Photo Credit:Jeffrey Mayer/JTMPhotos, Int’l. / MEGA
Actors Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner‑Smith have suddenly called off a scheduled custody trial over their daughter Juno, 5, opting instead to negotiate their dispute privately. The trial was set to begin in mid-October 2025, but Turner-Smith’s legal team filed court paperwork on October 14 asking for it to be removed from the calendar. According to the motion, both parents are working with a privately retained temporary judge to hammer out a final custody judgment.
The former couple finalized their divorce in May 2025 after separating in 2023. Under the terms of that settlement, they had agreed to joint custody of Juno and set child support at $2,787 per month. Despite the agreement, tensions remained, particularly around major parenting decisions.
In June 2025, Jackson filed an emergency motion claiming Turner-Smith had unilaterally switched their daughter’s school without his consent. In his filing, Jackson argued he believed Turner-Smith was “attempting to create a scenario where Juno travels with her rather than attending a traditional school.” Turner-Smith countered that under a prior 2024 court order, she maintained decision-making authority for Juno’s schooling, provided she consulted Jackson first.
The custody trial cancellation suggests both sides may be seeking a less adversarial path forward. By returning custody matters to a private judge and sidelining the public courtroom setting, they can negotiate details like decision-making authority, travel with the child, schooling and parenting time without the spotlight of a full hearing.
For Jackson and Turner-Smith, the shift reveals a broader co-parenting strategy. Both have previously remarked publicly on the complexities of raising their daughter amid divergent professional schedules and lifestyles. Turner-Smith told Glamour in 2024 that co-parenting after marriage brings its own challenges and emphasized the importance of consistency and mutual support.
As of now, neither party has issued a detailed public comment about the decision to withdraw from court. The latest documents simply note that the trial is off and that both sides intend to continue working toward a resolution in the privacy of mediation.