Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley had the most unlikely relationship, sharing opposing political views. The NFL star became a controversial figure with his anti-vaccination statements during COVID-19 and, most recently, with his allegations against Jimmy Kimmel. Fans have always doubted whether Rodgers’ conspiracy theorist view made it difficult for Woodley to continue in the relationship.
The duo began their relationship sometime in mid-2020 and announced their engagement in February 2021. Later in February 2022, sources reported that they had split. The couple were spotted together days after the reports, but sources close to them confirmed that the relationship was over.
Aaron Rodgers And Shailene Woodley’s Time Together — Why Did They Break Up?
Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley’s relationship was first reported by the sports gossip blog Terez Owens. It was suggested that Woodley was the reason for the split between Rodgers and his then-girlfriend Danica Patrick. While several rumors followed about their relationship, Rodgers announced his engagement to his “fiancée” only in February 2021 during the NFL Honors Awards (via E! News).
Rodgers did not name Woodley, but she later confirmed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she was engaged to Rodgers. She showed Jimmy Fallon’s audience the beautiful ring while stating, “I never thought I’d be engaged [to] somebody who threw balls for a living.” She also added that they met during a “whacky, whacky time” (lockdown) and had been engaged “for a while”.
In July 2021, the Divergent actress told Entertainment Tonight that they were in no rush to get married. She shared, “There’s no wedding planning happening.” In November of that year, Rodgers came under fire for allegedly violating COVID-19 quarantine protocols. Woodley came to her fiancé’s defense and noted on her Instagram story, “Literally, y’all need to calm the f**k down.” (via Us Weekly).
Reports of their split came in February 2022, when various sources reported via In Touch that they had called off their engagement. An insider source revealed that The Fault in Our Stars actress felt neglected in the relationship as he put his career first. The source told In Touch:
“While Shailene is supportive of Aaron’s career, he put football first and they were barely spending any time together. She felt he neglected their relationship. Neither of them was happy.”
Another source also added that they “couldn’t make it work” due to numerous “obstacles”. While many fans speculated their political differences as these “obstacles”, both Woodley and Rodgers confirmed that they never let politics affect their relationship. There were reconciliation rumors shortly after the breakup, but both parties have since remained separated.
Both Aaron Rodgers And Shailene Woodley Cryptically Addressed The Breakup
Aaron Rodgers shared a heartfelt Instagram post thanking some of the “incredibly special people” in his life and included a tribute to Shailene Woodley. This post came just days after the reports of their split in February 2022. In the post, he expressed his gratitude to The Spectacular Now actress for her “incredible kindness” and “unconditional love”. Rodgers shared in the post:
View this post on Instagram
Woodley revealed in the cover story of Porter magazine in January 2023 that her TV series Three Women helped her get over the “darkest, hardest time” in her personal life. She revealed that she was grateful to the series which allowed her to process her grief through her character. She told Porter:
“It was hard to film because I was going through the darkest, hardest time in my life; it was winter in New York, and my personal life was shitty, so it felt like a big pain bubble for eight months. I was so grateful that at least I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character.”
Rodgers, who recently made the move from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets, is currently dating Mallory Edens, daughter of billionaire businessman Wes Edens.
