Who Has Shailene Woodley Dated? The Star Has Some Famous Exes

Updated on 9/17/2023 at 10:15 AM

Shailene Woodley is a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic. In an August 2022 Instagram, the "Divergent" star said she prefers to keep her love life off the internet because details about her relationship should remain between her and her partner. "keep it sexy in the flesh, you know?" she wrote in a since-deleted post, per Us Weekly. That could be why Woodley and her ex-fiancé, Aaron Rodgers, initially kept their engagement under wraps.

Although the NFL quarterback announced their engagement in February 2021, the "Big Little Lies" star told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2021 that Rodgers had popped the question months before the couple went public with the news. "When [Aaron and I] announced that we were engaged, we wanted to do that only because we didn't want someone else to do it before we did," she said. "And we didn't do it for months and months after we had become engaged."

Woodley also explained why she and Rodgers decided to retreat from the spotlight for a while following the news. "The reaction to it was really a lot, and so we were like, 'Let's just politely decline [to talk about the relationship] for a little while and live in our little bubble,'" she said.

However, the pair's engagement only lasted a year before they broke up in February 2022.

But Rodgers isn't the only famous person Woodley — who appears to currently be single — has been linked to over the years. Keep reading for a rundown of Woodley's relationship with Rodgers, as well as her previous exes.

Nahko Bear (2014-2016)

Woodley reportedly dated musician Nahko Bear, who is the frontman of the indie group Nahko and Medicine For the People, for two years. The pair first sparked dating rumors in November 2014 when they were photographed watching the sunset together in Hawaii. At the time, E! News reported the couple had "been dating for a while."

In May 2015, Bear's sister, Nicki, also shared a picture of her brother and Woodley hanging out with her in California. In the photo, Bear can be seen with his arm around the actor as the two pose together with their friends.

According to Us Weekly, the pair broke up sometime in 2016.

Ben Volavola (2017-2019)

Following her breakup with Bear, Woodley began dating rugby player Ben Volavola, whom she met in Fiji while filming her movie "Adrift." According to E! News, the couple were spotted kissing in Auckland, New Zealand, in October 2017. They were first seen showing off PDA outside of a cafe before being photographed kissing during Volavola's rugby practice.

Woodley later went Instagram official with Volavola in January 2018 by sharing a photo of the two kissing. That May, the pair also made their red carpet debut as a couple by attending the premiere of "Adrift" together. Afterward, they continued going public with their relationship by attending several events for Paris Fashion Week together in September and October.

While discussing the love triangle in her movie "Endings, Beginnings" in an April 2020 interview with The New York Times, Woodley confirmed that she and Volavola had split. "We're societally conditioned to assume that one person can be our end-all, be-all," she said. "This is a concept I've been thinking about often right now, because I'm very much single, and I've chosen to be single for a while."

Aaron Rodgers (2020-2022)

After splitting from longtime girlfriend Danica Patrick, Rodgers alluded to possibly being in a new relationship on "The Pat McAfee Show" in September 2020. "I have a new and increased love of life, and I have made decisions and changes and habits that put me in a lot better headspace," he said. "There's just a lot of things that have come together in my life over the last few months that have really been enjoyable." Though Rodgers didn't directly name who he was dating, he did say his new lease on life "starts with love."

Dating rumors between Woodley and Rodgers then began swirling in February 2021. "They have kept things private and low key," a source told E! News about the couple at the time. "They have seen each other and been in touch. They continue to talk and see each other when they can. They are both focused on their careers but they also make time for each other."

Just days later, Rodgers surprised fans by announcing he was engaged during an NFL Honors broadcast while accepting the 2020 NFL MVP award. "It's an honor to win this award for the third time. 2020 was definitely a crazy year filled with lots of change and growth, some amazing memorable moments. 180 straight days of having my nose hair scraped, playing for very little fans or no stands the entire season," he said, before revealing, "I got engaged."

He also thanked his "fiancée" for supporting his career, and while he didn't mention Woodley by name, People later confirmed the actor was headed down the aisle with Rodgers. "They are very happy together," a source told the publication. "It's not surprising he proposed so fast. When you know, you know, right?"

Woodley commented on the engagement for the first time while appearing on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in February 2021. "For us, it's not new news, you know," she said. "So, it's kind of funny. Everybody right now is freaking out over it, and we're like, 'Yeah, we've been engaged for a while.'"

She also admitted that she never saw herself falling for a football player. "He's, first off, just a wonderful, incredible human being. But I never thought I'd be engaged with somebody who threw balls for a living," she said. "I never thought as a little girl, 'Yeah, when I grow up, I'm gonna marry someone who throws balls! Yeah!' But he's really just so good at it."

A year later in February 2022, People reported the stars had called off their engagement. A source reportedly told the publication it was "an amicable split" and that their relationship fizzled out due to their "busy careers," among other "obstacles" they couldn't overcome. "They will remain friendly; there's no bad blood and no drama. It just didn't work out for them," the source said.

Days later, Rodgers took to Instagram to share some kind words for his rumored ex. "@shailenewoodley, thanks for letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life," he wrote. "Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like. I love you and am grateful for you."

Despite the pair being spotted together in public on two separate occasions in March, Woodley and Rodgers called it quits for good that April.