Jodie Turner-Smith opened up on Hoda Kotb’s Joy 101 about how she and ex-husband Joshua Jackson explain their divorce to their daughter, using age-appropriate language, books, and the idea of “two homes filled with love.”
Jodie Turner-Smith didn’t describe divorce as a single conversation. She framed it as something that has to be revisited as a child grows—especially when your daughter is old enough to ask questions that don’t have simple answers.
On Monday’s episode of Hoda Kotb’s Joy 101 podcast. the actress looked back at how she and Joshua Jackson have handled their split while raising their daughter. Juno. Turner-Smith said their divorce is something she understands personally because she “is a child of divorce. ” and she added that her ex-husband “is. too.” For that reason. she said it’s always mattered how they choose the “language” to talk about it. since it’s become “her new reality.”.
The timeline is now clear: back in 2023, Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson officially split up. They filed for divorce in 2023 and finalized it in 2025. At the time of the breakup, their daughter Juno was three years old; now, Turner-Smith said, she’s six.
That age shift is part of what makes the conversations harder to get right. Turner-Smith admitted they’re “learning” and “not always getting it totally right,” but she returns to a steady message: “The idea is always two homes filled with love. I’m like, ‘You got two houses, girl.’”
Turner-Smith also said she tries to keep the discussion honest without turning it into something too complicated for a child. When asked what’s most difficult for her. she said: “You got to walk this line between. obviously. being age-appropriate and child-centered in the way that you talk about it. But also keeping it real, so that she has an understanding of what this means.”.
To help with that, books have become her go-to. The Agency star explained that she reads her “so many books about divorce. about what that means. ” including what this “new world is. ” what should be happening and what “is not supposed to be happening.” She added that children’s books have been “helpful as well.”.
Juno remains the centerpiece of their approach—even as other parts of their situation are still unresolved. The custody battle between Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson is still ongoing.
As the conversation moved through the practical details of what to say—and how to keep it loving—one theme stayed consistent: divorce may change the structure of a family, but the parents want their daughter to hear a message that doesn’t waver.
Watch the full convo (below):
Jodie Turner-Smith Joshua Jackson Joy 101 Hoda Kotb divorce Juno parenting custody battle Agency