Madison LeCroy, on Watch What Happens Live, speaks out about Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez’s split after being linked to him. (Photo: Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Madison LeCroy is speaking out about Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez‘s breakup.
“I wish them the best,” the Southern Charm reality star told Page Six.
While the famous couple didn’t mention a third party in their breakup statement on Thursday, saying only that they “realized we are better as friends” and “wish the best for each other,” setting off the tumultuous period for the pair was LeCroy’s claim that A-Rod had been messaging and calling her.
On the Jan. 28 reunion episode of Bravo’s Southern Charm, Andy Cohen tried to get to the bottom of an infidelity scandal involving 30-year-old LeCroy, a Charleston, S.C., makeup artist, while she was in a relationship with cast member Austen Kroll. Cohen described the mystery man as a “very famous, married ex-MLB player.” LeCroy acknowledged she exchanged DMs with the person, saying he reached out to her but denied that she “flew to Miami” to hook up with him, as another cast member claimed.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez at the 2020 Golden Globes. (Photo: Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“He contacted me,” the single mom, said of the situation, “and yes, we DMed, but other than that there was nothing … I’ve never seen him [or] touched him.”
Social media went crazy with speculation over who it was. Rodriguez of course wasn’t married to Lopez — they postponed their 2020 nuptials multiple times due to COVID-19 — but he was later identified as the purported “other man” discussed on the show. Rodriguez did damage control, with someone in his camp denying it.
“He doesn’t know this woman,” a Rodriguez source told the New York Post on Feb. 3. “Look, does this mean he didn’t DM her and liked a photo or two?” as internet sleuths found photos of hers that he hearted. “I guess not, but he doesn’t know her — and he definitely didn’t hook up with her.”
That denial led LeCroy to speak out — and she said Rodriguez was the mystery man discussed. She said they DMed and had “spoken on the phone” and FaceTimed, but they hadn’t “met up” or “been physical.” She added: “That’s the truth.” And while she insisted, “He’s never physically cheated on his fiancée with me,” she wouldn’t reveal the content of the calls or messages, just that it was “innocent.”
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LeCroy had been in the headlines just prior due to drama with Jay Cutler, who she briefly dated, and his ex-wife, Kristin Cavallari.
The DM scandal kicked a rough few months for J.Lo and A-Rod, who started dating in 2017 and became engaged in 2019. They had just attended the inauguration, with Lopez performing. The pair — who had combined their broods ahead of their marriage (they are both parents of two) and had multiple joint ventures together (nearly buying the New York Mets) — still attended the Super Bowl together and celebrated their anniversary and Valentine’s Day in a big way. But by early March it was reported they had split. They made the rare move to acknowledge they “working through some things,” unrelated to a third party, but they said breakup reports were “inaccurate.”
Lopez has been filming Shotgun Wedding in the Dominican Republic, and soon after, Rodriguez visited her there and there was no shortage of paparazzi photos showing them kissing. But whatever they were working through was apparently too large of a hurdle. On Tuesday, A-Rod, posted a sentimental-seeming video to Instagram, set to a Coldplay song, panning by photos and memorabilia documenting his relationship with Lopez.
That was certainly a red flag and hours later they released a breakup statement to the Today show. It said: “We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so. We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have is to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.”
A source close to Rodriguez told Yahoo Entertainment that “there was no third party involved.” A second source said the couple “really tried to make it work,” but ultimately, “they decided it’s better for everyone if they are friends, adding, “It’s very amicable.”
The former New York Yankee was linked to a number of celebrities after his marriage to Cynthia Scurtis and before Lopez, including Madonna, Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz and Bethenny Frankel. (Scurtis claimed he was unfaithful during their marriage.) Lopez was previously married three times, including to Marc Antony, the father of her twins, and was also engaged to Ben Affleck. She also dated Diddy.
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