Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick appeared to be a perfect match ahead of their 2020 split.
Us Weekly confirmed in January 2018 that the Green Bay Packers player and the Wisconsin native were dating after they were spotted together in the Midwest one month prior. Before sparking their romance, the pair met at the 2012 ESPY Awards.
“It was quick,” Patrick recalled of their initial interaction during a May 2018 interview on The Jenny McCarthy Show. “I got his email address, and I remember thinking to myself back then, like, ‘Oh, on the down low. Not a phone number, just an email address. Which is whatever.’”
She and Rodgers kept in touch every so often, but their communication wasn’t consistent. “It wasn’t until, obviously, recently that we actually had [each other’s] phone numbers,” the NASCAR champ added. “We referred to each other as Chicago and Green Bay, it was very cute.”
The pair’s romance continued to heat up until July 2020, when fans noticed Patrick had unfollowed the Super Bowl XLV winner on social media. Us confirmed that month that the twosome had called it quits.
Scroll down for a look back at the former couple’s ups and downs:
July 2012
The pair first crossed paths at the 2012 ESPYs. “We both remember meeting each other, it was quick,” Patrick recalled six years later on Jenny McCarthy’s SiriusXM show. “I got his email address, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘Oh, not a phone number? Just an email address?'”
January 2018
Us confirmed the duo’s romance one month after they were spotted dining at a restaurant in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
September 2018
“We just watch a lot of sports,” the former racing driver teased to Us about how she and Rodgers spend their free time. She went on to gush over her “honest” beau, who she said helped her “gain confidence” and “step outside of” her comfort zone.
October 2018
The California native opened up about his strong feelings for Patrick during an interview with Artful Living. “We’re just two people who enjoy being around each other and love each other,” he said at the time. “We’re really into each other. So there are going to be posts with each other because we enjoy each other’s company a lot. We’re really attracted to each other. … We really enjoy traveling … She’s up for anything travel-wise, which is fun.”
August 2019
When asked whether she saw engagement in her future, Patrick said on The Jenny McCarthy Show, “You can’t be attached to something going a certain way because if you really want something to happen, there’s that equal energy of being afraid that it’s not going to happen. So you just have to let it go and be like, ‘Well, am I having fun today? Yep, then life’s good.'”
She joked at the time, “I’ll probably get proposed to tomorrow now.”
December 2019
The twosome purchased a home together in Malibu. The 4,636-square-foot estate, which was previously owned by singer Robbie Williams, boasted four bedrooms and four bathrooms with a two-bedroom guesthouse, beach access, an ocean view and a pool.
July 2020
Patrick’s rep confirmed to Us that the athletes were “no longer together” after she unfollowed Rodgers on Instagram weeks prior. Shortly after their breakup made headlines, the quarterback was spotted with Woodley.
September 2020
“I have just a new and increased love of life and I have made decisions and changes and habits that put me in a lot better head space,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show, describing his mindset post-split. “There’s just a lot of things that have come together in my life over the last few months that have really been enjoyable and reminded me, given me perspective in life and in football to view things through the most positive lens I possibly can.”
Rodgers added that he felt “a lot happier” while focusing on “mindfulness and positivity and love and kindness and integrity.”
March 2021
During an appearance on Tamron Hall’s talk show, Patrick revealed that splitting from Rodgers was a valuable learning experience. “When you know what you don’t want, you know what you do want,” she said. “It’s not necessarily that they have their work cut out for him but that they’re going to be an extremely high-quality person with a lot of boxes to check. It’s not as though there are boxes to check, it’s just that I know what I want now and I’m not willing to compromise [or] bend as much.”
One month later, Patrick made her relationship with Comstock official on Instagram. The duo called it quits after less than one year together.
April 2021
“I think we learn the most about ourselves through relationships, but there’s nothing like heartbreak to really throw you in the deep end of that,” Patrick confessed during an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls when asked about working through “hard” breakups. “But I’ve learned a lot and as broken open as I was on the sad end, I have felt so much joy in so many more instances and so many more unlikely places than I ever have, so it’s like my heart got broken open to both ends of the spectrum.”
August 2022
More than two years after they called it quits, Rodgers reflected on his “great relationship” with Patrick. “She is on her own journey and spirituality is important to her,” he said on the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast,” noting how his ex inspired him to explore new perspectives. “We both were finding our way, learning about different things [and] practicing meditation techniques.”
May 2025
During an appearance on the “Sage Steele Show” podcast, Patrick reflected on her and Rodgers’ relationship and claimed that he was “emotionally abusive.” (The NFL star has not addressed the claims. Us reached out for comment.)
“It was sudden [and] it felt like it was my life. You know, when you live with somebody and it’s, like, your whole life,” she said. “It’s your dentist appointment, it’s your hairdo, it’s your clothes, it’s your mailing address. It’s, like, everything.”
According to Patrick, her now-ex “wore me down to nothing.”
“He leaves a trail of blood. I don’t think I’m saying too much earth-shattering stuff after there’s been enough out there,” Patrick quipped. “[The breakup] gave me the greatest gift, which was myself. I was, like, ‘Wow.’ It gave me the greatest gift of how much I needed to show up for myself and take care of myself.”
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