They were once seen as one of Hollywood’s most aspirational pairings, but Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner-Smith’s seemingly amicable divorce has taken a nasty turn.
Trouble flared up last month for the former couple – who met in 2018, and married a year later, before filing for divorce in 2023 – after Jodie, 38, claimed she hadn’t received a penny in spousal or child support for her and Joshua’s four-year-old daughter.
Now, the actress has filed legal documents aiming to finalise the split and force her ex to pay her $8,543 per month in child support, $28,641 per month in spousal support, and $250K in legal fees. But insiders tell us that Josh, 46, is infuriated by the accusation that he’s ‘reneged’ on his promises – and things only seem set to get uglier from here.
An insider close to the warring exes tells us, ‘This has come as a huge shock to everyone, including Josh. To see things fall apart so much, to the point where they’re only speaking through lawyers, is heartbreaking.’
While Josh, who briefly dated actress Lupita Nyong’o after splitting from Jodie, has yet to publicly comment, Queen And Slim star Jodie made her feelings known in a legal declaration in which she claimed Josh had paid her zero dollars so far and that he had ‘made this dissolution far more difficult than necessary’.
But while Jodie is pushing forward in her public complaints against her ex with the support of divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, who has famously represented Kim Kardashian and Angelina Jolie in the past, we’re told Josh is gearing up for an almighty showdown.
‘Jodie’s saying Josh completely backtracked on things that were agreed, but Josh doesn’t see it that way at all,’ our insider says.
‘He’s not happy about being portrayed as a deadbeat dad, when he says he’s totally there for their daughter and has been sharing custody. Now, the only way he’ll communicate with Jodie is through his lawyer.’
Although Jodie’s career has bloomed in recent years, the British star claims Josh – who made his name on Dawson’s Creek, and enjoyed a resurgence with The Affair – has a monthly income that’s almost double hers. As things stand, no legal decision has been made on the situation, but it seems like it will get ugly if they can’t sort things out. In her court declaration, Jodie said, ‘I have done everything I can to meet Josh halfway on every issue, to no avail.’
The insider adds, ‘They’re both extremely strong-willed people who clearly have very different interpretations of what should happen. Everyone’s still hoping that, somehow, they’ll be able to settle this without going to court, but at this point, it’s not looking likely.’