Danica Patrick Says Relationship With Aaron Rodgers Was 'Emotionally Abusive'

Patrick and Rodgers began dating in January 2018 before breaking up in 2020.

May 26, 2025

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick at the ESPY Awards, posing on the red carpet.

(Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Danica Patrick has opened up about her past relationship with Aaron Rodgers, calling it "emotionally abusive." i

While a guest on The Sage Steele Show, Patrick said that her breakup with Rodgers had taken a significant toll on her.

"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. "And because the nature of the relationship was emotionally abusive, so that wore me down to nothing."

She added, "People could never imagine that I would lack … any confidence or belief in the simple things about who I am. Everything was torn to bits [...] Yeah, 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."

Steele asked Patrick if she had any inkling at the time that the relationship with Rodgers was "emotionally abusive" or if she realized once she had fully healed from the situation. According to Patrick, she paid no attention to it, and she told herself that she could handle anything hard in her life.

"Hindsight, I ignored it, but in real life, it was just like I just feel like — I would say all the time, 'I'm built for hard things. I can handle hard things.' And so I just saw it as a hard thing," said Patrick. "And my nature is to try harder and do more [...] And I was like, 'What if I don't do it for the right person?' Like what if I just get a stick up my a-- about this and get too proud and go like, 'You know what, I'm just done.'Instead of going, 'Man just try a little harder because what if you look back and wish you would have tried?' Like I would never want that in my life."

She added, "But it gave me the greatest gift, the greatest gift, which is myself. It gave me the greatest gift of how much I needed to show up for myself and take care of myself."

Patrick met Rodgers during the 2012 ESPYs, and they began dating in January 2018. Things picked up, and they bought a home in Malibu before breaking up in July 2020.