The Shady Side Of Joe Jonas
Joe Jonas has had quite a transformative career. From his days as a bright-eyed tween on Disney Channel to becoming one-third of the Jonas Brothers, Jonas went from child star to reputable musician. He also proved he could rock a stage without his brothers Nick and Kevin and embarked on his own successful solo career starting in 2011. Growing up in the spotlight comes with its hurdles, however, and he's had to dodge his fair share of media scrutiny over his personal life.
Ever since he debuted on Disney Channel in the early 2000s, fans have been enamored with much more than Joe's vocals. From his relationship with other Disney stars (most notably his ex-girlfriend Demi Lovato) to when exactly he chose to ditch his infamous purity ring, no stone has gone unturned as to what has been written about the "Sucker" singer.
That type of scrutiny takes a toll, and Joe has been vocal about the pressures that came with fame at an early age. As it goes with most Hollywood stars, sometimes the truth is much gritter than what fans see behind the veiled curtain Hollywood provides. In 2023, the former "Camp Rock" star made headlines when he filed for divorce from "Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner, beginning a nasty he-said-she-said battle that continues to dominate headlines. Joe may consider himself a "Sucker" in the lyrics he sings, but his real-world reality paints a far different picture. We're taking a look at all the reasons why Joe Jonas may be the shadiest Jonas brother.
Joe Jonas wasn't on speaking terms with his brothers
As it goes with many famous boy bands, nothing lasts forever. Just as One Direction and NSYNC all eventually split to pursue solo careers, so did the Jonas Brothers. Nick, Joe, and Kevin were riding high on their wave of Disney success, headlining "Camp Rock" in 2008 and releasing several albums that led to successful tours thereafter. But the group eventually took a hiatus in 2013, postponing their plans to continue touring over what amounted to creative differences.
According to a Reddit AMA hosted by Joe (per Vanity Fair), Nick initiated the decision to break up the band. At the time, Joe had been dealing with problems of his own. "I was seeing a therapist and I wasn't on speaking terms with my brothers," he explained. "Nick brought it to the table that he wanted to focus on different things, like acting and doing music on his own. At first, it was really shocking to me because it was kind of all I had known was the Jonas Brothers, forever. So, I was pretty mad and confused because, I was like, I've been putting so much time and effort into this for so long and now I just have to stop and figure out what's next."
While the brothers went their separate ways and focused on their respective solo careers for years, ultimately, they re-banded in 2019 to release more music together. They rebounded with their hit single "Sucker," which landed at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Joe Jonas got candid about how he lost his virginity to Ashley Greene
For many A-listers, what goes on in the bedroom stays in the bedroom. But for Joe Jonas, intimate details about how he lost his virginity and to whom became public knowledge, much to the surprise of his ex-girlfriend. In a Reddit AMA (per ET), the Jonas Brother didn't hold back when fans asked him when exactly he decided to ditch his infamous purity ring and sterling Disney reputation.
The star admitted he did the deed in 2010 with his then-girlfriend, "Twilight" star Ashley Greene, with whom he dated for around a year before they split in 2011. "I didn't have any condoms," Jonas admitted. "So I went to our drummer Jack's room — who was my roommate at the time — and I demolished his room looking for them. [I] found them underneath his underwear drawer. When he came home, he thought somebody broke into his room because his whole room was demolished." He went on to add, "I was in dire need. Needed to happen then and now. Safety first, kids."
While Greene didn't comment publicly on the candid commentary, she did seemingly respond via Instagram. A day later, the actor posted a photo on her social media that read "Class is timeless," which many fans took to be a dig at Joe.
Joe Jonas admitted he is embarrassed by Camp Rock
The franchise "Camp Rock," which catapulted the Jonas Brothers to tween stardom, isn't exactly something Joe Jonas looks back on with fond memories. The "Cake By The Ocean" artist admitted that the movie, in which he and his brothers play teen idols at a music camp for the musically gifted, is something he would rather forget about today.
Also in his Reddit AMA forum (per Teen Vogue), he revealed: "[On a] 1-10 rating of how embarrassing Camp Rock is to me now, 10 being the most and 1 being the least, I'm going to give it a solid 8," Jonas said. "When I see old merchandise from 'Camp Rock' days or somebody is like, 'Oh my god, 'Camp Rock' is my jam,' I really have a hard time believing them," he added. Jonas explained that the styles of the Y2K era don't exactly fare well for him today, and it's difficult for him to watch the film back over a decade later. "I think my flat iron hair and my squeaky voice are a little embarrassing," he admitted, adding, "Also, I watch it now and realize it was so many years ago, it is really bad quality. It just reminds me of how much older I am now."
Tyler The Creator agrees, as he previously posted Joe's "Camp Rock" dance moves to social media. "I was like, 'Oh, cool! Tyler thinks my dance moves are sick!'" Jonas said, then adding, "And I realized he was just totally calling me out for being a total d*** and the way I danced, but respectfully."
Joe Jonas admitted Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus pressured him to smoke weed
It's no secret that Miley Cyrus was a fan of marijuana, from smoking a joint onstage and even admitting she dabbled in it with her own mother. That being said, it's no secret that Joe Jonas admitted that the fellow Disney star and his ex-girlfriend Demi Lovato were a part of him trying out smoking himself. In an open essay published by Vulture, the "Only Human" artist admitted he dabbled in recreational drugs when he was a teenager.
"The first time I smoked weed was with Demi and Miley. I must have been 17 or 18. They kept saying, 'Try it! Try it!' so I gave it a shot, and it was all right. I don't even smoke weed that often anymore," he admitted. But the Jonas Brother admitted that the pressures of getting caught and ruining his reputation often kept him out of trouble.
"I was caught drinking when I was 16 or 17, and I thought the world was going to collapse," he revealed. "But I was in another country, and it was legal there. My 21st birthday, I fell down a flight of stairs. I was unconscious that time, and my whole team was scared to death that somebody was going to get a picture. Now I appreciate wine or a vodka-soda at the end of the day every once in a while."
Joe Jonas said he was living a lie while dating Demi Lovato
Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato became an item in 2010 after both starring in "Camp Rock" together, but their relationship was full of ups and downs. Shortly after their relationship became public, Teen Vogue revealed that the pair had gone their separate ways. "In this business, it's really hard to find people who are going to be there for the rest of your life," Jonas said at the time. "When I met Demi, I knew right away that our friendship was really strong. I don't want to lose that ever."
The two still maintain a close friendship to this day, with Lovato even congratulating Jonas on his previous engagement to Sophie Turner. That bond remained strong when Lovato was struggling with her own issues with drug abuse. The singer admitted as much in his open letter "My Life As a Jonas Brother" saying, "I felt like I needed to take care of her, but at the same time I was living a lie, because I wasn't happy but felt like I had to stay in it for her, because she needed help. I couldn't express any of that, of course, because I had a brand to protect."
Jonas recalled a controversial incident on a plane with Lovato when the two were touring together in which he witnessed his then-girlfriend punch her dancer. "It was an insane situation to be in ... he said, adding, "That's when her team and her family told her, 'You need to go into rehab.'"
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner broke up once before their wedding
Joe Jonas' most notable relationship is with his ex-wife, Sophie Turner. After he slid into the actor's DMs, the two started seeing each other in 2016. The "What A Man Gotta Do" singer asked Turner to marry him just a year later, and the two tied the knot in Las Vegas in 2019, later commemorating their marriage again in a second ceremony in France. The pair's road to the altar wasn't without its difficulties, however, as Turner admitted that they broke up once before the wedding.
In an interview with The Sunday Times (per Harper's Bazaar), the "Game of Thrones" star admitted that "It was the worst day of our lives," adding, "For a second we both had cold feet, then 24 hours later we were both, like, 'Never mind.'" While their feelings of cold feet didn't last, neither did their marriage, as the two ultimately filed for divorce four years later, in 2023.
Did Joe Jonas pressure Sophie Turner to attend press events after giving birth?
Not long after tying the knot, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner welcomed their first child together, their daughter Willa. Two years later, Turner became pregnant with their second child, their daughter Delphine, who was born in 2022. After her second pregnancy, however, Turner allegedly had a harder time after the delivery. As per TMZ, sources claim the actor felt pressured by her then-husband to attend media events, and Jonas was "less than supportive" about her desires to stay home.
"Sophie didn't want to leave their home ... she didn't want to be photographed or go to events. Nevertheless, she attended several events with Joe, but at one specific event, several people who were there said Sophie made it clear she was uncomfortable and didn't want to be there," one insider revealed. Sources also claim that Turner chose to skip out on one event that Jonas attended, which the Jonas Brother was allegedly less than pleased about.
Part of Turner's reason for turning down events with her then-husband could have been due to her aversion to meeting other celebrities. During a segment of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," the "Dark Phoenix" actor admitted: "Every celebrity I come into contact with, I act up or say something stupid," she explained. "And recently, it's been if a celebrity interacts with me, I immediately just shut them down and I'm like, 'I don't want anything to do with you.'"
Sophie Turner allegedly learned Joe Jonas filed for divorce through the media
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner ultimately called it quits in 2023, but the pair have different opinions on how their decision to split went down. The former spouses released joint statements on Instagram in September, writing: "After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage." But according to court documents obtained by People, Turner claims she was blindsided by the split. However, Jonas' representative denied those claims, alleging that the former spouses had several conversations leading up to the divorce.
The "Game of Thrones" star alleged that their marriage ended "very suddenly" over a disagreement that occurred on Jonas' birthday. She also claimed that she learned of her ex-husband's divorce filing through the tabloids. Sources tell TMZ that the argument may have been related to something the singer caught on their home security footage. Allegedly, Jonas saw Turner "doing something that made him realize the marriage was over." Another insider told Us Weekly that Turner had allegedly been talking about her husband badly behind his back. "It wasn't anything more than that," the source claimed, "but that was the final straw."
Multiple outlets have claimed that the pair's marriage had been on the rocks for months leading up to the divorce. "Sophie says Joe was too controlling," said another source. "She also said Joe liked to flirt a little too much while out in public, but then he wouldn't like it when she would get too close to her male friends."
Joe Jonas was accused of keeping his children from Sophie Turner
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's divorce quickly turned nasty in the press, with multiple allegations coming to the forefront from each side. One of Turner's more shocking claims is that her ex-husband had been keeping their two daughters from her while she filmed the series "Joan" in Spain. The actor sued Jonas and asked for "the immediate return of children wrongfully removed or wrongfully retained," adding that she and Jonas had previously planned on moving to England permanently. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, also alleged that the singer is keeping their children's documents. "He refuses to return the passports to the Mother and refuses to send the children home to England with the Mother," reads the claim.
Jonas' representative released a statement to People responding to the lawsuit shortly after, saying: "Joe and Sophie had a cordial meeting this past Sunday in New York, when Sophie came to New York to be with the kids. They have been with her since that meeting. Joe's impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup."
The pair ultimately agreed to a temporary custody agreement and released a joint statement after weeks of mediation. "After a productive and successful mediation, we have agreed that the children will spend time equally in loving homes in both the U.S. and the U.K. We look forward to being great co-parents," said the former spouses.
Could Joe Jonas' PR team be running a smear campaign against his ex-wife?
As it goes with many celebrity divorces, usually, the tabloids paint a picture of both parties being at war with each other. Whether or not it's the truth is the question, but Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's publicized split is no different. Many outlets have suggested that the singer's PR team is attempting to show Turner in a bad light, which may ultimately be backfiring on him. One insider close to Jonas previously told TMZ: "She likes to party, he likes to stay at home. They have very different lifestyles."
But fans are questioning that notion, especially when it comes to Turner's past comments about her lifestyle in the press. In a 2020 interview with Conan O'Brien, the actor admitted: "... I'm an introvert, I'm a homebody ... I if I could stay at home all I would," admitting that the COVID-19 pandemic had actually worked to her advantage. Fans jumped to the "Game of Thrones" star's defense in the wake of the tabloid accusations. One user responded to a TMZ article posted by Pop Base on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: "I REALLY don't like how they're making her look."
Whatever the case may be, viewers did notice that Jonas debuted some new ink in the wake of his divorce, which could be a telling sign as to how he's been feeling. The singer was seen with a new phrase tattooed on his arm in the wake of the split, which reads: "I have woven a parachute out of everything broken."