Joey Lawrence And Samantha Cope's Split Reportedly Sparked By Infidelity

Joey Lawrence's rumored fling may have significantly contributed to his marriage to Samantha Cope's failure.

An insider from the estranged couple's corner has reportedly blamed their divorce on the unfaithfulness that lingered in their union.

Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope filed for divorce less than a week ago, and rumors have now circulated that Joey had a fling with a co-star in his upcoming film shortly before the filing was made public.

The exclusive source claimed that Joey used the same technique for Samantha during their relationship to get Melina to fall head over heels for him. The insider said:

"Joey met Melina Alves on the set of their movie, where she was a producer. He then love-bombed her just like he love-bombed Samantha."

The source continued that Samantha soon learned of the affair, and when she confronted Joey, her effort was fruitless because he continued to date his co-star.

The estranged couple even reportedly tried to go for counseling, but the source told PEOPLE that Joey "fooled their counselor" and would "get ready for dates with Melina" while Samantha watched with sadness.

Like Joey, his alleged mistress also has marital troubles of her own, and her estranged partner bore witness to the affair with Joey.

The Blast reported that Melina's soon-to-be ex-husband, Edward Rider, detailed in his divorce filing that he discovered his estranged wife and Joey were sneaking around in late March.

Rider filed his divorce paperwork in July, a few weeks before Samantha submitted her dissolution request to the court. Rider continued that the affair happened in California, which also served as the location for the set of their upcoming movie, "Socked In For Christmas."

But the sneaking around did not stop on set; he stated that the couple went on to engage in "infidelity at various other times and places," which corroborated the claim from the insider that Samantha was present when Joey dressed up for dates with his new love interest.

Before the divorce filing made headlines, the 48-year-old was spotted without his wedding ring or Samantha's presence on his family vacation to Jamaica in August.

The two factors piqued the public's interest, and rumors of separation or a possible divorce filled the air. However, Joey's wife's absence did not deter Joey and his siblings from enjoying the trip, which they described as a "vacation of a lifetime."

Joey, Matthew, and Andrew were joined by their mother, Donna, Joey's daughters, Charleston and Liberty, and Andrew's girlfriend, Brittany McGowan.

The brothers were reportedly in high spirits throughout the trip and looked forward to returning to the Caribbeans for an even better time.

The estranged couple seemingly did their best to drop cues on their marital situation to the public way before their divorce news made headlines.

In June, the mother-of-one uploaded a post about moving on from a loss on her Instagram. In what fans are now describing as a reference to her failed marriage, she wrote:

"Not everything you lose is a loss… Some things are a healing. Some things are a becoming. Some things are planned long before you ever came to be. Some things are a devastation, but others are a kind of vital guidance… The kind you did not eve realize you were asking for all along."

Samantha and Joey met on the set of a movie in 2020 and married two years later in an intimate ceremony in California.

The actress made some significant demands in her divorce filing, which centered on their daughter, Dylan. Samantha, who confirmed that they separated in June, demanded that she be given sole physical custody of Dylan and a controlled visitation from Joey until she turns 3.

The mom-of-one continued that she can spend two weeks at her dad's home after she turns 3, but it must happen without visitation from non-family members unless she (Samantha) permits it.

She reiterated that visitation will remain at two nights a week until Dylan is old enough to agree to or demand an extended stay. Samantha also asked to block the court's power to award either of them spousal support, which means they will not receive extra money from each other after their divorce is finalized.