Joey Lawrence broke his silence on his divorce from Samantha Cope and alleged affair — before dropping some bombshells of his own.
The actor told his Instagram followers on Thursday that he felt a “deep sense of responsibility” to deny recent accusations he cheated on his estranged wife with his “Socked in for Christmas” co-star Melina Alves.
Echoing Alves’ own social media statement on Wednesday, Lawrence, 48, claimed to simply be “close friends” with the actress.
“At the time I met Melina, I was in the midst of a deeply troubled marriage,” the “Melissa & Joey” alum wrote, adding that the relationship was “beyond saving” and “fraught with difficulties from the beginning.”
He elaborated on his and Cope’s “insurmountable” issues — which he says centered around his and ex-wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson’s teenage daughters.
“They are, and always will be, my top priority,” Lawrence wrote of Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14. “The unraveling of my marriage was tied to my realization that there was no way my two eldest daughters were ever going to be accepted by my wife to be part of my family.”
He continued, “I cannot and will not compromise on the love and care that my daughters deserve, and this realization played a significant role in the breakdown of my relationship.”
The game show host concluded by calling the “well-being of [his] children of the utmost importance.”
Page Six has reached out to Cope for comment.
She and Lawrence welcomed their now-1-year-old daughter, Dylan, in January 2023, less than one year after their Temecula, Calif., wedding.
In Cope’s divorce filing last week, the actress requested sole physical custody of the little one.
She has yet to speak out on her split besides a vulnerable Instagram video about letting her tears flow in order to replace her “pain and devastation” with “new beautiful feelings.”
News broke one day after her divorce filing that Alves’ estranged husband, Edward Rider, believes his partner cheated with Lawrence.
Alves issued a denial via Instagram Wednesday, claiming she and Rider had been living in separate rooms since January 2023.
“Our relationship was a meaningful friendship that developed naturally due to the many similarities in our personal situations,” she told her followers, slamming Rider for “unjustly dragging” Lawrence into their drama.