Friendly exes! After Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley called off their engagement, the twosome are moving forward.
“They wanted to get married and were planning a wedding, but ended it before they made a serious commitment,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly of the quarterback, 38, and the Big Little Lies alum, 30. “It was an amicable split and they are on good terms now.”
The duo, who confirmed their engagement early last year after a whirlwind romance, had been able to “spend more time together” before Rodgers’ football season began, the insider explains.
“They were on this joy ride and ended up getting engaged too fast,” the source continues. “Friends felt they rushed into it.”
Rodgers’ passion for the sport and a growing list of differences ended up driving a wedge between him and the actress.
“They certainly had their differences and ultimately their relationship didn’t work,” an insider told Us. “They thought were a good match for each other in the beginning but the more they got to know each other they realized their careers, their interests [and] their political views weren’t aligned.”
Multiple sources confirmed to Us on Wednesday, February 16, that the couple had broken up.
“Shailene has been super busy with work,” one insider told Us on Wednesday, noting that the professional athlete is very “focused” on his career. “Everything was so different during lockdown, and they had been living in their bubble. Friends of Shailene didn’t believe Aaron is the best match for her.”
Rodgers and the Fallout actress first sparked dating rumors in July 2020, shortly after the NFL athlete’s split from Danica Patrick.
“We met during this whacky, whacky time and all the stadiums were closed that he was playing in. I didn’t really grow up with sports, especially American sports. It was never really on my radar,” Woodley recalled during a February 2021 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “When we met, also, I knew he was a football guy, but I didn’t know like what kind of a football guy he was. And I’m still constantly learning.”
As the exes’ relationship continued to heat up, Rodgers caught flak surrounding his controversial beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine. The former Jeopardy! host made headlines after confirming that he chose not to get the shot while continuing to play in Green Bay Packers games.
“It wasn’t some sort of ruse or lie, it was the truth. Had there been a follow-up to my statement that I’d been immunized, I would have responded with this: I would have said, ‘Look, I’m not some sort of anti-vax-flat-Earther. I’m somebody who’s a critical thinker,’” Rodgers claimed during a November 2021 appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “I march to the beat of my own drum. I believe strongly in bodily autonomy, [in the] ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something.”
He was later forced to pay a hefty fine for not complying with the NFL’s health and safety protocols. Woodley, for her part, stood by her man and defended him from criticism.
“Literally, y’all need to calm the f—k down,” the Descendants star wrote via Instagram Story in November 2021 after rumors swirled that her then-fiancé had broken his quarantine when he tested positive for the coronavirus. “This is straight up HILARIOUS. … I know Aaron’s body very well. First off, his feet, ahem and no offense to this rando dude, are a LOT bigger.”
She continued: “Also, for those of us who know Aaron beyond the worlds of obsessed sport [stories] … it’s no secret he has the hairiest hands on the f—king planet. This oblivious homie, clearly, does not.”
With reporting by Diana Cooper
