At a Glance
- Danica Patrick posted a New Year’s Eve photo kissing an unidentified man
- The former NASCAR star called her breakup with Aaron Rodgers the “most amount of pain” she’d ever felt
- Patrick alleged the relationship was “emotionally abusive” and left her confidence “worn down to nothing”
- Why it matters: The rare glimpse into her new romance follows public allegations against the NFL quarterback
Danica Patrick quietly confirmed she’s moved on. Days after labeling her previous relationship with Aaron Rodgers “emotionally abusive,” the 43-year-old shared a snapshot of a mystery man wrapping his arms around her waist as the clock struck midnight.
New Year, New Love
The photo appeared Sunday, Jan. 11, in a carousel Patrick uploaded to Instagram. In the image, she plants a kiss on the cheek of a sunglass-wearing guest at what appears to be a Dec. 31 party. The glasses read “Happy New Year,” matching the post’s caption: “Not so new, new year’s pics. 📸 Kinda pumped for 2026.”
Followers first caught a glimpse of the same man on Dec. 17, when Patrick posted a shot of the pair posing on a fake ski lift, her head resting on his shoulder. Neither post tags or names him, and Patrick has offered no further details about how long they’ve been together.
The Rodgers Chapter
Patrick’s fresh start follows a painful exit. She and Rodgers met at the 2012 ESPYs, stayed in touch, then went public in January 2018. The couple bought a Malibu home together before splitting in July 2020.
Speaking on The Sage Steele Show in May 2025, Patrick described the breakup as the “most amount of pain” she’d ever experienced. “Because it was sudden, it felt like. It was my life,” she said. “And because the nature of the relationship was emotionally abusive, so that wore me down to nothing.”
She added: “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.”
A month later, on the Believe in the Good podcast, Patrick confirmed she was single.
Rodgers, 42, revealed last spring that he had married.
