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While married to his wife, ’90s icon Joey Lawrence allegedly had an affair with a costar from his upcoming Christmas movie. It’s a bombshell accusation of epic proportions — and it’s coming from not just one, but two people involved.
Earlier this week, fans were left stunned when Lawrence’s wife, Samantha Cope, not only filed for divorce from the actor, but also requested full custody of their child in the process.
Things quickly got even messier once TMZ discovered that Melina Alves, a writer on Lawrence’s upcoming holiday movie (who also stars in the film) is also getting divorced. In those documents? Her estranged husband, Edward Riden, accuses Alves of having an affair with Lawrence. The alleged infidelity began in late March in California and continued “at various other times and places,” Riden said, per court documents obtained by TMZ.
A source confirmed the alleged affair to People, noting it was a factor in Cope’s decision to divorce the Blossom alum.
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“Joey met Melina Alves on the set of their movie, where she was a producer,” the insider told the outlet in an article published on Friday, August 23. “He then love-bombed her just like he love-bombed Samantha. He continued to date Melina even after Samantha found out about it and confronted him.” (According to the timelines listed in both Riden and Cope’s respective divorce filings, this would make sense — Cope listed her separation date from Lawrence in June, three months after the actor’s alleged affair with Alves began; Riden filed for divorce from Alves in July.)
The insider further alleged that when Cope “wanted to go to counseling,” Lawrence “fooled their counselor.” The Melissa & Joey alum would allegedly “get ready for dates with Melina while Sam watched, bawling her eyes out,” the source added.
Prior to hs marriage to Cope, Lawrence was previously married to Michelle Vella from 2002 to 2005 and to Chandie Yawn-Nelson from 2005 to 2022, with whom he shares his two eldest daughters. He and Cope wed in 2022.
No party involved has spoken out on the matter at the time of publication.