Shailene Woodley never thought she’d marry ‘someone who throws balls for a living’

Shailene Woodley arrives at the 2019 Harper's BAZAAR Celebration of 'ICONS By Carine Roitfeld' held at The Plaza Hotel on September 6, 2019 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.

We’ve been going through quite the journey with Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley this month. First, we got the confirmation that Shailene and Aaron were absolutely dating, something which had been only a vague rumor for a short time. Then a week later, we learned that they were engaged. Which brought up the sketchy timeline, because Aaron broke up with Danica Patrick last June/July, and no one has a straight answer about when Aaron and Shailene started up, or when they got engaged. I say that Aaron is just one of those “messy personal life” guys, he just likes a lot of drama with his family and romances, so it is what it is. But holy hell, Shailene is really leaning into this “I barely know him” thing. She appeared on the Tonight Show last night and she had a lot to say about how little she knows about football or how Aaron is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

After weeks of speculation, actor Shailene Woodley confirmed in an interview on “The Tonight Show” that she’s engaged to football star Aaron Rodgers. She explained they’ve been engaged “for a while” after meeting during the pandemic.

“Everybody right now is freaking out over it and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’ve been engaged for a while,’” she told host Jimmy Fallon.

“He’s, first of all, a wonderful, incredible human being,” she said. “But I never thought I’d be engaged to someone who throws balls for a living.”

As Fallon laughed, Woodley went on to explain that she never watched sports growing up and still has never been to a football game. “But he’s really so good at it,” she said laughing. “When we met, I knew he was a football guy but I never knew what kind of a football guy he was … I am still constantly learning. Because I don’t know him as the football guy! I know him as like, the nerd who wants to host ‘Jeopardy!’ That’s the guy I know. He just happens to also be very good at sports.”

In her Monday night interview, Woodley also opened up to Fallon about how her dog had been immediately taken with Rodgers. “When I first met him … my dog pulled me aside and was like, ‘If you don’t date this dude, I will disown you as my mother because the three feet I run with you when you throw a ball is nothing compared to the marathon I’m able to run with him,'” she joked.

[From Today]

I’m including the video below. I mean, I get it as a premise to a romantic comedy, although I would find the fictional premise rather twee and convenient. I’m not even into football either but I know that Aaron Rodgers is a big deal. I guess we’re supposed to believe that she was just attracted to his heart and his soul and she couldn’t care less that she’s engaged to a man who “throws balls” for a living. Why does this bug me so much? I’m trying to analyze my own cringey reaction to this interview. I guess I feel like she’s minimizing him, or diminishing his career, or trying to play it way too cute? “Oh, I had no idea who this super-famous athlete is, and I still haven’t bothered to learn about him even though we’re engaged!”

The Fashion Awards, Arrivals, Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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119 Responses to “Shailene Woodley never thought she’d marry ‘someone who throws balls for a living’”

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  1. Lora says:

    oh boy…

    • Ladychef83 says:

      But then she got dickmatized…

    • Nerdista says:

      He plays his little game while I Create Artè.

    • Yup, Me says:

      I met Aaron R. when he was training for the combine. I didn’t get to know him well, but I got to watch him interact and behave over the course of some weeks. He came across as Shailene was describing him – pretty quiet, nerdy and awkward. He was always seemed nice and respectful and while he laughed along with the other guys’ jokes, he was clearly there to work and not play. I have been constantly surprised, in the years since, about the stories in the news about him because he did not at all come across like someone who would be into celebrity.

  2. Ms. says:

    How delightfully patronizing.

    • Mustang Sally says:

      Yep. As I said downthread, imagine if he gave an interview where HE stated that he was not into watching movies/the entertainment world much, so he had no idea she was such a big deal/such a famous actress….he would be slammed as an ignorant misongynist.

    • Kit says:

      Pretty sure she was involved with a NZ or Fijian rugby player not long ago, for a good while, so she’s pretending to know nothing about the sport (I know they are different, but are they really?) but actively pursuing professional football players. Which is fine. Just own it.

  3. MaryContrary says:

    I read this last night-and thought “yikes”. This does not bode well.

    • Julie says:

      I disagree. I doubt she plays up her job or status either. Shailene is the type to see career as that thing you do in between the actual important things in life whether thats activism or being in nature. He’s clearly with her because he intuits that he needs this in his life to balance out all the A type energy and probably all the people who ONLY see him as a QB. Frankly, it reminds me of Clooney and Amal. Wasn’t there an article about how Amal barely watches movies which allows Clooney to have a relationship that won’t validate his self importance.

      • Twin falls says:

        +1 w/Julie’s take

      • Esp.Lumiere says:

        +1 I dont think she’s looking down on it, she’s acknowledging that sports is not her forte.

        Chrissy Teigen used to say the same thing about John Legend and it works for them.

      • MaryContrary says:

        Eh-I would agree if she had said, I didn’t grow up watching sports, and tbh, I’ve never seen a football game in real life. She made a point of saying “I never thought I’d be engaged to someone who throws balls for a living”-it sounds dismissive. Amal has never sounded condescending about acting as a career.

      • Mette says:

        If we are using Chrissy Tiegen as a role model, we have a problem.

      • observing says:

        I don’t think she’s looking down on him. But I think she might be looking down on other athletes. She’s trying to characterize him as different somehow. If someone is playing in the NFL, I think I my likely assumption is that they’re good at what they do even if I know nothing about the sport and even if he has to sit on the bench. And I’m sure the NFL thing probably came up at least in the 2nd date. If he sucked, well that would probably come as more of a shock to me.

      • Nan says:

        Another +1 at Julie’s take.
        I saw it like a bit breathless take on “I never imagine ‘that thing’ would happen. and now ‘that thing’ is here and much better than I could have imagined”.

        “That thing” can be vastly different to various people: romantic, professional, etc. I and pretty much all of my friends have done some variation of that speech at some point. 🙂

  4. Evenstar says:

    The most important part of any marriage is respect for your partner, and…I don’t know, it sounds like she really looks down on his career? She wouldn’t be too happy if he said “I never saw myself with someone who plays make believe for a living.”

    • Malificent says:

      I don’t think she’s being patronizing. Football just isn’t on her radar. I’m from a family that isn’t into team sports, with the exception of some of us for baseball. And even then, my dad grew up one neighborhood over from Wrigley Field and never went to a ballgame. And my grandmother’s American hometown is only 40 miles from Green Bay, but no one in my immediate family has ever been to a Packers game. If Aaron Rogers was at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, the conversation would probably turn to good fishing spots in northeast Wisconsin.

      • Jenn says:

        Having now seen the clip, I gotta say I agree, Malificent. She knows she’s lucky, and she says so, but the hubbub around the news reminds her that she’s basically living someone else’s fantasy.

        I was definitely surprised that the person I fell in love with was so outside of my “type” (my “type” is “doesn’t wear socks with sandals” btw), and didn’t think I’d get married, so I never fantasized about a wedding as a kid. Yet my wedding day was the happiest day of my life! I was like, “wow, there’s something to it after all.”

      • observing says:

        If someone is playing in the NFL, my default assumption would probably be that he’s well-paid, under pressure, and is expected to play well.

      • Fabiola says:

        Not everyone is into sports. If it weren’t for my husband I wouldn’t recognize him either or not even know his name. I think Aaron must like that about her. She’s never been into the Hollywood scene and lives a quiet life. She’s very into natural living. He can just be a nerd around her and not have to be football star Aaron around her.

    • court says:

      I thought the same thing Evenstar. She plays pretend for a living, but I don’t think she would want her partner to describe it that way. He’s obviously passionate about what he does, to get to the level he is, and while she doesn’t need to be a football fan, shouldn’t she be an Aaron Rodgers fan?

      Maybe if this wasn’t her first ever comments about their relationship it wouldn’t sound so bad.

      • sunny says:

        Truly this. It sounds as dismissive even if that isn’t the intent but presumably his career is important to him(as hers is to her) so she would try to sound less dismissive of what he does.

        Again, the intent probably wasn’t bad but it comes off as condescending.

    • ElleE says:

      Final word on this subject: SW is a bright person and she is very upfront about her sexuality/preferences. I think that she is closing the loop on things she has disclosed in the past. She chose a side and that’s it.

      I do think that using the word “engaged” rather than, ““But I never thought I’d be MARRYING someone who throws balls for a living.” is interesting, but I don’t know why…

      • Kristen says:

        She did not, “choose a side.” People who are bi-sexual don’t just choose to stop being attracted to one gender or another. She’s simply chosen a person whom she wants to be in a relationship with.

      • lisa says:

        Elle, spot on! The fact that she said “engaged” rather than “marrying” makes me think this is a fake publicity thing.

    • ElleE says:

      Final word on this subject: SW is a bright person and she is very upfront about her sexuality/preferences. I think that she is closing the loop on things she has disclosed in the past (and the word play with “balls” is probably funny to her). She chose a side, she is marrying a person, not a gender, and that’s it. Full stop.

      I do think that using the word “engaged” rather than, ““But I never thought I’d be MARRYING someone who throws balls for a living.” is interesting, but I don’t know why…

  5. Caroline says:

    This little girl and her “I’m too school for school” trope is the most disrespectful attitude she could have towards one of the best QBs in the game. I’m not even that big of a fan, but she comes across as just rude and it makes me angry. SOMEONE HOLD MY BEER OMG.

    • Caroline says:

      Obviously I mean “I’m too cool for school” I was just rage typing and couldn’t see through the red haze of anger.

      • Caroline says:

        To clarify, it’s about disrespecting someone who has worked hard and made sacrifices to obtain a level of success that deserves a basic amount of respect. He may enjoy it and that very well may be why he decided to lock her down but it comes across as immature and dismissive. Everyone’s correct when they say we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but it seems childish to diminish someone of Aaron Rodgers’ level down to “throwing balls”.

    • Tiffany says:

      He is a Super Bowl winner and current MVP.

      Yeah, she should put a bit of respect on his name.

    • LadyMTL says:

      As Ms. said upthread she sounds incredibly patronizing. “Oh look at me, lowering myself to marry a pro football player!” I’ve always found her to be a bit extra (remember the sunning her vag stuff?) but now she’s veering into flat-out annoying.

    • Julie says:

      Has it occurred to you that this what he loves about her? It sounds like he wants at least one relationship in his life thats compartmentalized from his football career. His own family built seems to have built it’s foundation around him playing football and going by the fact that he cut them off, he evidently resents this.

      I totally believe she’s only vaguely familiar with football and that this is why he is with her.

      • local russian hill says:

        agree with you. that’s exactly why he’s with her. she’s not trying to be patronizing in my opinion. everyone needs to calm down.

      • Darla says:

        I REFUSE to calm down! I am bloody HYSTERICAL over this and I will NOT be talked out of it!

  6. Tiffany says:

    He wants to host Jeopardy. It’s…..not the worst idea.

    Although I am all about the Lavar Burton as host life, if he is on the shortlist, I would not throw my shoe at the television.

  7. Girl_ninja says:

    It seems to me that she’s overdoing the whole “I love the man, not the fame, not the pro-baller profile.”

    She was trying to be too cute with the throwing balls thing. Just chile girl

    • Lexy says:

      I mean, it’s exactly what Meghan said about Harry when they met- that she didn’t know anything about him. I don’t think what she said was patronizing at all. He’s a football star, it’s not that deep.

    • Bibi says:

      I agree. I heard Shailene in interviews and she seems to be a very sensitive person. i dont think she meant to diminish him, he’s jut very different from the type she imagined for herself. life is always crazier

    • coolspray says:

      Yah, totally agree. She’s trying to be funny, it’s not some deep and meaningful response demonstrating her lack of respect for her fiancé and causing imminent doom to their marriage. When I met my husband, I had vowed never to date men who rode motorcycles, played guitar or worked in I.T., and I told him so. Well guess what, 16 years later I have two motorcycles in the garage, 6 guitars (plus my son’s tiny kid guitar) and he works as a director of IT for a large co.

      Sometimes the commenters on this site have NO chill.

      • Sunnydaze says:

        @coolspray Laughing hard at this (in a good way!) I remember going to lunch with some friends right before my third date with my now husband telling them, “he’s an engineer who plays video games and has a 401k at 27. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? I gotta dump this dude.” Hours later, on our third date, I knew I would marry him. I still like to tease him because we are SOOOO different, but we are both profiles in stereotypes, and part of our 10 year, one kid and a set of twins crazy life is teasing the other. I find her statements kind of sweet and funny, but maybe moreso because my engineering dude is aaron rodgers doppelganger (which of course I have a field day with!)

  8. Charlotte says:

    I was really bugged by it as well. Also her insisting on it being weird for her to be congratulated or talked about because they’ve been engaged for a while now. GIRL how long can you guys have been engaged if he was dating someone else 6 months ago.

  9. Cecilia says:

    Tbh shailene DOESN’T seem like the type to date jocks. That being said; these 2 should probably have a relatively long engagement. So that there is time to actually get to know each other

  10. TheOriginalMia says:

    I wasn’t bugged. I thought it was a cute story.

    • Pamspam says:

      Same! But I also really like her and I know she’s not very popular around here haha.

    • Bath Lady says:

      Yep. I told my mom, who’d just watched Big Little Lies, that she’d just gotten engaged/married to Aaron Rodgers, a baseball player.

    • lucky says:

      same here. It was so innocuous that I am surprised at how many people have had such a strong reaction in the comments, ha! I couldn’t tell you one super star soccer player or youtuber, so I totally get that if it isn’t a scene you are plugged into then why would you know? Especially is you aren’t from the city/area. I mean, I know some steelers names because I live in Pittsburgh, but I would be hard pressed to name other footballers form other teams, and I grew up watching and understand the game! I thought she clearly seemed to respect and admire that part of him, it just isn’t the part she has had the most exposure to yet.

    • Sarah B says:

      Yeah, I think it’s cute too. I also love that her dog is really happy 🙂

    • Chlo says:

      Same. These comments make me wonder why I read comments on the Internet.

  11. Watson says:

    This quote is hilarious to me. Sports is so glorified in the states it’s so rare to hear anyone, let alone a future nfl wife, make fun of it.

    • local russian hill says:

      exactly. it’s nauseating how much we fawn over pro athletes in the u.s. and pay teachers zilch. i respect their talent and hard work but we worship them in a way that’s over the top. in fact i blame some of trump being elected on americans being distracted and caring more about football and reality tv than civics and politics. so i found it refreshing what shailene had to say also. at the end of the day he’s a human being. and she’s loves him for that. his being a pro athlete is secondary. he probably appreciates that. this whole ‘wives and girlfriends’ ‘wags’ of pro athletes thing is overdone.

      • ElleE says:

        Totally agree.
        When Giselle, who has always had a higher net worth than her husband, said that she didn’t know anything about football (which came off about as bad as one might imagine) the local sports commentators here tried to make “thing” out of it. They attacked Giselle because she didn’t; lie and try to make us believe that a Brazilian supermodel that dated Leo DiCaprio cared about the game at all.

        Brady is the GOAT and chose her to be his wife. He left a relationship with a woman who was a die hard fan to marry a woman who didn’t care about his athletic prowess / career and married him for other reasons (respect, love?).

        Some guys want to leave their jobs at the door when they get home, even if they are star athletes, because someday, they won’t have a job.

      • observing says:

        I don’t think Gisele comes across as dismissive of her husband’s career though. She gets as fired up and upset as everyone else when someone blames her husband for something. She looks like she’ll cut you if you make fun of her husband for how he played in a game.

        Plus she eats like him. There’s no way I’d ever conclude she doesn’t get what kind of effort goes into his career.

  12. Tanya says:

    When I read this last night, I cringed so hard for all of the same reasons as Kaiser. Obviously she is trying to be funny but it is so insulting to reduce your partner’s career to “throwing balls”. How can she not see that? I think it gives you some insight about her. She has just revealed herself to be incredibly immature.

  13. Faithmobile says:

    I can relate, my husband played football until he injured his shoulder and I never would have thought I’d marry a jock. So I get that she is still processing his outside persona verses the man she fell in love with. I used to think football was a stupid game until he patiently explained it to me and now I get it but it just doesn’t makes sense if you don’t know the rules. I like them as a couple and very curious to see them together in the future.

  14. drbessy says:

    🤦 ugh. how belittling (or Big-littling, had to…). HOWEVER, i’m sure aaron is eating this up bc he fancies himself as an ‘intellect’ over a ‘ball thrower’ and i’m sure he has downplayed his ‘ball throwing’ to her from the start to woo her as an equal. She’s so full of herself and so is he so i guess i can ship this couple. (And i say this all with immense affinity for the Packers {l’m a life-long fan} and think Rodgers is crazy smart/talented on the field.)

  15. chimes@midnight says:

    I’m sure Aaron never imagined he’d get engaged to someone who plays dress-up for money.

    Maybe she’s trying to be cute but what a condescending thing to say about the person you want to share your life with. Oh, yeah, he throws balls for a living. Ha ha. Boys

    Aaron can hit right back with, “Maybe I just throw balls for a living but at least I wasn’t in Divergent.”

    • Chicken Tetrazzini! says:

      She suns her vag for extra energy or believes that it will give her extra energy and not just a nasty sunburn in a delicate place. Pretty sure she doesn’t get to be condescending about ball throwing.

  16. Darla says:

    I’ll just say one thing about Shailene, and it’s less about her and more about her general cohort. These far leftists always believe they are quite the intellectuals. Did you ever see the video of brainiac Susan Sarandon lecturing legend Dolores Huerta about her own community?

    Yeah.

    They are basically high on the smell of their own farts, sorry to be crass, but it’s the best way I can describe them.

    • AuntGigi says:

      totally agree Darla … and looking at these red carpet photos, particularly the top one in front of the Cartier step-and-repeat has me thinking—climate change, white patriarchal oppression, the psychotic hoarding of wealth/resources, a global economy that depends on crushing, inhuman labor abuses, etc are part of a paradigm where the projection of luxury, fame, narrow beauty standards, all meant to simultaneously enchant us and drive us into an isolation and self-loathing for which we think buying things is the only cure, are a significant driver of the whole. You can certainly be an actor and honor her self-proclaimed far left principles, but being a celebrity of this sort? I have my doubts.
      I realize I am commenting on a gossip site I check daily but … ‘I contradict myself/so I contradict myself/I contain multitudes’ 🙂

  17. Liz version 700 says:

    She is so annoyingly condescending, Lordy

  18. Boomboom says:

    I’m a German, who basically grew up believing that everyone who chooses to join the military (in Germany anyway) must be at least quite a bit racist. Studying anti-racism, post-colonial etc. theory certainly only added to my anti-military stance. Now I just got engaged to an Englishman who’s in the navy. I’m not going to lie, it was quite difficult for me (and still is) to consolidate my beliefs about his occupation and the knowledge I have of the wonderful, good-hearted, open-minded, caring person he is… So yes, I do understand what she means about having this idea of who you’re going to spend the rest of your life with, only for someone to come along who is not at all what you expected. I find her comments funny and take them as making light of her own surprise? 🙂

    • Lola says:

      Me too! Exactly same! Never ever thought I would date a guy who was in the (British) army. I’m Australian and had the same prejudices. Had to really unpick a lot of that for myself!

      Only thing I would say re Shailene is that she dated a guy for a couple of years who was a rugby (BALLS) player! So she kind of dug her own hole.

    • Jenn says:

      This is how I took it, too! You’ve explained it really well.

  19. Who ARE These People? says:

    Suspect these 2 have a LOT to learn about each other in the months to come, professional standing being only a part of it.

  20. lucy2 says:

    Eh, it sounded worse in print, but watching the video it seems like she’s just trying to be jokey and vague on a late night show.
    The dog story is cute, but how the hell are people meeting during a pandemic? I’ve barely left my house and hardly see anyone. Do they live near each other and meet in a park or something?

    • Lucy says:

      The dog story actually made me laugh. The rest, eh. They’re oatmeal, although Rogers seems to be aggressively oatmeal to cover up… Something. Dunno what. Probably not Armie level freak, but something.

  21. lunchcoma says:

    I will be pretty surprised if these two make it down the aisle.

  22. Jess says:

    It’s football not neurosurgery.

  23. LillyfromLillooet says:

    UM?! I generally don’t follow Danica Patrick but I clicked on a promo article of her in People after this engagement came out and HOLY MOLY she and Shailene bear a striking resemblance! I mean, Shailene looks basically like Danica minus ten years.

    Huh.

  24. S1111 says:

    It bothered me too because it sounded too try-hard pretentious hippie. The type of person that would say “I don’t own a tv” when you talk about your favorite shows.

  25. candy says:

    I don’t know. I just got engaged and I get nervous when people ask me tons of questions about my fiance. I also feel like people expect me to OTT gush about him or the proposal, which isn’t gonna happen. That said, their engagement is very fast and they may need some time to adjust.

  26. LA says:

    Full disclosure: I am not only a huge football FAN, I’m also a football MOM. So.

    I think the reason this really rubs me the wrong way is that Aaron has worked his ASS off to be one of the greatest at what he does as a career. Yes, he has a lot of natural talent, obviously, but he has also put in the work. So, to minimize that, to make it seem secondary…ehhh, it doesn’t bode well for their relationship, to me.

    • Lena says:

      I don’t think the fact that she worships his professional achievements or not one way or another means anything for their relationship. Would you feel the same if HE said he’s never seen anything she’s been in? I think the reaction of many here would be different somehow. Maybe I relate because I usually find out who’s playing in the super bowl while I’m making snacks for it.

  27. court says:

    She just got out of a LTR with an athlete, so is she really that shocked to settle down with an athlete?

  28. Andrea says:

    Sorry where did these two meet? This seems like a straight up setup between their agents. Not saying it’s not true love, but surely when they meet, they’re been briefed about the other. Whatever, no shade to her. She’s not into his “so-called” football fame. Maybe he’s like: “Whatever, I watched Hunger Games and I’ve seen better.” We don’t know what we don’t know. I think they make a cute couple.

    • Darla says:

      Maybe he’s like: “Whatever, I watched Hunger Games and I’ve seen better.”

      That would be a sick burn. If he was marrying Jennifer Lawrence.

  29. LaurenMichelle says:

    Shailene is a great actress, and she does not annoy me. Danica must be furious…she dated Aaron for a long while, and they never got engaged. Danica seems domineering, and probably Aaron couldn’t see a future with her. Shailene likes Aaron for who he is off the football field, and that is more important long term.

  30. HeatherC says:

    The comment doesn’t bother me. Especially not in context. She was clearly setting it up for a cute story, especially about her dog and Rodgers.

  31. Marigold says:

    I get what she is saying. I married against type too. I never thought I would marry a cowboy. But I did and we are happy. And he is totally anti Trump! He just looks conservative.

  32. Anilehcim says:

    From where I’m sitting, there is no way to take her comment about his career as not being disrespectful, even if she didn’t mean it that way… but honestly, how could she not have meant it that way? Yikes. If you don’t care about sports, OK, that’s fine, but to reduce his entire career to making jokes about him “throwing balls for a living” is really rude.

    If Aaron or anyone else went on a talk show and carried on about how they never imagined marrying someone who pretends to be other people for a living, it would be seen as rude without a doubt. Everyone is supposed to laugh though because Aaron is an athlete and athletes aren’t supposed to be taken seriously, especially since not everyone is a “sports person.”

    Does anyone REALLY see this relationship lasting? I’d be shocked if they end up married at all. And maybe my judgment is clouded but I don’t take her seriously at all and still see her as the twee attention seeker who carried on about eating clay and how her vagina needed sunlight and fresh air.

  33. Jaded says:

    She has said some of the most dumbass things I’ve ever heard. E.G.:

    “No [I’m not a feminist] because I love men, and I think the idea of ‘raise women to power, take the men away from the power’ is never going to work out because you need balance. With myself, I’m very in touch with my masculine side. And I’m 50 percent feminine and 50 percent masculine, same as I think a lot of us are. And I think that is important to note. And also I think that if men went down and women rose to power, that wouldn’t work either. We have to have a fine balance.”

    I really don’t understand this relationship and I think it’ll tank before they even make it down the aisle.

  34. Aimee says:

    Something is just off with this.

  35. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    Maybe he didn’t think he’d fall for someone who pretends for a living.

  36. Sunny says:

    We show so much compassion for Megan Markle regarding her toxic family.

    Aaron has been open that one of the issues with his toxic family is over religion. His parents are far-right “Christians” and Aaron has a more progressive mindset.

    His father went to the NYTimes and said his son changed and went Hollywood.

    Olivia Munn also mentioned the intense sibling rivalry and the jealousy his family has over Aaron’s successes.

  37. Pocket Litter says:

    Oh, ffs people, it’s a contract.

    • Hardbackbooks says:

      100% agree. Most celebs are paddling their feet furiously under the calm water, to stay in the news. Mutually beneficial. How many auditions do B-listers like SW do and how many roles do they lose out on per year? Even A-listers who look busy talk about how the profession is all about rejection. They have that competitive, scarcity mindset so entering a fauxmance for them probably isn’t as bad or phony as it might seem to us.
      I don’t know him so this is not outing someone but just an opinion: he’s not into women at all. You could potentially get tens of millions of dollars more in advert contracts and sponsorships if you nudge your profile up that much more, and showmances are one of the easiest ways to do it, right? $$$ and longevity.
      Agree with the posters that she was trying to keep it light and funny with the “throw balls” comment.

  38. Amelie says:

    I don’t watch or follow football at all and I’m exactly like Shailene. I only became aware of Aaron Rodgers because he dated Olivia Munn. I just asked my mom if she knew who Aaron Rodgers is and as expected she was clueless. We are not a football family and never have been. My father grew up in France so he is very apathetic about it. My mom’s parents were not sports fans. My grandpa liked watching golf and figure skating so my mom didn’t grow up liking sports with balls. We watch the Superbowl and we know Tom Brady and that is it. So I entirely believe Shailene because I had to look up Aaron Rodgers’s team as I wrote this.

  39. Mette says:

    This has the same irreverent tone of models pigging out on junk food and boasting about how they eat so much. Because they are so cool and relatable guys!

  40. Bobbie says:

    This guy is on Rebound city. It always amazes me how many women (and men) don’t seem to mind and sign up for that.

  41. Hell Nah! says:

    Something’s off here.

    I am not into football or any athletic stars but neither am I engaged to a celebrated QB. I thought her comment about him “…throwing balls for a living” was straight up patronizing. Almost as if she was trying to answer those who might question their compatibility.

    To boot, she came across as nervous, super self-conscious and fidgety, trying to downplay/joke about the news. I suspect her nerves and vagueness “…we’ve been engaged for awhile…” has something to do with the timeline from when they met to their on the downlow “engagement”.

    Anyway, mazel tov to them.

  42. Fleur says:

    I mean I’m on shailenes side here.I don’t watch football and I had no idea who Aaron Rodgers really was. I thought he was some mid to low level football player who was known for dating that Olivia Munn. Honestly. I’m not being a jerk, I just didn’t know—right up until I saw commenters freaking out and calling her “dismissive”. Apparently he makes tons of money and is the best at what he does and is adored by millions, so I don’t know how her not being a football Stan matters. She’s proud of him, she’s just not in it for his football status because footballs not her thing.

    • observing says:

      I wouldn’t expect her to know who he is on sight (as I wouldn’t either), but once he mentions during the conversation that he plays in the NFL, I’d kind of expect anyone to clue into the fact that’s he probably a skilled athlete. When she claims she says to people “I guess he’s good? I don’t get it” I think she’s being a bit disingenuous. I might not know who every football player is who isn’t Tom Brady, but I know what the NFL is. If he mentioned to me in passing that he plays in the NFL. I think my antenna would raise a bit. I’d have an intuitive understanding that he’s probably skilled at what he does. The fact that he’s 37 and still playing intact would probably make the antenna rise even farther. How many random middle-aged men would one meet that play in the NFL?

      Having said that, I don’t think she’s marrying him for his status. But I also don’t get why anyone would play as dumb as she did in that interview. It’s not like Jimmy Fallon was asking her whether she knew who he was either.

  43. Amyday says:

    I know many of will disagree, and I’ll get the ‘i dated my husband for 10 years before we got married etc etc, but all I see that when you meet the right person you’re willing to tie the knot, and not after waiting forever. Ladies, own your value, and awesomeness, don’t date a guy forever and a day, waiting for him to propose, or let him ‘settle’ with you. Find a guy who you are crazy for, and who is crazy about you. Enjoy the romance, and ride. Aaron Rodgers obviously feels that Shailene is the one. Imagine being Danica right now, ouch.

    • Juju says:

      Your view is kind of outdated. It’s not about not knowing your own value but about actuallly getting to know someone. If you know your own value you don’t need to marry a dude after six months to feel better about yourself. It’s a terrible idea to get engaged and married while the butterflies are still there. You know if it has potential to last when the honeymoon phase is over.

  44. Mustang Sally says:

    I agree with MaryContrary on this one. She is doing it because it’s her shtick to be all earth-mother and aware.

    Reframe this: HE is being interviewed and he says (all twee), “Like – I don’t really watch TV or movies that often, I’m just not into it – so I had no idea she was such a big deal and such a famous actress!” – he would be burned in effigy in the pits of mansplaining-hell.

  45. Silent Star says:

    I see it as a red flag. I mean, football is a huge part of his life, maybe the biggest. I get that she may not be into football, but I think she needs to be able to really understand and appreciate such a huge part of her partner’s life, otherwise I’d be skeptical about their future together. I’d say the same thing about anyone.

  46. Silent Star says:

    I see it as a red flag. I mean, football is a huge part of his life, maybe the biggest. I get that she may not be into football, but I think she needs to be able to really understand and appreciate such a huge part of her partner’s life, otherwise I’d be skeptical about their future together. I’d say the same thing about anyone.

    That being said, I think they are an interesting match and I hope they do have a great life together.

  47. observing says:

    In print, I didn’t think that what she said sounded bad. It just sounded like an attempt at being funny and amusing. But when I watched the full video I thought she sounded kind of annoying and sort of strange in terms of tone. Even if you’ve never watched a football game in your life, everyone is aware of what football players do. And everyone is aware that some people are just really good at sports and get paid for it in the USA. She sounded like maybe she wanted to seem above marrying someone who throws balls but I guess he’s supposed to be different? Did she think she was going to be marrying a doctor? The comment didn’t make much sense, imo.

  48. observing says:

    I don’t even care about this guy, and yet even I found her annoying.

    I also found her annoying that time she claimed she didn’t own a cell phone, but for some reason she still had access to one through her publicist? Something to that effect? I’m like you’re not actually cut off from technology!

  49. Juju says:

    This smells like its’s going to end in disaster.

  50. Sam says:

    She is so. damn. pretentious. I just really can’t even listen to her. “Especially American sports, it’s just never been on my radar.” What?! You are AMERICAN. Are you paying attention to British or South American sports? Why add the “especially American sports” part? I just can’t. Uggghhhh.