Joey Lawrence accused of having AFFAIR with actress by her estranged husband – amid shock split from wife
Joey Lawrence has been accused of having an affair with actress Melina Alves after a shocking split from his wife Samantha Cope.
Lawrence, 48, whose wife of two years Cope filed for divorce on Wednesday and listed their separation date as June 7, 2024, is accused of adultery in new divorce documents filed by Alves’ estranged husband Edward Rider in New Jersey.
Per TMZ Rider claims in the documents, filed in late July, that he learned in late March that Joey and Melina had allegedly slept together.
Joey and Melina are accused of having the alleged affair in California – after they starred together in the upcoming film Socked In For Christmas. Melina is also a writer on the film.
Joey Lawrence is accused of having an affair with actress Melina Alves amid his shock split from wife Samantha Cope
Joey and Melina (pictured) are accused of having the alleged affair in California – after they starred together in the upcoming film Socked In For Christmas. Melina is also a writer on the film
Rider claims affair ‘continued’at various other times and places.’
Melina previously posed with Joey on her Instagram page, but the photo has since been deleted.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Joey Lawrence and Melina Alves for comment.
According to her IMDB page, Melina is a Brazilian-born producer, actress, and writer who works in Los Angeles, California.
She previously worked as a flight attendant and speaks fluent Portuguese, English and Spanish.
This comes after Samantha posted a cryptic message of loss just days after the couple quietly split.
On June 11, she took on Instagram to share an emotional quote accompanying a series of photos of Dylan, their 19-month-old daughter.
“Not everything you lose is a loss. Some things are freedom. Some things are a second chance. Some things are a miracle in disguise. Some things are a long-awaited detachment, a clarity brought to hazy eyes,” as quoted by author Brianna Wiest.
The quote also mentioned an “intervention” and an “unexpected answer to a long-sung prayer.”
“Some things are a healing. Some things are a becoming,” the quote continued. “Some things are a devastation, but others are a kind of vital guidance, the kind of course correction you didn’t even know you needed. The kind you didn’t even know you were asking for.”
The couple is pictured together in a now-deleted photo from the set
On June 11, Cope shared an emotional quote on Instagram alongside a series of snapshots of the couple’s 19-month-old daughter, Dylan
On June 11, she shared an emotional quote on Instagram with a series of snapshots of the couple’s 19-month-old daughter, Dylan
In the court documents, per TMZCope filed for full custody of Dylan, noting that she would allow her daughter to spend two nights a week with her father when she turns 3 in January 2026.
According to the site, Cope said that neither she nor the Melissa & Joey actor should receive spousal support.
Cope told the court she will not allow Lawrence extended visits with the child, the outlet reported, until Dylan “is of age and can consent to such visits.”
According to the newspaper, Cope asked in her application for permission for any non-family members her daughter might be with while she is with Lawrence.
Lawrence was previously married to Chandie Yawn-Nelson from 2005 until their divorce in 2020. The divorce was finalized in 2021. He was also married to Michelle Vella from 2002 to 2005.
Lawrence is also father to daughters Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14, with Yawn-Nelson.
Lawrence and Cope first met in 2020 while working on the Lifetime film My Husband’s Secret Brother.
Lawrence and Cope announced their engagement in August 2021 We weeklyas he told the publication, “It’s a lot of great things, a lot of really great things. She’s the best person ever.
“So we met there and out of nowhere, you know, it’s been a crazy year and a half for everybody, obviously the whole world,” he said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic. “And when you least expect it [it,] Amazing things are happening and meeting her is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me.
He added: ‘When you least expect it, you literally meet the perfect person for you, and all those intangible things come into play… and then you meet [the] right person.’
Lawrence and Cope were married in May 2022 at the Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California. Those in attendance included the actor’s brothers, Matthew Lawrence, 44, and Andrew Lawrence, 36.
Cope said at the time People that her relationship with Lawrence progressed quickly: ‘From day one I felt safe here and I could be myself… After two weeks I thought: “I’m going to be with you forever.”‘
In the court documents, according to TMZ, Cope asked for full custody of Dylan, noting that she would allow her daughter to spend two nights a week with her father when she turns 3 in January 2026.
Cope added: “When you meet the right person, if you’re lucky, it gets to the heart of the matter so quickly. I have someone who is like-minded and has the same love language, and we communicate in the same way. That’s super important. And I’m so grateful.”
Cope hinted at potential problems in the relationship in a June 11 Instagram post that read, “Not everything you lose is a loss,” accompanying a slideshow that did not include photos of Lawrence.
Lawrence has worked in Hollywood for decades. He started as a child star and has appeared in series such as Gimme a Break! from 1983 to 1987; Blossom from 1990 to 1995; Brotherly Love from 1995 to 1997 and Melissa & Joey from 2010 to 2015.
Cope has appeared in TV series including HBO’s Insecure, NCIS: Los Angeles and Rizzoli & Isles; and films such as 2020’s Revenge for Daddy, 2021’s An Organized Killer and 2022’s Love at the Christmas Contest.