“Before we get married, I gotta go f**k this guy”: Aaron Rodgers reveals ex, Shailene Woodley's, wild request after they got engaged
Engagement unraveled far earlier than many people realized
Aaron Rodgers has spent years largely avoiding a detailed public account of what ended his engagement to Shailene Woodley . Now, as he approaches what could be his final NFL season, he has offered one of his most direct versions yet.
Speaking on teammate Cam Heyward ’s Not Just Football podcast, Rodgers said the relationship changed dramatically within days of his proposal in December 2020.
“She said yes,” Rodgers said. “A couple days after that she tells me, ‘Before we get married I gotta go f**k this guy.’”
Rodgers didn't identify the person he was referring to, and Woodley has not publicly responded to that specific allegation. He said the engagement was already effectively over by March 2021.
“I proposed in December, took off the ring by March, and we had a couple of times when we tried to get reunited and nothing ever happened,” Rodgers added.
Who was the one that walked away?
Much of Rodgers ’ frustration appeared to center on how the breakup has been discussed publicly since the couple separated.
He said there was “not even a relationship in ’22 to break off” and claimed Woodley had already made her position clear during their attempts to reconcile.
“She literally told me I don’t want to be with you,” Rodgers said.
That account contrasts with the way Woodley has spoken about the emotional fallout from the relationship.
In a 2024 interview, she described going through a “really awful, traumatic” period and said: “I felt like I lost my soul, my self, my happiness, my joy.”
She also said she came to understand “depression and anxiety” in a much deeper way during that time. Rodgers pushed back against any suggestion that he had simply abandoned her.
“Shai, you left me, you took the ring off,” he said. “Her story is that I ruined her life and gave her crazy depression because I left her… What are we talking about regarding me ruining your life?”
Rodgers wants the past left alone
The four-time MVP also made clear that he has little interest in continuing to revisit previous relationships publicly.
“Move on with your life,” Rodgers said. “Don’t mention me.”
Woodley has previously called that period “the darkest, hardest time of my life,” but she hasn't publicly confirmed Rodgers ’ version of how the engagement ended. Rodgers has since remarried and is focused on a much different future.
He has spoken openly about wanting to start a family with his wife, Brittani , and about stepping away from the spotlight once his football career is over.
Before that happens, he still has one more major chapter to write in Pittsburgh. His comments about Woodley , however, suggest there are parts of his past he was not willing to leave unexplained.
