Let’s be real for a second: keeping up with celebrity breakups is practically an Olympic sport at this point. Just when you think you’ve got the roster set, someone gets cut. The latest casualty in the world of high-profile romances? NFL wide receiver Braxton Berrios and internet darling Alix Earle. And honestly? The way this is playing out feels less like a tragic romance and more like a chaotic season finale of a reality show we didn’t know we were subscribed to.
For those of you living under a rock (or maybe just wisely avoiding TikTok), here’s the tea. After two years of what looked like Instagram-perfect bliss, reports surfaced that the pair called it quits. Naturally, the internet did what it does best: speculated wildly, analyzed timestamps, and threw shade. But now, Berrios has entered the chat, and his response is… well, it’s certainly something.
The Instagram Post By Berrios Heard ‘Round the World’
Five days. That’s how long it took for the Houston Texans receiver to break his silence after the breakup news dropped. And he didn’t do it with a notes-app apology or a black-and-white photo of a rainy window. No, Braxton decided to post a carousel of his “snazzy” pre-game outfits from the NFL season.
The caption? A simple, three-word phrase: “What did I miss?” Sir. Sir. You know exactly what you missed. You missed the entire internet dissecting your relationship while you were presumably running routes. It’s a bold strategy, I’ll give him that. It screams, “I’m unbothered,” but we all know that usually means “I am very much bothered, but look at my drip.”
Naturally, the comment section turned into a war zone immediately. Fans were quick to remind him exactly what he missed—specifically, his ex-girlfriend’s entire run on Dancing With the Stars. One user commented, “Every single one of Alix’s shows…” Ouch. That’s a critical hit.
The “I Was Busy” Defense
Here is where it gets a little messy. During Alix’s stint on DWTS, where she and partner Val Chmerkovskiy snagged second place (robbed, if you ask me, but that’s an article for another day), Berrios was noticeably absent. At the time, Alix played the supportive girlfriend role perfectly, attributing his absence to his demanding NFL schedule.
But now that the gloves are off, Braxton is clapping back in the comments. When accused of ghosting her performances, he replied, “I would’ve loved to be [there]. Sadly I wasn’t able to travel like that in-season.” He reiterated in another comment, “I would’ve been at every one if I could’ve, sadly, I can’t travel like that in-season.”
Look, we get it. The NFL isn’t exactly a 9-to-5 where you can use PTO to fly to LA for a ballroom dancing competition. But in the court of public opinion? The “work excuse” rarely holds up against the “supportive partner” expectations, especially when your girlfriend is literally dancing her heart out on national television.
Alix Earle: Maturing or Just Going Through It?
While Braxton is busy posting fit checks, Alix seems to be taking the more introspective route. The Hot Mess podcast host (a title that feels increasingly accurate for this situation) dropped a TikTok that honestly, I relate to on a spiritual level.
She filmed herself rotting in bed—a classic post-breakup move—with the caption: “Is my frontal lobe developing bc I’m about to turn 25 and usually stress abt having the biggest party but all I want to do is workout, meditate, play card games & have good convos with the ppl closest to me.”
She added, “Either I’m maturing or just rlly going thru it…maybe both.” Alix, girl, it’s both. It’s definitely both. Turning 25 is a weird time where you suddenly realize you’d rather sleep than go to a club, but getting your heart broken accelerates that process by about ten years. It’s refreshing to see her be honest about the weird limbo of a breakup rather than pretending everything is “love and light.”
The “Distance” Factor and DM Rumors
So, why did they actually break up? Sources claim it was the classic “distance” issue. She wants to be in LA; he lives in Florida and plays in Houston. It’s a tale as old as time (or at least as old as modern dating). But let’s not ignore the spicy rumors on the side.
Immediately after the split news, a screenshot circulated showing Giants QB Jaxson Dart sliding into Alix’s DMs. The internet exploded, because of course it did. Alix, however, shut that down faster than a cornerback on a blitz, clarifying the screenshot was fake. Good on her. We don’t need fake drama when the real drama is already this entertaining.
