that his union with Cope had “difficulties from the beginning” that became “insurmountable.”
Lawrence gave one reason why his his marriage to Cope didn’t work out. He claims it’s because she wasn’t accepting of his daughters from his previous marriage.
“The unraveling of my marriage was tied to my realization that there is no way my two eldest daughters were ever going to be accepted by my wife to be part of my family,” Lawrence wrote on Instagram. He has two teenage daughters with his ex-wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson.
Cope called Lawrence’s “false accusations” “deeply troubling,” in a statement given to People magazine. Additionally, she said that she, Lawrence, and God know “the truth.”
“I am choosing to put my focus on healing, caring for my daughter, and processing the loss of my marriage and my family,” she said.
Joey Lawrence Spoke About His Divorce on His Podcast
On the August 30 episode of the “Brotherly Love” podcast, Lawrence spoke publicly for the first time about his divorce from Samantha Cope and the rumors surrounding his marriage.
“I try to protect my children at all costs and what’s happened lately is not OK. This has been a multifaceted journey these four [and] five years. Actually, there was a lot of pain in that journey despite public perception and what it looks like,” he said.
“It makes me very sad for my children — and just for my children, not for me. I’ve seen a lot of horrible things that have been said. … There always has to be a balance with these things and right now, there’s a large imbalance,” he added.
Prior to Lawrence’s comments on the end of his marriage, a source told People magazine that the actor was “very disappointed and upset at how all of this has turned out.”
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Effie Orfanides has more than two decades of experience in entertainment journalism. She has been a contributor with Heavy since 2017 covering entertainment news. Effie is based in Tampa, Florida. More about Effie Orfanides
