One day after his wife of two years filed for divorce, actor Joey Lawrence was accused of having an affair with another man’s wife.
The cheating allegations came to light in divorce documents filed by the husband of the woman Lawrence is said to have had an affair with. TMZ, who first reported that Lawrence’s wife, Samantha Cope, had filed for divorce and requested full custody of their child, also broke the news that the actor might be in the middle of a messy love triangle.
According to the outlet, Edward Rider accused the Blossom actor of sleeping with his wife, actress Melina Alves, in July documents filed in New Jersey regarding his and Alves’ split.
Rider alleges that he discovered their affair in March and says they carried it out in California “at various other times and places.”
Coincidentally, Lawrence is set to star in a holiday film called Socked in for Christmas, which Alves wrote and stars in, so it seems plausible that this is where they met.
Ironically, Lawrence met and fell in love with his soon-to-be ex-wife on the set of a 2021 Lifetime movie called My Husband’s Secret Brother. In the film, Lawrence kills Cope’s character.
TMZ dug deeper and found that Alves posted a snap with Lawrence and other cast members on her Instagram. The post has since been deleted.
Joey Lawrence and his third wife, Samantha Cope.
Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
People reports that Cope and Lawrence wed in May 2022 and welcomed their daughter, Dylan, in Jan. 2023.
Aside from acting, Lawrence hosts a podcast called Brotherly Love with his brothers and fellow actors Matthew and Andrew Lawrence.
Joey Lawrence did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.
