Getty
Joey Lawrence is a familiar face to many people across the country. Not only was he a child star in the 80s, but he went on to play Joey Russo in the series, Blossom. Lawrence also starred in the show Brotherly Love alongside his brothers in real life.
Now, the actor is embarking on the next leg in his journey: competing on Celebrity Big Brother.
As he partakes in the celebrity reality series this week, many people may begin to wonder about Lawrence’s personal life. Who, for example, was his first wife? Who is he married to now? Read on.
Lawrence married Michelle Vella in 2002. The couple divorced three years later. The reasons why they divorced are unclear. The couple did not have any children.
Most of the biographical content related to Joey’s personal life surrounds his current wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson, whom he married in 2005.
The couple first met on vacation in Disney World when they were just teenagers. After Joey separated from Vella, he and Chandie reconnected in 2005. Together, Joey and Chandie have two children: Liberty Grace Lawrence, and Charleston “Charli” Lawrence.
In March 2018, Yahoo reported that Lawrence and his wife filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. As the outlet points out, Lawrence took home over $534,000 in 2015, but in 2016, he took home just $58,000. (His Freeform show, Melissa & Joey, ended in 2015.) His debt, according to US Weekly, included $132,000 in credit card debt, $88,000 in back taxes, $32,000 in unpaid loans, and nearly $100,000 for owed automobiles.
Yahoo reports that to help their financial situation, Lawrence and Yawn-Nelson sold some items second-hand, like clothes, accessories, and furniture. “The documents obtained by The Blast state that they made $463 from purses and wallets on eBay;$1,836.70 from selling furniture at a consignment shop; and $4,323.10 for offloading used men and women’s clothing to Buffalo Exchange for $4,325.10.”
In April 2018, Lawrence’s bankruptcy case was settled. US Weekly obtained documents that showed that the IRS would receive $31,000 of the $67,000 owed.
And how does Joey feel about being a member of Celebrity Big Brother? Interestingly enough, he’s not too confident in winning! “I’m not sure I can win the show,” Lawrence recently told EW. “I don’t have a strategy. I’m not very familiar with it.”
He added that he isn’t going to cut corners in order to win. “I’m not going to be devious to win the game. I can’t do it. It doesn’t come naturally to me. So if I can’t win on honest merit, then I’m not going to win it, I guess.”
Be sure to tune into Celebrity Big Brother, airing this week on CBS at 8pm ET/PT.