Fans lit up social media last December when Tate McRae stepped out in New York City with New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes. The pair strolled casually through Manhattan streets, just one day after she cheered at his game following an 18-game injury absence.
Earlier that month, they grabbed dinner in the West Village, adding logs to the rumor fire that started bubbling in November.
McRae’s hockey ties run deep, from past relationships to performances like her 2024 NHL All-Star slot where Hughes played. She grew up in Calgary, a hockey hotbed, and dated Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger from 2021 to 2023, sharing Cabo trips and Fashion Week moments before parting ways.
Those Hughes photos hit different, though, with outlets like People and E! zooming in on their easy chemistry amid her post-breakup glow-up.
No official words from either side, true to McRae’s private style. She dodged romance talk in a December 2025 Rolling Stone feature, right as tour dates packed her calendar. Speculation peaked anyway, with Instagram reels and Reddit threads debating if the 22-year-old singer found her next muse in the 24-year-old center.
Post-LAROI Heartbreak Tracks
McRae’s split from Australian rapper The Kid LAROI grabbed headlines after 18 months together. They linked up in early 2024 with Mexico getaways and LA dinners, going Instagram official on her 21st birthday that July.
Joint stage moments, like her Madison Square Garden show, and a collab track “I Know Love” from her February 2025 album, So Close to What, sealed their public vibe.
Things cooled by summer 2025. McRae confirmed the June breakup in that Rolling Stone chat, dropping “Tit for Tat” months later as fans connected dots to LAROI’s “A Cold Play.”
Tate McRae (Credit: BBC)
She called the scrutiny scary, hating how it painted a messier picture than reality, yet Taylor Swift gave the diss track a shoutout on late-night TV. LAROI chimed in on X that July, saying they’re on good terms amid yacht birthday pics without him.
Her music poured out the raw side. Songs like “Nobody’s Girl” captured 22-year-old isolation amid arena crowds, while “Horseshoe” owned the pop star loneliness.
That deluxe album drop, SO CLOSE TO WHAT???, hit with Grammy nods and VMA spots, proving heartbreak fueled her biggest year. Before LAROI, a brief 2019-2021 link to Calgary’s Quinn Hader stayed super low-key.
Solo Mode Takes Center Stage
Fast-forward to 2026, and McRae sounds all-in on single life. A January Facebook post from music pages quoted her Rolling Stone plans: quality time with “hearty, grounded girls and gays,” no dating apps allowed.
Her Miss Possessive Tour wrapped in late 2025, but fresh covers like Rolling Stone’s January 2026 issue spotlight career wins over a couple of goals.
Hockey whispers linger, especially with Olympic team chatter tying her to the USA’s Hughes squad. Still, no confirmations stick six months past those NYC walks.
McRae thrives on mum matters, letting hits like “Greedy” and F1 soundtrack cuts do the talking. Outlets from Cosmopolitan to ELLE track her history but land on privacy as her power move.
Multiple angles pop up in fan forums. Some ship the athlete-pop star crossover hard, citing her rink history. Others buy the solo narrative, given tour demands and post-split singles.
The business side shines too, with Wallen’s collab “What I Want” topping charts despite backlash. As 2026 rolls in, expect more music than PDA reveals.
Olivia Rodrigo’s romance with British actor Louis Partridge wrapped after two solid years, blindsiding close friends just before holiday parties kicked off.
The pair first connected through mutual music and film industry pals back in early 2023, with real sparks igniting that October when she jetted to London for a quick getaway alongside singer buddy Conan Gray.
Paparazzi sealed their official status a couple of months later, snapping steamy kisses on the bustling streets of New York City right after he showed up to support her killer sets at Jingle Ball and a buzzy Saturday Night Live episode.
Partridge leaned into the “Mr. Olivia Rodrigo” nickname during rare interviews, always hammering home why keeping things private mattered most to them both, even as die-hard fans pieced together clues that her cheeky track “so american” nodded to his laid-back, golden retriever energy.
Close sources whispered about rough patches in recent weeks that tipped them over the edge, with Rodrigo spotted looking emotional at Lily Allen’s cozy bash as her inner circle rallied around her.
Neither side has dropped official statements, sticking to Rodrigo’s signature low-profile approach on personal stuff. Body language experts dissected their last few pap shots for tension signs, fueling endless scroll sessions.
Fan reactions exploded across Reddit threads and X timelines, a mix of shattered hearts and hopeful reunion bets given how young they both are at 22.
Heartbreak Roots Run Disney Deep
Rodrigo’s dating saga has long synced perfectly with her breakout hits, kicking off amid the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series whirlwind.
Whispers about co-star Joshua Bassett blew up huge after her Sour album dropped in 2021, sparking the “drivers license” viral storm that also dragged in Sabrina Carpenter speculation and dominated TikTok feeds for straight months on end.
Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge (Credit: BBC)
She rebounded fast that summer with music producer Adam Faze, sharing low-key LA hangs, but things fizzled out quickly when his East Coast work pulled him away.
DJ Zack Bia slid in next during summer 2022, joining her for high-energy Super Bowl after-parties and fun birthday bashes before quietly bowing out by early 2023 amid packed schedules.
Partridge stood out as her longest and steadiest match, blending red-carpet support at her Grammy wins, and Glastonbury headliner slot with everyday London lunches snapped by fans.
Insiders pointed to the sheer intensity of it all spooking the young couple, feeling way too serious way too fast, according to one well-placed tipster. Her latest Instagram carousel rang in 2026 completely solo, all friend vibes and no trace of him, screaming, “Fresh chapter ahead.
Every twist feeds her pen. Guts laid bare those earlier splits with brutal honesty, and now fans wager this latest ache births even bigger bangers soon. Zero fresh guy rumors have popped up even ten days into January, leaving all eyes glued to single-life Rodrigo.
Album Drama Hits Reset Button
The split’s brutal timing straight-up derailed hype for her third album rollout. Her label had lined up a juicy February single drop plus a full London-shot video, all woven around Partridge-inspired themes of wild luck and tangled love, but Rodrigo yanked the plug on every bit.
Execs now hustle for total overhauls with their golden girl on the line, rethinking timelines as her massive fanbase waits hungry. Her official website teased a cryptic January 8 announcement too, cranking up theories from deluxe re-releases to total genre pivots.
Tour grind clashes and privacy strains played big roles, insiders say, with fame’s nonstop glare wearing thin at their tender age.
She’s back to posting those carefree New Year’s glimpses all on her own, straight-up thriving minus the couple of spotlight dramas. Quick tropical getaway rumors got shut down fast, too. Zero reunion vibes in sight anywhere.
Online takes clash hard. Blind item chasers and Deuxmoi obsessives cry foul over messy details, while others straight-up celebrate the breathing room for her glow-up. Reality Tea broke down Partridge’s reported spook from commitment heat, and PopRant spilled on the scrapped era fallout.
With Rodrigo owning her 2026 single status loud and clear, bank on incoming tracks that flip fresh pain into pure platinum fire. Her whole path yells rebound royalty every time.
