Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers met at an award show years before their romance began. At first, their connection seemed easy and full of shared interests. Over time, their relationship grew stronger, with big life steps and public moments. But behind the smiles and travels, something was changing. What seemed strong on the outside held pain on the inside. What followed next would reshape how Danica Patrick spoke about love, strength, and the cost of staying too long.
2012: First Meeting at the ESPY Awards
Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers first crossed paths at the 2012 ESPY Awards. Though they didn’t begin dating at that time, they kept in touch over the years, maintaining a friendly correspondence via email. This early connection laid the groundwork for their eventual romance.
2017: End of Previous Relationships
Leading up to their relationship, both Patrick and Rodgers experienced significant breakups. Patrick ended her five-year relationship with NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in December 2017. Rodgers had previously dated actress Olivia Munn from 2014 to 2017, a relationship that reportedly introduced tension between Rodgers and his family.
January 2018: Relationship Confirmed
Speculation about Patrick and Rodgers began swirling after they were spotted together in the Midwest. In January 2018, Us Weekly confirmed that the Green Bay Packers quarterback and the retired NASCAR driver were officially dating. Patrick publicly praised Rodgers, emphasizing honesty and openness as key values in their relationship.
2018–2019: Public Appearances and Shared Interests
Throughout their relationship, Patrick and Rodgers were frequently seen together at public events and on social media. They attended the Daytona 500, the Kentucky Derby, and various red carpet events. Both spoke about their mutual interest in health, wellness, and spirituality, with Rodgers later reflecting, “We both were finding our way, learning about different things [and] practicing meditation techniques”.
The couple also took trips together and shared moments from their travels, including a romantic getaway to Paris. Their relationship was marked by a sense of adventure and a willingness to explore new experiences together.
2020: Moving In and Growing Closer
By 2020, Patrick and Rodgers had moved in together, integrating their lives in meaningful ways. Patrick described the depth of their connection: “When you cohabitate with someone, it encompasses every aspect of your life—your dentist appointments, your hairstyle, your wardrobe, your mailing address. It’s everything”. Friends and fans speculated about the possibility of marriage, with Patrick joking to Sage Steele, “Everyone believes they will marry their partner after three months, absolutely, but I was merely advising you to protect your heart, so you wouldn’t experience heartbreak or at least test the waters”.
July 2020: Sudden Breakup
In July 2020, news broke that Patrick and Rodgers had split after more than two years together. The breakup was abrupt and, according to Patrick, deeply painful. “It was abrupt and felt like it was my entire world,” she recounted. “When you live with somebody, it’s your whole life. … The dynamic of the relationship was emotionally damaging and left me feeling depleted”. She described the breakup as “the most amount of pain” she had ever experienced.
Patrick later revealed that she did not immediately recognize the emotional toll of the relationship. “Hindsight, I ignored it, but in real life, it was just like I just feel like—I would say all the time, ‘I’m built for hard things. I can handle hard things.’ And so I just saw it as a hard thing”. She admitted that her resilience and drive to “try harder and do more” kept her in the relationship longer than she should have stayed.
2021–2022: Reflections and Moving Forward
After the breakup, Patrick focused on healing and self-discovery. She spoke openly about the emotional abuse she experienced, stating, “The dynamics of the relationship were draining, leaving me feeling utterly depleted. People would never envision that I could struggle with confidence or self-worth. Everything was shattered. He leaves a path of destruction”. Despite the pain, Patrick found meaning in the experience: “It gave me the greatest gift of how much I needed to show up for myself and take care of myself”.
Rodgers, for his part, reflected positively on their time together during an appearance on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast in August 2022. He said the relationship was “great for me because she is on her own journey and spirituality is important to her. We both were finding our way, learning about different things [and] practicing meditation techniques”. Rodgers has not publicly addressed Patrick’s allegations of emotional abuse, and his representatives have not responded to media requests for comment.
2023–2025: New Chapters
Following their split, both Patrick and Rodgers moved on to new relationships. Rodgers was briefly engaged to actress Shailene Woodley, but they ended their engagement in 2022. Patrick was linked to entrepreneur Carter Comstock, though they also eventually parted ways.
Patrick has continued to reflect on her relationship with Rodgers in interviews and podcasts, emphasizing the lessons she learned about self-worth and prioritizing her own needs. “You can’t truly understand how much you can be cherished unless you allow someone the chance to find fault in you for things you fear might lead to disapproval,” Patrick said in a recent interview. “It taught me the invaluable lesson of prioritizing myself and my well-being”.
News in Brief: Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers relationship
Patrick’s perspective on the relationship is shaped by her experience of emotional depletion and the process of rebuilding her confidence. She has described Rodgers as someone who “leaves a path of destruction,” but also credits the breakup with giving her the “greatest gift” of rediscovering herself. Her openness about emotional abuse has sparked broader conversations about the challenges faced by women in high-profile relationships.
Rodgers, meanwhile, has largely refrained from public comment on the specifics of their breakup or Patrick’s allegations. His statements have focused on the positive aspects of their shared journey, particularly their mutual interest in spirituality and personal growth.
Their relationship, highly visible and often scrutinized, offers insight into the complexities of love, fame, and personal evolution. While Patrick’s candid reflections highlight the emotional costs of their romance, both she and Rodgers have expressed a commitment to growth and learning in its aftermath.
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