Love is a battlefield: The biggest LGBTQ+ breakups & hookups of 2023
Making a relationship work is tough for everyone, whether you're an Instagay, global superstar, or just a dude reading this article.
It’s like Hugh Grant says in that slightly problematic Christmas movie: “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.”
However, reflecting on 2023 –– which some outlets have dubbed “the Year of Celebrity Breakups” –– it’s easy to focus on the splits and forget the happily ever afters.
From Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn, to Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, and all the “conscious uncoupling”s in between, the past 12 months have been a reminder that when you boil it down, stars are just like us.
How about we take this to the next level?
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And making a relationship work is tough for everyone, whether you’re an Instagay, global superstar, or just a dude reading this article.
That being said, there’s no reason to feel pessimistic about the state of gay romance, as couples like Chrishell Stause and G Flip and Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown have shown us.
In fact, Gallup recently reported that one in 10 LGBTQ+ adults are married to someone of the same-sex and 6% live with a partner.
So, as we tie a bow on the year, let’s celebrate all the queer couples who jumped the broom and pour one out for those who didn’t make it.
Because at the end of the day, we all survived this year –– and that’s a big enough feat on its own.
Here are the biggest LGBTQ+ get togethers and breakups of the year…
IN: Rebel Wilson & Ramona Agruma
Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson, 43, kicked off the year with a fairytale engagement to girlfriend (and fashion designer) Ramona Agruma in February at Disneyland. It was a fitting moment, considering the Australian actress came out in a June 2022 Instagram post captioned, “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess.”
While the two have yet to set a date, Wilson told People they’re enjoying “building [their] family unit” as they raise Royce Lillian, their one-year-old daughter born via surrogate.
OUT: Antoni Porowski & Kevin Harrington
Back in November, Antoni Porowski, 39, and longtime partner Kevin Harrington announced they were calling it quits. The two –– who began dating in July 2019 and got engaged in November 2022 –– made the call “after many conversations and reflection during the wedding planning process.”
As a rep told People, “While they still have a lot of respect for each other, as they talked more about the future, they realized they were on different paths.” Though neither party has further addressed the breakup, it seems Queer Eye‘s culinary expert is staying busy; Porowski recently signed on to lead upcoming National Geographic docuseries No Taste Like Home.
IN: Conrad Ricamora & Peter Wesley Jensen
Introducing the Ricamora-Jensens! Fire Island and How to Get Away with Murder actor Conrad Ricamora, 44, and partner Peter Wesley tied the knot at a City Hall wedding in New York City this past July. “Happily hyphenated,” Ricamora wrote in a post on Instagram, adding the day was “the highlight of [his] life.”
More recently, he thanked his hubby for supporting him through an intense Broadway run with Here Lies Love, calling Wesley “my person, my family, my Nova Scotian/Torontonian/Canadian valentine … my whole heart.” Aw!
OUT: Ricky Martin & Jwan Yosef
Ricky Martin, 51, and husband of six-years Jwan Yosef, 39, announced their divorce back in July. As they told People, “We decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children and honor what we have experienced as a couple all these wonderful years.”
According to Martin, the two had been “planning this situation for a long time now –– pre-pandemic,” adding, “We’re better than ever, and we’re single.” He’s now focused on co-parenting their daughter Lucia and son Renn, as well as twin sons Matteo and Valentino, born before their marriage.
IN: Denali & Alexander
After slaying the runway on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 13 queen Denali –– a.k.a. Cordero Zuckerman –– is preparing to strut down the aisle! In November, the 31-year-old performer proposed to Alexander, his boyfriend whom he met “not even a week after” moving to Chicago six years ago.
Denali announced their engagement in an Instagram post, writing, “To a whole lifetime of adapting to what life throws at us, morphing into the new version of ourselves and our family and to endless nights on the dance floor. Now give me that corporate insurance!” LOL.
OUT: Billy Porter & Adam Smith
Billy Porter, 54, and husband Adam Smith announced their split after 6 years of marriage back in July, with Porter’s rep telling People: “The decision was an amicable and mutual one and was made after much consideration.”
The two originally met at a dinner party in 2009 and broke up after a year, before getting back together years later and tying the knot in 2017. In an interview with The Standard in August, Porter called the split “bittersweet.” Still, he added, “We made it as far as we could. But we learn, we grow, and we live. And I’m looking forward to the next… adventure.”
IN: Brian Sims & Alex Drakos
Brian Sims, former Pennsylvania State Representative and LGBTQ+ advocate and activist, announced his engagement to partner Alex Drakos back in October.
Sims, 45, and Drakos met when their “paths crossed” in Provincetown and after a long-distance relationship, made the move to New York City together this year. As Sims wrote on Instagram, “I’m so stupidly grateful to have this amazing man in my life and now it’ll be forever.” Our lil’ gay hearts!
OUT: Russell Tovey & Steve Brockman
Looking actor and Talk Art! host Russell Tovey reportedly split from longtime partner and former fiancé Steve Brockman back in September.
The news came via Daily Mail after the two unfollowed each other on Instagram and the American Horror Story star, 42, shared a cryptic pic of his dog, writing, “It’s just you and me kid.” (He later changed the caption to “This is all for you my son…”) That being said, both men are yet to officially issue a statement on their breakup.
IN: Matteo Lane & Rodrigo Aburto
Gay comedian –– and opera singer-slash-Italian cooking pro –– Matteo Lane, 37, married dancer, actor, and fitness coach Rodrigo Aburto in August. The two announced their nuptials on social media, with Aburto writing alongside pics: “At your eyes for the rest of my life.”
While it’s unclear how long the two had been dating, those gorgeous wedding pics are proof that they remain nothing short of “couple goals.”
OUT: Nicky Champa & Pierre Boo
Social media influencers Nicky Champa, 28, and Pierre Boo, 37, announced their divorce in July. The American and French TikTok stars had gotten hitched in August 2022 after six years together, building a brand online around their relationship.
Fittingly, Champa and Boo addressed the split a month later in a YouTube video entitled “we broke up,” admitting their age-gap was a challenge and offering their near 2.84 million subscribers some closure. As of this writing, their joint channel remains live as a “little archive” of their journey together.
IN: Nico Santos & Zeke Smith
This November, Superstore actor Nico Santos, 44, and Survivor alum Zeke Smith, 35, had a “big gay wedding” during Pride weekend in Palm Springs, California. Their celebration even had drag queens, romcom line readings, and a veil and cord ceremony.
Furthermore, the significance of the day wasn’t lost on the happy newlyweds (who got engaged in 2022 after nearly six years together). As Santos told People, they recalled a time when “[marriage] wasn’t a reality for [LGBTQ+ people.]” He further elaborated in an Instagram post, calling their wedding “an absolute perfect day from start to finish.” Here’s to many more joyous years!
OUT: Ashlyn Harris & Ali Krieger
News that U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team players Ashlyn Harris, 37 and Ali Krieger, 39, were splitting broke in October after multiple outlets reported that Harris had filed for divorce back in September.
After rumors surrounding their divorce took over sapphic TikTok, Harris turned to Instagram to ask for privacy, explaining that “ending a relationship after almost 13 years of friendship, teammate-ship, marriage and co-parenting (many of them good years) is a decision that was not made lightly,” and requesting people “treat me and my family with some humanity.”
The two athletes, who met in 2010 and married in 2019, share two kids: daughter Sloane and son Ocean.
IN & OUT: Lukas Gage & Chris Appleton
It’s been a year of ups and downs for White Lotus star Lukas Gage, 28, and celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, 40. After making their relationship official in March, the two men tied the knot a month later in Las Vegas. The ceremony, officiated by Kim Kardashian, was followed by an intimate Shania Twain concert and even documented in the latest season of The Kardashians.
However, Appleton shockingly filed for divorce in November after nearly seven months, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Neither parties have issued an official statement –– although Us Weekly reported the split is “not amicable” –– but Gage has kept a brave face. Recently, he joked about the short-lived marriage at a dinner party and hit the red carpet solo for the Fargo Season 5 premiere.
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