Joey Lawrence

This article is about the American actor. For other people named Joey Lawrence, see Joey Lawrence (disambiguation).

Joey Lawrence
Lawrence at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2024
Born	Joseph Lawrence Mignogna III (1976-04-20) April 20, 1976 (age 48) Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	Joseph Lawrence, Joey Lawrence
Education	Abington Friends School (1994) University of Southern California
Occupation(s)	Actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, game show host
Years active	1981–present
Spouses	Michelle Vella ​ ​ (m. 2002;div. 2005)​ Chandie Yawn-Nelson ​ ​ (m. 2005;div. 2020)​ Samantha Cope ​ ​ (m. 2022;sep. 2024)​
Children	3
Relatives	Matthew Lawrence (brother) Andrew Lawrence (brother)

Joseph Lawrence Mignogna III (born April 20, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, podcaster and game show host. He was a child actor in the early 1980s and portrayed Joey Russo in Blossom and Joe Longo in Melissa & Joey . Lawrence also starred in Gimme a Break! (1983–1987), and the series Brotherly Love with his real-life brothers Matthew and Andrew. His film appearances include Summer Rental (1985) and Oliver & Company (1988).

Early life

Lawrence was born and raised in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, ^{[1] [2]} a suburb of Philadelphia. He is the eldest son of Donna Lynn ( née  Shaw), a personnel manager and former elementary school teacher, ^[3] and Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr., an insurance broker. ^[4] He is of Italian, English, and Scottish descent. ^[5] His family's stage surname was changed to "Lawrence" during his childhood when he started acting. He has two younger brothers, actors Matthew and Andrew. ^[6]

Lawrence graduated from Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, in 1994 and later attended the University of Southern California. ^[7]

Career

Acting

In 1981, when he was five years old, Lawrence landed his first acting role in a Cracker Jack commercial. ^[8] Three weeks before turning age six, he appeared on the March 31, 1982, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , where he performed the song "Give My Regards to Broadway" and tap danced. ^{[9] [10]}

After appearing in guest spots on Diff'rent Strokes and Silver Spoons , Lawrence won the role of Joey Donovan on the hit NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! in 1983. He continued in that role until the series ended in 1987. 1985 marked Lawrence's theatrical debut with the release of Summer Rental . Lawrence provided the voice of Oliver, the protagonist in the 1988 Disney film Oliver & Company at the age of 12. From 1991, at the age of 15, to 1995, Lawrence co-starred in the hit TV series Blossom on NBC, playing Joey Russo.

Lawrence has also starred in the series Brotherly Love (which featured his real-life brothers, Matthew and Andrew Lawrence) and Run of the House and has guest starred on such programs as American Dreams and CSI: NY . ^[11] One of Lawrence's film credits is Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000).

Lawrence with the cast of Melissa & Joey

In 2006, Lawrence appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars . Paired with professional dancer Edyta Śliwińska, he placed third in the competition.

In May 2007, he starred in the Broadway hit Chicago as Billy Flynn. ^[12] He next hosted a dance competition show on The Learning Channel, Master of Dance, which premiered June 9, 2008. ^[13]

In 2009, Lawrence starred in the television film My Fake Fiancé with Melissa Joan Hart, which premiered on ABC Family with 3.6  million viewers, becoming the most-watched television film the rating season, sweeping top rank in its time period in key demos. In August 2010, Lawrence returned to television in the ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey , again opposite Hart. ^[14] Hart plays a woman who hires Lawrence as a nanny to help care for her incarcerated sister's kids. Lawrence's character is a former figure in the financial industry whose company came under investigation for wrongdoing and caused his professional life to be put on hold. Lawrence's brothers have guest-starred on the show. Matthew Lawrence played Tony Longo in season 1 episode 25 and Andrew Lawrence appeared in season 1 episode 26 as Ryder Scanlon's teacher, Evan McKay. The series was renewed for its fourth season and ended in 2015. ^[15]

Lawrence in 2011 at March of Dimes

In 2012, he was contracted to be a Chippendales dancer for a special engagement in June at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. ^[16] On March 19, 2013, Lawrence began appearing in the ABC reality show Splash , co-hosting alongside Charissa Thompson.

In 2022, Lawrence competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Walrus". He was eliminated on "90s Night" alongside Le'Veon Bell as "Milkshake". ^[17]

In August 2023, Lawrence resurfaced his Blossom catchphrase, "Whoa!", by starring in a VinFast's VF8 ad campaign, ^[18] covered by Automotive News ^[19] and Ad Age . ^[20] In December of the same year, Lawrence reprised his role in a second installment of VinFast's "Changing Lanes" campaign. ^[21]

Music career

Lawrence has said that music was always his passion, and at the height of his success began a recording career. Lawrence was 16 when his debut album Joey Lawrence was released in February 1993. Produced by Steve Barri, Tony Peluso, Terry Lupton, and Ian Prince. Lawrence co-wrote some material, including the international hit single "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix" (#6 Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, No. 10 Billboard Top 40 Mainstream, No. 19 Billboard Hot 100, No. 13 United Kingdom, No. 68 Australia). ^[22] The song was used as the end-title theme from the film Cop and a Half ; its music video received heavy airplay on MTV and MuchMusic, and Lawrence was invited to perform live on MTV's Spring Break, The Arsenio Hall Show , and the UK's Top of the Pops in 1993.^{[ citation needed ]}

In June 2011, he released a single, "Rolled", which was available as a free download for one week on ABC Family's website. ^[23] In July, Joey released a second single, "Give It To Ya (Acoustic)" via Pledge Music. ^[24] In 2017 Joey started a band with Matt and Andy called Still 3. They released their debut single "Lose Myself". ^[25]

Podcasting

In 2023, Joey launched a podcast called "Brotherly Love Podcast" with his brothers Andrew and Matthew. ^[26] It was launched through PodCo, a podcast studio launched by actress Christy Carlson Romano and focused on rewatches of completed television series by their former actors.

Personal life

Lawrence married Michelle Vella in 2002; the couple divorced in 2005. ^[27]

He met his second wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson, while on vacation in Disney World when the two were teenagers. They wed there in July 2005, ^[28] and have two children, Charleston and Liberty. ^{[29] [30] [31]} Reports surfaced in March 2018 that Lawrence and Yawn-Nelson had filed for bankruptcy in July 2017. ^{[32] [33]} On April 6, 2018, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case was reportedly settled. ^{[34] [35]} Lawrence filed for divorce in July 2020. ^[27]

In 2022 Lawrence married actress Samantha Cope whom he met on the set of a Lifetime movie directed by his brother Andrew and co-starring his daughter Charleston. ^{[36] [37]} The couple has one daughter, born in 2023. ^[38] On August 13, 2024, Cope filed for divorce. ^[39]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Summer Rental	Bobby Chester
1988	Pulse	David Rockland
	Oliver & Company	Oliver	Voice role
1991	Chains of Gold	Tommy
1994	Radioland Murders	Frankie Marshall
1995	A Goofy Movie	Chad	Voice role
1999	Tequila Body Shots	Johnny Orpheus
2000	Urban Legends: Final Cut	Graham Manning
	Desperate But Not Serious	Darby
2001	Do You Wanna Know a Secret?	Hank Ford
	A Christmas Adventure ...From a Book Called Wisely's Tales	Wolfpack Leader	Direct-to-video film; voice role
2002	Trois 2: Pandora's Box	Det. Anderson
2006	Rest Stop	Officer Michael Deacon	Direct-to-video film
2008	Killer Pad	Joey Lawrence
	Together Again for the First Time	Carey Krzyznyk	Direct-to-video film
2010	Sinatra Club	Louie 'Pipes' Pepitone
2011	Hit List	Lyle
2016	Saved By Grace	Rick
	Emma's Chance	Kevin Chambers
	Arlo: The Burping Pig	David
	Isle of the Dead	Lt. Paul Gibson
2017	Girl Followed	Jim
2018	Sk8 Dawg	Mr. Hoffman
2019	Roe v. Wade	Robert Byrn
2020	Money Plane	The Concierge
	My Brother's Keeper	Preach
	Pardoned by Grace	Scott Highberger
2020	The Office Mix-Up	Mikey
2021	Mistletoe Mixup	Tom
2023	Frankie Meets Jack	Jack Shaw	Also writer and executive producer
TBA	Turning Tables	Reid	[ citation needed ]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Scamps	Sparky	Television film
	Diff'rent Strokes	Joey	Episode: "Big Brother"
	Silver Spoons	Joey Thompson	Episode: "The Best Christmas Ever"
1983	Little Shots	Pete	Television film
	Wait till Your Mother Gets Home!	Chris Peters	Television film
1983–1987	Gimme a Break!	Joey Donovan	Main role
1984	Young People's Specials	Billy	Episode: "Umbrella Jack"
1985	ABC Afterschool Special	Mattie	Episode: "Don't Touch"
1989	Adventures in Babysitting	Brad Anderson	Unsold TV pilot
1990–1995	Blossom	Joey Russo	Main role
1993	Olsen Twins Mother's Day Special	Singer	TV special
	Almost Home	Jeff Thornton	Episode: "Girls and Boy"
	Empty Nest	Wade	Episode: "Aunt Verne Knows Best"
1995	The John Larroquette Show	Carly's Brother	Episode: "Whipping Post"
	Something Wilder	J.J. Travis	Episode: "Bergman of Alcatraz"
	Prince for a Day	Ralph Bitondo / Ricky Prince	Television film
	Wheel of Fortune	Himself	Episode #2398: Celebrity Week
1995–1997	Brotherly Love	Joe Roman	Main role
1996	Brothers of the Frontier	Ethan Frye	Television film
1999	Touched by an Angel	Jesse	Episode: "Fool for Love"
	Horse Sense	Michael Woods	Television film; also co-producer
	Recess	Franklin Dudikoff	Voice role; episode: "The Dude"
2001	Jumping Ship	Michael Woods	Television film
2002	Romantic Comedy 101	Mark Gibson	Television film
	The Zeta Project	Dex Finley	Voice role; episode: "Eye of the Storm"
2002–2003	American Dreams	Michael Brooks	Recurring role, 11 episodes
2003–2004	Run of the House	Kurt Franklin	Main role
2004	Love Rules!	Michael Warner	Television film
2005	Bow	Matt	Television film
	Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber	Ferguson	Television film
2005–2006	Half & Half	Brett Mahoney	Recurring role, 9 episodes
2006	Android Apocalypse	DeeCee	Television film
2007	CSI: NY	Clay Dobson	3 episodes
2007–2008	The Emperor's New School	Dirk Brock	Voice role; 2 episodes
2009	My Fake Fiancé	Vince	Television film
2010–2015	Melissa & Joey	Joe Longo	Lead role
2011	Celebrity Ghost Stories	Self	Episode Jan 1, 2011
	The Dog Who Saved Halloween	Zeus	Television film
2012	Hitched for the Holidays	Rob Marino	Television film
	The Dog Who Saved The Holidays	Zeus	Television film
2013	Splash	Himself	Co-host
2015	Celebrity Family Feud	Himself	Episode: "Lawrence vs Lopez"
2016	Cupcake Wars	Himself	Contestant: runner-up
2017–2019	Hawaii Five-0	Aaron Wright	4 episodes
2018	A Mother's Worst Fear	Brent	Television film
2019	Celebrity Big Brother	Himself	Contestant / Houseguest: 9th place [40] [41]
	Dollface	Himself	Episode: "Mystery Brunette"
2021	Danger Force	Himself	Episode: "Vidja Games"
	My Husband's Secret Brother	Kevin	Television film
2022	Call Me Kat	Himself	[42]
2022	The Masked Singer	Himself/Walrus	Season 8 contestant; Episode: "90s Night"
2023	Love By Design	Hal Hartley	UP TV Movie

Dancing with the Stars

Week #	Dance / Song	Judges' scores			Result
		Inaba	Goodman	Tonioli
1	Cha-Cha-Cha  / "I Like the Way (You Move)"	7	7	7	Safe
2	Quickstep  / "I Got Rhythm"	9	9	10	Safe
3	Jive  / "Blue Suede Shoes"	8	7	8	Safe
4	Waltz  / "Take It to the Limit"	9	9	9	Safe
5	Samba  / "Freedom! '90"	8	8	9	Safe
6	Rumba  / "Father Figure"	8	8	8	Bottom two
	Group Disco  / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"	No scores given
7	Foxtrot  / "Singin' in the Rain"	10	9	10	Safe
	Mambo  / "Mambo No. 5"	9	9	10
8 Semi-finals	Tango  / "The Addams Family Theme"	10	9	9	Safe
	Paso Doble  / "Sympathy for the Devil"	9	8	9
9 Finals	Quickstep  / "42nd Street"	9	10	10	Third place
	Rumba  / "Eternal Flame"	10	10	10

Commercial

• VinFast: "Whoa" - VinFast VF8 "Changing Lanes" Campaign (US Debut, August 2023)
• VinFast: "Whoa 2"- VinFast VF8 "Changing Lanes" Campaign (US, December 2023)

Theater

• Chicago (2007) as Billy Flynn (replacement)

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak positions
		US [43]	CAN [44]	UK [45]
Joey Lawrence	Released: February 2, 1993 Label: Impact, MCA	74	25	39
Soulmates	Released: September 16, 1997 Label: Curb	—	—	—

Extended plays

Title	Extended play details
Imagine	Released: August 28, 2017 Label: Entertainment A&R Media
Guilty	Released: February 10, 2022 Label: The Art of Loud Recordings

Singles

Year	Title	Peak positions					Album
		US [46]	AUS [47]	CAN [48]	IRE [49]	UK [50]
1993	"Nothin' My Love Can't Fix"	19	68	50	22	13	Joey Lawrence
	"I Can't Help Myself"	—	—	—	—	27
	"Stay Forever"	52	—	—	—	41
1997	"Ven Ven Conmigo"	—	—	—	—	—	Soulmates
1998	"Never Gonna Change My Mind"	—	—	—	—	49
2011	"Rolled"	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
	"Give It To Ya" (Acoustic)	—	—	—	—	—	Guilty
2013	"Our Time"	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
2017	"Girl"	—	—	—	—	—	Imagine
	"Imagine"	—	—	—	—	—
	"Christmas Time"	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
2021	"Turtle"	—	—	—	—	—
	"Something Special"	—	—	—	—	—	Guilty
	"Give It To Ya"	—	—	—	—	—
	"Under the Tree"	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
2022	"Guilty"	—	—	—	—	—	Guilty

References

1. "Brotherly Love Podcast: Hollywood Director Asked Matthew Lawrence to do WHAT in His Hotel Room?! Ep 10". April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023– via YouTube.
2. Weckerly, Dan (March 11, 2023). "Yes, Montco Produced Bradley Cooper and Educated Kobe Bryant, But Other Luminaries Hail from Here, Too". MONTCO Today. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
3. Gliatto, Tom (March 15, 1993). "A Method to His Doofus". People . Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
4. "Grown Up Joey Lawrence Kept the 'Y' – Here's Why". PopEater.com. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
5. Gostin, Nicki (July 26, 2010). "Grown Up Joey Lawrence Kept the 'Y' — Here's Why". PopEater.com. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
6. Radovsky, Vicki Jo (April 23, 1993). "Stonecoldfox". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
7. Lipton, Michael A. (June 27, 1994). "Class of '94". People. Vol. 41, no. 24. ISSN   0093-7673.
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9. "Johnny Carson: Adorable Little Joey Lawrence Wins Over Everyone". YouTube. March 31, 1982. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
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11. Snierson, Dan (October 16, 2002). "' Whoa' Be Gone". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
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13. Master of Dance Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , tlc.discovery.com; accessed March 20, 2017.
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17. Butler, Karen (November 7, 2022). "Joey Lawrence, Le'Veon Bell get the boot on 'Masked Singer'". UPI. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
18. VinFast - It's Time To Charge A Different Path, August 21, 2023, retrieved August 30, 2023
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21. "VinFast Unveils the Second Installment of "Changing Lanes" Campaign Starring Actor Joey Lawrence". FOX19. December 18, 2023.
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25. "Music". Archived from the original on February 5, 2017.
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27. Jennifer Drysdale (July 18, 2020). "Joey Lawrence Files for Divorce From Wife Chandie After 15 Years of Marriage". MSN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
28. Monica Rizzo (November 13, 2006). "Whoa, It's Joey!". People. 66 (20). ISSN   0093-7673 . Retrieved September 18, 2021.
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33. Ryan Naumann (March 9, 2018). "Joey Lawrence Filed for Bankruptcy After Things Got So Bad, He Had to Sell His Clothes". Blast. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
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35. Sarah Hearon (April 9, 2018). "Joey Lawrence's Bankruptcy Case Settled, IRS Won't Receive Full Payment". Us Weekly. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
36. Ally Mauch; Aili Nahas (August 10, 2021). "Joey Lawrence Is Engaged to Girlfriend Samantha Cope: 'We Are Beyond Excited'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
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38. "Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope Welcome Baby Girl: 'Overjoyed with Gratitude'". PEOPLE.com. January 20, 2023.
39. Flam, Charna. "Joey Lawrence's Estranged Wife Samantha Cope Seeking Full Custody of Their 19-Month-Old Daughter". People. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
40. Porreca, Brian (January 13, 2019). "'Celebrity Big Brother' Cast Includes Anthony Scaramucci, Dina Lohan and Ryan Lochte". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 13, 2019.
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47. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending May 1, 1994". ARIA . Retrieved February 22, 2016.
48. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0972". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
49. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Nothin' My Love Can't Fix". Irish Music Charts . Retrieved May 5, 2022.
50. "Official Charts > Joey Lawrence". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Joey Lawrence at the Internet Broadway Database
• Joey Lawrence at IMDb
• Joey Lawrence discography at Discogs