In the battle for public opinion, Sophie Turner appears to have bested Joe Jonas in their highly publicized divorce battle, a review of social media activity has revealed.
A review of viral TikTok and X posts about the situation found that the vast majority of divorce-related online content is outwardly supportive of Turner.
Famous women often bear the brunt of negative publicity during high-profile breakups and divorces, but in this case, Turner’s silence in the face of negative stories about her benefited her public perception. She also benefited from being a well-known television actress, who has thus far received minimal negative attention towards her.
Molly McPherson, a public affairs and crisis communications specialist, says Turner’s treatment serves as an example for other celebrities embroiled in their own divorces.
Turner was supported by such prominent figures as the feminist writer. Roxane Gay and actress Jessica Chastain. She has appeared publicly with Taylor Swift, whose recently re-recorded albums contain references to her own split from Jonas, many times since the divorce became public, and Swift has reportedly given Turner and her children the use of one of her apartments in New York while Turner and Jonas mediate custody matters.
McPherson, who has more than 430,000 followers on TikTok, said she and other PR professionals have already learned lessons from Turner’s successful book – staying silent in the face of media attacks.
“In my work, I have conversations where someone asks, ‘Are we going to do Sophie Turner?’ McPherson said. “I think we’ll find that more publicists will follow Sophie Turner’s script and they will now look at reactions in a more calculated way, which will lead to them generally having firm control over the narrative. once”.
A representative for Jonas shared a lengthy statement in response to a request for comment. NBC News previously covered the statement, which said in part that Jonas was not responsible for negative media reports about Turner.
“Joe has already disavowed all statements allegedly made on his behalf and disparaging Sophie. They were made without his approval and do not represent his views,” the statement reads in part. “His only concern is the welfare of his children.”
When TMZ first reported the news in September. 6 that Jonas saw Turner on the Ring camera say or do something that caused him to file for divorce, the online audience was more than just surprised. They were suspicious.
Over the past month, the breakup of the celebrity couple’s four-year marriage and the ensuing custody battle over their two children, ages 1 and 3, have played out on social media and the tabloids.
In September, on February 3, TMZ first reported that boy band member Jonas and Game of Thrones actress Turner were headed for divorce. Two days later, Jonas filed for divorce and joint custody, and TMZ reported that a source close to Jonas said, “She likes to party, he likes to stay home.”
According to McPherson and active Turner supporters, it has become obvious to people online when a celebrity uses the media to go on the offensive. Even if the celebrity is not quoted directly, viewers are eager to understand how publicists or other members of the celebrity’s team may influence the media narrative.
“People online are more media literate than before. Because the Internet is a place where sleuths are celebrated and rewarded, this type of content ends up in an algorithm rich in stories, shares, shares and comments,” McPherson said. “The ideal counterattack to this step was to remain silent. Sophie Turner has found herself at the top of her reputation. It backfired on Joe Jonas.”
Shortly after TMZ reported that Turner’s partying habits were becoming a problem for Jonas, internet sleuths uncovered old interviews indicating that Turner preferred to stay home while Jonas wanted to go out. On September 7, TMZ reported the opposite – that Jonas “wasn’t very supportive” after Turner gave birth to her second child, and that he forced her to attend public events with him against her wishes. It’s unclear who TMZ’s sources were in this case or whether they were related to Turner or Jonas.
“When you see articles on TMZ, it seems like it’s information that can’t be trusted,” said Ellie Schnitt, a podcaster and internet personality who tweeted on Sept. 2. 6 that “whoever is doing PR for Joe Jonas needs to be fired immediately.”
Schnitt said social media, especially TikTok, has helped her realize that when an article says “sources close” to a celebrity, it is often a way of referring to the celebrity’s team.
“Obviously he did something wrong to throw out all this negativity,” Schnitt said. “That’s the impression I got. Especially because neither Sophie nor her team responded.”
McPherson said what she believed was Jonas’ attempt to spread stories relied on a PR technique that had become “outdated” in recent years. McPherson added that celebrity teams can no longer direct public opinion through the media as social media has eclipsed traditional news in its ability to influence public opinion.
“There was a time when denial, belittlement and restoration worked. You could kill the story back then,” McPherson said. “Now the Internet and social media won’t let you kill history.”
According to McPherson, it was the “art of silence” that Turner mastered in the court of public opinion, and some of McPherson’s followers can attest to this.
“I have a lot of women in the comments and in my direct messages telling me how important this story is to them. They were married to a man who used the same tactics as Joe Jonas, but at the neighborhood level,” McPherson said. “It takes a lot of work and energy to remain silent, not to speak up when you are publicly vilified.”
It wasn’t just the TMZ stories that influenced how viewers viewed Turner and Jonas. Fans of Jonas’s boy band, the Jonas Brothers, which debuted in 2005 and rose to fame with shows and appearances on the Disney Channel, are largely made up of millennial women, Schnitt noted, which may make them more sympathetic to Turner’s situation.
“When you have a fan base like the Jonas Brothers’ that is predominantly young women, you’d be hard-pressed to find them not supporting another young woman,” Schnitt said.
Schnitt also pointed to Turner’s popularity on Game of Thrones, where viewers literally watched her grow up. Turner was 15 when she was cast on the show and 23 when the series ended. McPherson noted that “Queen of the North” was trending during news of Turner’s divorce, while Turner’s character on the show was known for prevailing over the men around her.
“I know it’s not true and it’s a TV show, but it stuck with you. You see in her a woman who overcame these difficulties,” Schnitt said.