Joey Lawrence Reportedly More Positive Despite Samantha Cope Divorce

Despite the controversy surrounding their divorce, Joey Lawrence seems to have a light at the end of the divorce tunnel.

Inside sources close to the actor disclosed that his relationship with his loved one has gotten surprisingly better since he separated from Samantha Cope.

Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope's marriage broke down due to alleged infidelity on the actor's end involving his co-star from an upcoming movie.

The source explained that Joey's coparenting relationship with his ex-wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson and their two daughters, Charleston and Liberty, has dramatically improved since his marriage to Samantha broke down.

"Once they split, things got exponentially better between him and his ex-wife and their girls," added the source. They stated that the actor is "strong in his faith" and trying to take his marital issues in giant strides, but he still remains "disappointed and upset at how all of this has turned out."

Another insider also clarified his relationship with Melina Alves, his co-star in the upcoming movie Socked in For Christmas, with whom he allegedly had an affair. The source explained that Melina and Joey only "had a working relationship and were partners on a couple things."

The inside noted to PEOPLE that Joey was aware that Melina was in the middle of a divorce and "was very empathetic to her situation as well." However, the source declared that the actress is sadly about to be used as collateral damage in a very sensitive situation.

The 37-year-old filed for divorce from the actor after two years of marriage on August 13, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.

She listed June 7, 2024, as the official date of their separation and requested to restrict the court's ability to award either of them spousal support.

The mom-of-one also filed for full physical custody of their 19-month-old daughter, Dylan, and requested that Joey be granted limited access to the child.

According to Samantha, 'Once Dylan is 3 or older, Joey will have the option to take her for 2 nights in her home location if he is not working and can facilitate her visiting."

The Blast shared that the colleagues reportedly met on set, and Joey began to love-bomb her in the exact manner he love-bombed Samantha.

The source claimed the actress soon fell in love with Joey. When Samantha confronted her estranged husband over the affair, Joey was adamant and continued seeing Melina.

Samantha reportedly intensified her effort to salvage their marriage by signing up for couples counseling. However, her efforts bore no fruit as Joey allegedly "fooled their counselor" and would get ready for dates with Melina right in a tearful Samantha's presence.

Melina's estranged husband, Edward Rider, also corroborated the story and detailed in his divorce filing that he discovered the illicit affair around March.

He alleged that the affair went down in California, which was the shoot location for their upcoming movie, and they also hung out in other places at various times.

Edward filed for divorce in July, a few weeks before Samantha tendered her dissolution request to the court.

Shortly before the news of their divorce broke out, Joey was spotted in Jamaica on vacation with his family without his ring or Samantha around him.

The 48-year-old allegedly appeared in high spirits throughout the trip, prompting fans to wonder if things were alright in his marriage.

Joey and his brothers, Matthew and Andrew, were joined by their mother, Donna, Andrew's girlfriend, Brittany McGowan, and Joey and Chandie's kids, Charleston and Liberty.

The vacation party had a great time in Jamaica and reportedly promised to return to the Caribbean Islands soon.

The 37-year-old took some time off social media following the news of her divorce reaching the public. 

The Blast reported her reappearance on Instagram days ago, where she uploaded a short video of her going through a series of emotions and pictures of her with her adorable daughter on a farm. Samantha accompanied her post with an uplifting caption:

"An amazing friend of mine recently told me, "Don't be afraid of the tears. Let them flow. Because every tear is God gently squeezing the pain and devastation from your heart to make room for new beautiful feelings to come."

The actress' post was well received by fans and well-wishers in the comment section, who lifted her up with sweet words.

Since the filing, Joey has yet to address the divorce or contest Samantha's custody request.