TikTok ain't buying what the Joe Jonas PR machine is selling.

The PR has backfired.

Anyone who has been within an inch of the internet this week will have come across the news that Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are divorcing. 

The pair officially confirmed reports earlier this week with a statement on Instagram stating they had "mutually decided to amicably end" their marriage. Both shared it, tagging each other in their respective posts, putting on a united front - as long as you remained on the Instagram app.

Elsewhere, 'amicable' seemed far from everyone's minds - and we've all noticed the cogs turning.

"I want to know who his publicist is," Bethenny Frankel — yes, of Real Housewives of New York City — pondered on TikTok. 

"It seems like his team decided to … kill or be killed. His PR team definitely said, 'We know this is coming, and we’ve got to spin this thing."

@bethennyfrankel Whoa… please corrext me and fill me in…. #divorce #sophieturner #jonasbrothers ♬ original sound - Bethenny Frankel

She's not the only one thinking along those lines. 

The stories from 'sources' came through thick and fast in recent days, mostly appearing in Joe's favour and positioning Sophie as the problem. Even before the divorce was confirmed, TMZ's story editorialised, stating: "We're told over the last three months, Joe has been caring for their two young children 'pretty much all of the time,' even as his band was touring."

Breaking news: father parents his own children!

Tabloids have also made jabs about who has worked more recently (Joe), and published quotes from 'sources' that paint Sophie's 'lifestyle' as to blame. Just hours after the joint statement claiming unity, TMZ also shared another story claiming that Joe "saw/heard something" on a Ring security camera that made him realise the marriage was over.

And as photos of Sophie drinking shots — at a wrap party for her latest role — were plastered across front pages, so too were paparazzi images of Joe out and about at a cafe with their daughters.

"Do not underestimate the intelligence and instincts of women," Bethenny continued in her video. "It sounds like a camp started camping too soon."

She's not wrong. 

Of course, we have no idea what actually happened between Joe and Sophie (and we don't have a right to know). But the narrative that has been spun has fed into very old school, insidious wife and mother shaming and it's actually been quite heartening to see so many corners of the internet fully push back against that.

The Camp Joe strings are far too visible right now and have backfired, with people invested in the story now suspicious of him more than anyone else.

A resurfaced interview that seems to debunk the claim that Sophie is a big partier has gone completely viral, and other creators have done deep dives that paint Joe in the bad light.

It's opened up scrutiny on him for everything, from past relationships to his seven-year age-gap with Sophie.

"Joe Jonas and his team are hiding something," one TikTok video with more than 300,000 views begins, as comments speculate about what exactly that secret could be.

Others are titled things like 'POV: Joe Jonas projecting' and 'Every time Joe Jonas has blamed woman', while freely calling his recent actions part of a 'smear campaign'.

Over on X (uh... the social media platform previously known as Twitter), tweets in support of Sophie have tens of thousands of likes.

You’re over, joe Jonas https://t.co/78429EJWK3

— iamhunkydory (@itschergurl) September 7, 2023

Even on older, unrelated posts on Joe's own accounts, new comments have poured in to express support for Sophie.

We talk all the time about PR and celebrity narratives. Sometimes it goes too far — not everything is a conspiracy or a plant — but sometimes, it's just so blazingly obvious that it may have well as slapped you in the face. 

And the great irony is that in trying so hard to get ahead of the narrative, Joe's camp has turned all the negative attention towards him.

Feature image: TikTok/Getty.