The Untold Truth Of Joe Jonas

Over the last two decades, Joe Jonas has proven himself to be much more than a Disney kid. The Jonas Brothers (his band with brothers Nick and Kevin) has reached heights few expected, selling out stadiums and cranking out some truly iconic hits. After a tough split — during which Joe founded the band DNCE and started making dance-rock magic — the brothers came back stronger than ever. The more adult lyrics, slight rock edge, and definitively sexier vibe led to the band's first Grammy nomination since 2009 with their first No. 1 hit, "Sucker." 

In addition to his music, Jonas has also become known for his trendsetting, boundaryless fashion. Unconventional suits, billowy blouses, flashy prints, pearl necklaces, denim-on-denim — anything goes for the style icon who hosted a 2022 New York Fashion Week party with Vogue. Other endeavors have included being a judge on "The Voice: Australia," filming an anti-littering PSA, partnering with Expedia to encourage post-COVID travel, hosting a travel show, and designing a gender-neutral sneaker for Koio.

And if you think those things are random, remember when he was on the celebrity dating show "The Choice," hosted by Cat Deeley? (Probably not.) A tabloid staple thanks to his sex symbol status and high-profile relationship with Sophie Turner (that is now ending in divorce), Jonas is seemingly everywhere nowadays. Still, there is plenty you may not know about the star. Here is the untold truth of Joe Jonas.

Whereas Nick Jonas was born in Texas and Kevin and Frankie Jonas were born in New Jersey, Joe Jonas entered the world in Casa Grande, Arizona. The family jumped around but returned to New Jersey when patriarch Kevin Sr. secured a job in the small town of Wyckoff. Joe was around six when Kevin Sr. became a pastor at Wyckoff Assembly Church, and religion was a key part of the family's life.

The Jonas brothers attended a religious school — Eastern Christian School — until their mother decided homeschooling was a better option for their budding careers. That transition to homeschooling came when Joe was in seventh grade, which was around the time that Kevin Sr. was fired. After the firing — reportedly due to how much he prioritized his sons' band — the family moved out of the parsonage home they occupied and, according to Nick, lost some of their friends in the church.

Joe was 14 when the family left the church, and his own experiences, plus a scandal about stolen money, left a bad taste in his mouth. "After that the concept of church really upset me for a long time," he wrote in a tell-all article for Vulture. "I mean, I believe in God, and that's a personal relationship that I have, but I'm not religious in any way." That particular tidbit is not shocking today but was news-making when it came out in 2013, just after the brothers removed their much-discussed purity rings.

From the start, the Jonas Brothers were marketed as an All-American, wholesome trio with deep roots in religion and a steadfast commitment to God. This image only got stronger when they signed with Hollywood Records — which is owned by Disney — after their first album's lackluster reception caused Columbia Records to drop them. Their debut on the Disney Channel, in a 2007 episode of "Hannah Montana," came shortly thereafter, followed by a Disney documentary, the Disney Channel original film "Camp Rock," and in 2009, their own show Disney called "Jonas."

It was during their Disney years that the brothers' purity rings gained attention, which greatly affected the way they were received. The rings symbolized a commitment to not engage in premarital sex, which became a late-night and awards show punchline that was beaten to death. For years, the Jonas Brothers were asked about their purity rings in just about every interview, which they have since admitted was quite uncomfortable.

Despite purity being their thing, it turns out that Joe Jonas was not nearly as squeaky clean as the world thought. He busted open the doors of truth in 2013 when he admitted via Vulture that he lost his virginity when he was 20 — before removing the ring. He also said he drank and smoked weed as a teen, with his first marijuana experience being facilitated by fellow Disney stars Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato.

The Jonas Brothers officially split up in 2013, but even before that, they were doing their own thing. For Joe Jonas, the focus during that period was on establishing himself as a solo artist — and his first attempt didn't go well. Jonas' experience was marred by disappointment even before putting any solo songs out into the world since Hollywood Records refused to release the first album he created.

Inspired by his brother's side gig, Nick Jonas & the Administration, Jonas started creating music and recorded the album with Robert Schwartzman, lead singer of the band Rooney. "I handed the songs in, and Hollywood Records was like, 'This doesn't work.' They said the songs were too weird and sounded like demos," he said (via Vulture). Hollywood Records wanted Jonas to work with tried-and-true "Disney hit-makers," with hopes that he could be the second coming of Justin Timberlake.

The resulting album, "Fastlife," debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, selling only 18,000 copies in its first week despite a relatively significant media push. Then, only 22 years old, Jonas said he expected the same success that he had in his band, and so he took the album's failure hard. "I was here in New York after the album was out, and it didn't really do much and started reading reviews, started seeing the reactions, and it hit me like a ton of bricks," he said on the "Jay Shetty Podcast." 

When his solo album underwhelmed, Joe Jonas was so affected mentally that he started manifesting physical symptoms. Believing he was sick, he started going to the doctor bi-weekly and eventually weekly. "One doctor finally said to me, they're like, 'Have you thought or spoken to a therapist?' and I was like, 'Me? No. Why would I — why would I ever need therapy? Life is great," he explained on the "Jay Shetty Podcast." "It kind of just hit me after I left, and I was like, 'Oh my God, maybe they're right.'"

That was the start of Jonas' therapy journey, which he has kept with over the years. In November 2022, he told Variety that he is still committed to regularly checking in with his therapist and that it helps him maintain stability and healthfulness. Jonas is a big proponent of self-care in general, and he developed several healthy habits to maintain his overall wellness.

He starts his days with a smoothie from Athletic Greens and a healthy meal like rolled oats and is a big believer in the value of vitamins. Jonas also swears by gratitude lists and meditation, both practices that he does every day. And if you have seen his arms, you know that the singer obviously also exercises regularly. "I make it a point to prioritize practices and routines that make me feel like the best version of myself," he told Allure in 2022.

Rumblings of a Jonas Brothers rift swirled for a while before the group called it quits in 2013, reportedly due to creative differences. According to People, all three JoBros met up to discuss the band's future. It was then that Nick Jonas expressed his dissatisfaction. "I was feeling kind of trapped," he told People. "I needed to share my heart with my brothers." By the end of the month, they had canceled the tour and made news of the breakup public.

Though they told People it was a unanimous decision, we now know Nick was the decider. Despite the writing on the wall, Joe Jonas felt blindsided by his brother Nick's desire to end the group. Joe has said that he entered a state of mourning afterward — but that process did not start until after his initial anger wore off.

"I was mad as hell," he told The Guardian in 2019. Though he knew they had communication and creative issues, Joe said he "kind of just assumed we'd get through this bad phase and something great would happen again." Before the announcement, a rumor that Joe's drug use was to blame for the rift started circulating. The chatter got so loud that he was forced to address it, telling ABC News at the time, "It's all false, every piece of it." 

We know bodily function talk is not for everyone. Still, we find it amusing hearing about celebrities having "accidents" because, in addition to giving us a few laughs, it makes them feel more relatable. And the list of celebrities who have soiled themselves in public is not short. For some reason, musicians especially love discussing their body blunders, particularly when they happen on stage. Shania Twain, Fergie, and Ozzy Osbourne have all peed their pants while performing, and others like Ed Sheeran and Chris Brown have been noted as going "number two" on stage. Joe Jonas is in the latter camp, and we love him for being able to laugh about it.

"I was with a few friends yesterday, and we were just talking about [how] there is a point in your life where, as an adult, you can remember the last time you sh*t your pants," Jonas said on the "Will & Woody" radio show. "You think it might be a little toot, it might've been a little something else, a little something extra. So, it was like a mid-wardrobe sh*t change during the set." To make matters worse, Jonas was wearing a white outfit when the incident happened! In a Vanity Fair video, Jonas' brothers guessed the toilet turmoil as his most embarrassing on-stage moment, but the star said that falling on national television as a teenager (at the 2007 American Music Awards) was actually more humiliating at the time.

The first time Joe Jonas appeared on a reality television show was in 2010 when he was a guest judge on "American Idol." He also popped up on "Top Chef" around that time, but it was not until 2012 that he actually signed on for a series. That show, "The Choice," was like "The Voice" in that single celebrities sat in chairs and listened to blind "auditions" — people selling themselves as potential dates — and then hit their button for those they want on their team. It is somehow even cringier now than it was back then, so let's move on to another one of Jonas' season-long reality television gigs: "The Voice: Australia."

In 2018, Jonas was a judge on the show's seventh season alongside Boy George, Kelly Rowland, and Aussie singer Delta Goodrem. Though his finalist did not take the crown, Jonas was a solid coach and an entertaining presence on "The Voice: Australia." That, coupled with the few episodes of the American version of the show he filmed in 2017 (as an advisor), should have made Jonas a shoo-in for a spot as a judge on "The Voice."

Unfortunately for him, his brother Nick got the job instead — something he first found out while at a Fleetwood Mac concert. "I was so jealous. I cried my eyes out to 'Landslide,'" he said on "The Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" podcast. "It was bittersweet because I'm super happy for him, but I'm also bummed because I want that f***ing gig." 

The Jonas Brothers have never shied away from endorsements and partnerships, which makes sense since they have Disney roots and probably learned the power of visibility at an early age. The band as a unit has appeared in ads for The Children's Place, Toyota, and those cheesy tourism ads run by the state of California. Individually, they have also taken on a number of campaigns, but none have been as exciting as Joe Jonas' Guess advertisements.

We want to say it's because of Guess' high profile, but really, it is about the pictures that feature a glistening, shirtless Jonas. In a couple of them, he is just in his underwear — which makes sense since he was tapped to be the face of the brand's "Hero" underwear line for men. The 2017 campaign was a hit, and we encourage you to check it out if you have not yet seen it (bring a fan — it's hot!).

Jonas — who has also done ads for brands like Diesel and Tanqueray – told Daily Front Row that the Guess campaign was "life-changing" because it forced him outside of his comfort zone and made him focus on fitness. "It's always been on my to-do list to get in shape and to do something like this," Jonas said at the time (via CelebMix). The star was already regularly exercising but added boxing sessions to his workouts for added effect. 

Joe Jonas may not have had much success when he tried his hand at a solo career, but that does not mean he cannot sell records without his brothers. Two years after the Jonas Brothers broke up, Joe Jonas released the infectious "Cake by the Ocean" with his new band, DNCE. The song reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for a whopping 46 weeks.

A second song, "Toothbrush," peaked at number 44 in 2016, while the band's 2015 EP ("Swaay") and 2016 album ("DNCE") had success (the album went Gold, which means it sold over 500,000 copies). Perhaps more importantly, the band showed Jonas could hold his own as the frontman of a funky, disco-punk quartet.

Jonas formed DNCE in 2015 by approaching drummer Jake Lawless and guitarist JinJoo Lee, both friends who had toured with the Jonas Brothers. They then added Cole Whittle, a friend of one of their producers, although Whittle has since left the band to pursue a solo career. Jonas put the band on pause when the Jonas Brothers got back together, but since Lawless and Lee are both in the JoBros' backing band, DNCE is easily able to make music when they want.

In addition to being a talented musician and a total dreamboat, Joe Jonas is also quite funny. This is something that most fans know about him, especially if they follow Jonas on social media. There are compilations of his TikTok videos on YouTube, and he is widely regarded as the funniest JoBro. Amongst other things, he has worn a wig to poke fun at the awful flat-ironed hairstyle he wore as a teen and recreated scenes from "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" with his brothers and Sophie Turner.

It is not all comedy, but Jonas certainly shows his sense of humor on TikTok, and we are in no way surprised that he is the most followed Jonas with 5.8 million followers. Jonas and his brothers are so good at TikTok that they even convinced President Biden to appear in one of their videos. But TikTok is not the only place Jonas shows his sense of humor.

We saw glimpses of comicality in his Tanqueray Sevilla Orange ad campaign, and he is always a source of amusement in television and Internet interviews. Plus, who can forget his hilarious guest appearance on "The Righteous Gemstones," where he played a ridiculous version of himself with ease? Jonas has said that he aspired to be a comedian when he was younger, and he even hosted a fake late-night show called "The Joe Show" in his family's basement.

Joe Jonas may have started out wanting to be a comedian, but music quickly became the priority once the Jonas Brothers took off. Though he has said music is his number one, Jonas also has a passion for acting that he flexes from time to time. It makes sense, too, since acting has been a part of the Jonas Brothers' story. The band appeared on Disney shortly after they took off, and they made "Camp Rock" within a year of releasing their second album.

Jonas then appeared on the JoBros' sitcom "Jonas," where he further cultivated his acting skills. But for a long while, music meant the only time Jonas got to act was in music videos and small TV guest spots on shows like "Hot in Cleveland" and "Angie Tribeca." In 2022, Jonas was finally able to make his feature film debut in the war drama "Devotion," and it was a long time coming.

Many years earlier, Jonas was actually considered for the role of Spider-Man, losing out to Andrew Garfield in the end. "Obviously, he was the right one," Jonas told Variety. "But I remember that was a big thing at the time, going back for callbacks and the director used to be a music video director. So I was like, "I got an in here." But you know what? I love the process of auditioning and putting yourself out there and having to prove yourself."

The Jonas Brothers started their careers as religious kids who never spoke up about anything controversial, but that was then. Joe Jonas attended protests for Black Lives Matter in 2020 and stands up for other marginalized people. The queer community, in particular, has gravitated toward the JoBros — and sure, many people like them at least partially due to their attractiveness, but it goes beyond that too. Around the time Nick Jonas started playing a gay character on "Kingdom" (in 2014), he made it clear he was a proud LGBTQ+ ally. Joe started peaking up shortly after that and now attends pride events (and loves a good gay bar).

Joe Jonas told Pride Source that he knew he had gay fans and that he and his brothers always embraced it even if they were silent allies back then. "I care too much about my friends who are gay and fans who are gay to be quiet about it," he said in a 2015 interview. "And now, having friends who are gay and touring in these different markets and seeing that DNCE has gay fans coming out to the shows, it's awesome." Jonas interprets being hit on by gay men as a compliment, similar to how he views rumors about his own sexuality. "It's not like it bothers me. Some people handle it differently, but at the end of the day, I'm cool with it and think it's kind of funny," he told the Dallas Voice in 2016.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner officially announced their divorce in September 2023, after weeks of speculation about their status. But rather than focus on their impending divorce, we want to focus on their first split. That one occurred a day before they legally married (but lasted merely a day). "It was the worst day of our lives," Turner told The Sunday Times. "For a second we both had cold feet, then 24 hours later we were both, like, 'never mind.'"

The wedding still happened the following evening, after the couple attended the Billboard Awards in Las Vegas, where the Jonas Brothers performed. Jonas and Turner had a large, elegant wedding at a chateau in the South of France in June 2019, but they decided to first wed in Sin City on May 1. "We had to get legally married in the States, so we thought it would be really fun to get all of our friends, invite them out, and do an impromptu wedding," Jonas explained in a GQ video where he answered fan questions.

Quite honestly, the Vegas wedding sounds way more fun (even if the couple split for a moment right before). Jonas and Turner were married at the Little White Wedding Chapel, an iconic venue in Las Vegas where plenty of other stars have eloped. An Elvis impersonator officiated, ring pops were substituted for wedding bands, and the wedding party posed on the chapel's famous pink Cadillac.

Joe Jonas got some flack when he opened up about using injectables in 2022, but we think it's commendable that he spoke up about something that many men in Hollywood (and outside of it) do. Some critiques focused on the singer's vanity, with more than a smattering of toxic masculinity thrown into every comment section. The rest of it was maybe more valid since Jonas only spoke up after signing on to be a spokesperson for Xeomin, an injectable used to smooth wrinkles but without the extra additives that Botox contains.

"While I didn't feel like I was a different person [by using it], it gave me that confidence that I think we all want to feel as we get older," he told Allure. "There's this kind of stigma around guys talking about skincare and how we feel and, and the products we use." Jonas did a lot of press to promote the "Beauty on Your Terms" campaign, so we understand why his genuineness could be questioned. Still, seeing an attractive, famous man open up about his insecurities about aging and the pressures of looking a certain way in the entertainment industry is great.

We also love that he does not care about gender norms regarding appearance (which we already knew from his embrace of nail polish, pearls, sequins, etc.). "Guys are more openly wearing makeup, and it's great to see. It's like, do whatever you want, you know? It's a beautiful generation that we're living in," he told People in 2022.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are divorcing, but they will be bound forever by their two daughters, as well as the matching tattoos inked on their bodies. One is a quote from "Toy Story," while the other is in honor of their late dog Waldo, who tragically died in 2019 when he was hit by a car after getting spooked and running into the street. The couple was so torn up by the death of their puppy that they had to go for an emergency therapy session. About a week later, they got matching tats of his face — Jonas got his on his forearm, while Turner's is on her inner bicep. Both stars have tons of body art, so it makes sense that they would commemorate their beloved pup in such a way.

While Turner has around 16 tattoos — including a tiny "J" for Joe — Jonas has, at minimum, 25. Amongst other things, he has a cake (for "Cake by the Ocean"), an Adinkra symbol (which translates to "Help me help you"), and an arrow matching one sported by his brother Nick. Waldo is not the only face on Jonas' body either, as he also has tattooed portraits of his grandfather and Freddie Mercury. He has a few tats for Turner, too, including an "S" on his wrist and one believed to be her eye looking through a keyhole on the back of his neck.