year in queerview

Love is a battlefield: The biggest LGBTQ+ breakups & hookups of 2023

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Three-panel image. In the first panel, actor Lukas Gage (shaggy blonde hair with a tight-fitting black suit jacket) poses next to Chris Appleton (taller with short and spiky blonde hair wearing a tight-fitting white suit jacket) on the red carpet. In the middle panel, Zeke Smith (white man with short, red hair and a red beard in a white dress shirt and black suit with a cactus pin) stands with his arm around Nico Santos (an Asian man with short black hair, thick-rimmed black glasses, wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt and orange suit jacket) at a red carpet event. In the far right panel, Kevin Harrington (tall, black hair, thin mustache and beard wearing a white polo t-shirt and drawstring pants) smiles in sunglasses alongside Antoni Porowski (slightly shorter, wearing a tight-fitting maroon and textured collared polo unbuttoned to reveal his chest, sunglasses, and smiling) at an outdoor event.

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.

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

Ramona Agruma, with long blonde hair tied behind her head and pink lipstick, wears a low cut and sleeveless light pink dress revealing her cleavage and a purple necklace. She stands with her arm around fiancee Rebel Wilson, same height, who has curly blonde hair hanging over her shoulders. Wilson has a huge smile and wears a sleeveless black dress. The two are posed on a red carpet in front of a blue step-and-repeat.

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

Antoni Porowski softly smiles, wearing his brown hair brushed back and sporting a stubbly mustache and goatee. He stands in a white dress shirt and black suit jacket with a black bowtie. To his right, Kevin Harrington (slightly taller) stands smiling in a matching suit. Harrington has darker hair, tousled on top of his head, and a stubbly beard and mustache. The two are posed at in front of a white step-and-repeat reading "American Ballet Theatre."

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

Jwan Yosef, with curly dark hair, stands smiling with his hands in his pockets in a white suit jacket and dress shirt and black dress pants. He has a black bowtie. To his right, Ricky Martin, with dark hair featuring bleached tips and a full brown beard and mustache, stands in a black suit jacket and dress pants. With a ring on his left hand, he adjusts the jacket over a white dress shirt and also wears a black bowtie. The two are on a blue carpet, posing in front of a sign that reads "Vanity Fair."

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

Adam Smith, a white man with thin blonde hair styled in a faux hawk, a thin blonde beard, and thin rimmed black glasses, smiles wearing a navy turtleneck and collared tan leather jacket. He sits at a round wooden table with his arm around Billy Porter, a Black man with curly dark hair, a gray and black beard, and translucent-rimmed glasses. Porter wears a sparkly long sleeve black sweater and leans against Smith, smiling. In the background, nondescript people mill around.

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

Russel Tovey, a thick built man with short brown hair and a beard, softly smiles wearing a gray tee under a plaid shirt and a black, textured long-sleeved hoodie. He leans against a smiling Steve Brockman, who's slightly taller with salt-and-pepper hair styled in a faux hawk. Brockman wears a collared black shirt tucked into brown corduroy pants and a belt, holding his arm around Tovey. In the background, a nondescript bar with people mulling around.

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

Pierre Boo, with long, curly dark hair that hangs over his face, stands smiling in a tight-fitting and textured black suit. Under his jacket is a collared white shirt unbuttoned to his mid-chest and revealing hanging necklaces. Boo's arm is around Champa, with shorter blonde curly hair who smiles looking into the camera. Champa wears a pink dress shirt under a red velvet suit jacket and brown, tight-fitting textured pants. The two are posed at a crowded red carpet event in front of a black step-and-repeat that reads "Gucci," "Art Film," and "LACMA."

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

Ashlyn Harris, with dark red lipstick, thick brows, and cat-eye curved eyeshadow, looks into the camera mysteriously. She sports a bleached blonde mullet, wearing a neon yellow turtleneck under a purple suit jacket and red slacks. Her right hand hangs out of the sleeve, revealing tattoos over her fingers. She stands next to Ali Krieger, with long brown hair split into locks on either side of her face and tied behind her head in a bun. Krieger wears a loose gray pinstriped suit jacket. The women are posed in front of a blue step-and-repeat reading "Human Rights Campaign."

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

Lukas Gage, with wet-looking dirty blonde hair, smiles softly at the camera in an all black suit, resting his hand on his right leg. Next to him stands Chris Appleton, who's slightly taller with textured long dirty blonde hair. Appleton wears a sheer floral dress shirt, revealing a muscular body underneath, tucked into tight-fitting black pants. The men are posed in front of a pink step-and-repeat reading "Victoria's Secret."

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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