Danica Patrick Makes Explosive Abuse Claims About Aaron Rodgers

Former race car driver Danica Patrick and NFL star Aaron Rodgers, who dated from January 2018 to July 2020, were once one of the sports world's most high-profile and talked-about couples.

Now, Danica Patrick is opening up like never before about the pain she endured following her high-profile split from NFL star Aaron Rodgers, accusing the quarterback of being emotionally abusive during their two-year relationship.

On the May 21 episode of "The Sage Steele Show" podcast, the retired NASCAR driver got candid about the heartbreak she says reshaped her life.

“Because it was sudden, it felt like. It was my life. So like when you live with somebody, it’s your whole life,” she said, referring to their breakup in 2020. “When you live with somebody, it’s like your whole life, your dentist appointment, your hairdo, your clothes, your mailing address. It’s everything.”

Patrick didn’t hold back as she described the emotional toll of the relationship, calling it the most painful experience she’s ever gone through. “The nature of the relationship was emotionally abusive,” she alleged. “It wore me down to nothing.”

Patrick explained that she once considered herself immune to losing confidence, but the relationship pushed her to a place she never imagined.

“Someone that people could never imagine would lack any confidence or belief in the simple things about who I am. Everything was down to bits,” she said. "He leaves a trail of blood. I don’t think I’m saying too much earth-shattering stuff after we, there’s been enough out there."

Despite the pain, Patrick said the breakup ultimately became a turning point. “It gave me the greatest gift, which was myself,” she revealed. “It showed me how much I needed to show up for myself and take care of myself.”

She also admitted to ignoring red flags at the time. “My nature is to try harder and to do more… I would say, ‘I’m built for hard things.’ And so, I just saw it as a hard thing,” she shared, adding that she now wishes she had walked away sooner.

Still, Patrick holds no regret. “I don’t have shame and I don’t have regret because I know that everything leads to the next thing,” she said. “It’s all part of the path of learning the lessons and becoming who you are again.”

Patrick isn’t the only one to hint at emotional turmoil in a relationship with Rodgers.

Actress Shailene Woodley also alluded to deep pain following her split from the NFL star. In a vulnerable interview with Outside Magazine, the "Big Little Lies" actress revealed she’s largely avoided discussing their former engagement because it brings her to tears.

“I haven’t shared much about my relationship with Aaron because it always makes me cry,” Woodley said, reportedly tearing up during the interview. “It was not right. But it was beautiful.”

Reflecting on that period, Woodley admitted that early 2022 was especially dark. “I had a really awful, traumatic thing happen… I felt like I lost my soul, my self, my happiness, my joy,” she shared. “I really understood depression and anxiety and, like, complete soul detachment.”

Without naming Rodgers directly, Woodley acknowledged staying in a toxic relationship because of her deep sense of empathy. “Empathy kind of kept me in this loop of feeling everything for everyone,” she said.

Woodley and Rodgers ended their engagement in February 2022, just over a year after going public with their romance. They briefly reconciled before splitting again in April of the same year.

Olivia Munn’s relationship with Rodgers was under intense scrutiny from the start.

Throughout their three-year romance, the actress was often blamed for the quarterback’s well-documented estrangement from his family, despite the fact that the rift began long before she entered the picture.

Rodgers’ strained ties with his relatives were thrust into the spotlight in 2016 when his younger brother, Jordan Rodgers, revealed on "The Bachelorette" that they were no longer in contact. Their father, Ed Rodgers, later confirmed the ongoing family disconnect in an interview with The New York Times.

Addressing the speculation, Munn defended herself and clarified the situation. “I was friendly with Jordan, and I met the parents only a couple of times,” she explained. “Before Aaron and I started dating, he hadn’t spoken to his parents or one of his brothers for about eight months.”

Still, nearly everything Munn said publicly about Rodgers made headlines, with critics quick to point fingers amid an already tense family dynamic.

If you or someone you know is facing domestic abuse, confidential support is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.