The Communication Lesson Joe Jonas Needs to Learn

Nice try, Joe.
I’m not a sucker for this smear campaign.

Let me start by saying I’ve held off writing this piece for several days.

I don’t care about Joe Jonas.

You probably don’t either.

But when I saw the announcement that he had filed for divorce from Queen of the North Sophie Turner, I had many thoughts, including:

‘This illustrates why communication is such an important skill!’

Joe Jonas, if you are not familiar, is one of the Jonas Brothers music trio that catapulted to fame in the early 2000s, thanks to the Disney Channel and the “purity rings” he and his bros wore.

They made albums, TV movies, and a lot of money – and had a devoted fan base of (mostly) young girls.

I knew little about them back then, except that Joe, the middle brother (and arguably most popular) dated an 18-year-old Taylor Swift – and then dumped her in a 27-second voicemail.

The JoBros later broke up, and Joe went on to date a combination of pretty young women (mostly actors and models).

Then in 2016, Joe started dating actor Sophie Turner.

At the time, Joe was 27 and Sophie was just 19.

Sophie, who is British, was of course beautiful, but she also seemed effortlessly cool – and Joe benefitted from her image.

Though Joe was surely wealthier, Sophie was arguably more famous at the time, as one of the stars who managed to survive the entirety of Game of Thrones.

And Jonas Bros fans embraced her.

The couple were engaged a year later, and got married in 2019, around the same time Game of Thrones ended.

Joe and his Bros reunited, released an album, and had a big hit (Sucker, whose video features Sophie and the other JoBros wives).

A year later, Sophie gave birth to their first child, followed by their second two years later.

Since becoming parents, Joe and his bros have released more music and toured, and Sophie’s done smaller parts (catching my eye in Do Revenge and The Staircase).

But in terms of career, Joe’s has had more of the spotlight since they got married.

Which brings us to today: with 34-year-old Joe filing for divorce from his 27-year-old wife.

He announced the news by releasing an exclusive statement to Today, noting their marriage was “irretrievably broken” and that a prenup was in place.

But then “sources” from Team Joe seemed to be spilling the tea to every outlet in town, with revelations suggesting that Sophie “likes to party” too much and may be a neglectful mom.

They noted that Joe was “in Dad mode” watching the kids in the US – but failed to mention that Sophie was in England, working.

Sophie has been filming a new thriller in England

It’s a strategy that shows Joe is trying to have his cake (by the ocean) and eat it, too.

Many of been calling out the attempts to smear Turner with the “bad mom” narrative - from CNN to the Daily Mail (yes, even the Daily Mail!)

But this approach is backfiring – and it’s because he (and his PR team) have failed to follow the all-important communication commandment:

“Know thy audience.”

The tweens and teens who screamed for Joe 15 years ago are now in their 20s (or 30s).

And a lot of them are probably mothers.

These fans watched Sophie – a young woman – marry an older man, have kids, and put her career on the back burner while she supported her husband.

And do you know who understands the pressures and challenges of being a mom to two young kids? Who might empathize with a young mom wanting a night out with friends?

Moms!

Many were quick to jump to Sophie’s defense, not buying the story Team Jonas was selling.

They were armed with receipts from past interviews Sophie and Joe have given where they’ve shared that she likes to stay home and he likes to go out.

Even I knew that Sophie had spoken about her anxiety and mental health struggles, and that she finds it difficult living so far away from her family and friends in the UK.

Her honesty and vulnerability has earned her a lot of fans – fans who won’t be so quick to desert her.

And while #TeamJoe has been playing an aggressive offense, Sophie hasn’t been playing defense.

In fact, it feels like she’s not even in the game.

And her silence makes the attacks from #TeamJoe feel even more aggressive.

What has Sophie done that is so bad anyway?

The tabloids haven’t shown Sophie on a yacht with Leo DiCaprio (and at age 27, it appears that ship has already sailed for her) or making out with Matty Healy.

*The internet has had fun speculating reasons for the break-up*

The most shocking thing one UK publication could provide is that Sophie felt “trapped in her marriage” and that she’s been seen “drinking £6.50 cocktails” in Birmingham, England.

Now that is shocking — there is a place selling cocktails for £6.50?!

A generic “conscious uncoupling” announcement would have been (Mr.) Perfectly Fine.

Instead Joe and co. could now find themselves working overtime in damage control.

They need to communicate well, because this is about protecting valuable reputations – and income streams.

And the mess that Joe’s in now could have been avoided if he and his team had read the room and known their audience.

The North Remembers, Joe Jonas.

And even if they forget, there’s always the internet.

Better bundle up, Joe.

Winter is coming.

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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and the opportunity to reference the two JoBros songs she knows.

She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.

Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm, and an endless supply of pop culture references.

To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com