Guy who runs bar Sophie Turner was photographed at says Daily Mail made up story about him

@theaudacityofitall0/TikTok

‘They’ve used the material as a weapon’: Bar manager who took photos with Sophie Turner says ‘Daily Mail’ spun his story

The bar manager apologized for posting the photos, but says he didn't previously know Turner and didn't know about the divorce.

 

Audra Schroeder

Internet Culture

Posted on Sep 8, 2023   Updated on Sep 7, 2023, 11:14 pm CDT

As the Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner divorce stories continue to spin out, the Daily Mail did its part to help Jonas’ misogynistic PR campaign.

It ran an “exclusive” on Thursday, claiming that Turner was downing shots and partying at Birmingham bar DropShot Digbeth this weekend, during a wrap party for her upcoming TV show Joan.

Hezron Stephenson, the manager of the bar, was quoted in the article and is featured in photos with Turner, but he says the Daily Mail made it seem like they knew each other. And yesterday, a source told TMZ that Turner was the one in the relationship who liked to “party.”

“So all this is my fault,” Stephenson says in the TikTok, posted Thursday. “And I’m very sorry for it. Like, it wasn’t intentional.”

@theaudacityofitall0 Papers say a lot of things. We arent mates. I dont know her, or her relationship. – stop messaging me about it #fyp #sophieturner #sophie #bar #jonas #joejonas #cute #stressrelief ♬ original sound – Hezron Stephenson

Stephenson claims that he had to Google Turner before she came in because he wasn’t familiar with her, and he hasn’t “known of the Jonas Brothers since they’re on fucking Nickelodeon.”

The divorce news also wasn’t public then, so he didn’t know about it.

“I didn’t even know she had kids,” Stephenson says. He adds that she “wasn’t getting smashed” and was “just having a good time.”

He says that though he was given permission to take the photos and post them to his personal social media, he was asked to take the photos down after the divorce news came out, which he did. And then the Daily Mail used them as a gotcha, and put them in a different context.

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*First Published: Sep 8, 2023, 7:00 am CDT