Shailene Woodley laughed off a question about ex-fiancé Aaron Rodgers' explosive tell-all interview, in which the NFL quarterback made a cuckolding confession about their relationship. The 34-year-old actress was approached by TMZ while arriving at a pre-Emmy Awards gala in Los Angeles on Sunday and reacted with a laugh before walking off without saying a word.
Woodley was asked directly about claims made by her 42-year-old ex, including his assertion that she asked to have sex with another man before they got married.
Woodley and Rodgers began dating in 2020, and the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback proposed in December 2021. The couple split just three months later.
Rodgers' Podcast Confession
Rodgers made the claims during an appearance on the Not Just Football podcast on Thursday, telling Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Cam Heyward about the end of the relationship.
"I proposed to Shailene and she said yes. Now, she maybe felt like she was forced to make a decision. She could have said no," Rodgers said.
"A couple days after that she tells me, 'Before we get married, I gotta go f*** this guy,' and I'm like - because her story is that I ruined her life and gave her crazy depression because I left her."
Rodgers went on to dispute Woodley's version of events, saying she took off the engagement ring by March, just months after he proposed.
"But in actuality, she told me that and then she took off the ring by March - I proposed in December - and we had a couple of times where we tried to get reunited and nothing ever happened. There wasn't even a relationship in 2022 to break off."
He added: "She literally told me, 'I don't want to be with you' after we tried some reconciliation in 2021. There's just a lot of narrative out there that isn't true."
Woodley's Past Comments on the Split
In 2024, Woodley described the breakdown of her relationship with Rodgers as a "traumatic thing."
"I had a really awful, traumatic thing happen in early 2022," she said at the time. "I felt like I lost my soul, my self, my happiness, my joy."
Woodley said her empathy for "someone else" kept her in a "toxic situation." "Empathy," she added, "kind of kept me in this loop of feeling everything for everyone."
"I knew I was depressed when I looked at a tree and felt nothing," she continued, calling it "the lowest low of my life." She said the depression began to dissolve after six months of activities with her best friend, stylist Kris Zero.
Representatives for Woodley were contacted for comment at the time.
Emmy Awards Red Carpet Backlash
Woodley's red carpet look at the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards left fans horrified, with many flocking to social media to demand she "fire" her stylist.
The actress posed for photographers outside Los Angeles's Peacock Theater on Monday night in an outfit curated by Karla Welch, who also styled Hacks star Hannah Einbinder for television's biggest night.
Unlike Einbinder's classic Calvin Klein silhouette, Woodley wore an ill-fitting blue bodysuit with a plunging neckline, bedazzled oversized pants and maroon opera gloves, finished with a gold necklace covered in chunky jewels.
Woodley's fashion misstep came just days after Rodgers' claims about their engagement went public, and fans on X, formerly Twitter, were quick to draw a connection.
Fans React Online
"Fit so bad you completely vindicate Aaron Rodgers," one user wrote. Another commented: "Who told her this looks good and did she look in mirror?"
"I am so sad her stylist led her astray. What a terrible outfit," a third posted.
Several fans branded the look a "mess," with one writing: "Shailene Woodley, fire your stylist," and another asking: "How can Hannah's stylist dress her so good and then there's Shailene Woodley."
Some users jokingly suggested Woodley's stylist might be a "Packers fan," a reference to Rodgers' football team.
