After People reported Julianne Hough and her then-husband Brooks Laich were having marriage problems in January 2020, the pair sparked rumors they had split when the "Dancing With the Stars" alum was spotted hanging out with Barnes in photos obtained by the Daily Mail that April. They were photographed taking a walk in Los Angeles around the same that news came out that Hough and Laich were no longer living together amid the pandemic. According to People, the couple was "still together," but chose to temporarily live apart. "Their relationship has always been like this," a source told the publication. "They like to do their own thing."
That May, Hough and Laich announced they were separating. Months later, in January 2021, Barnes and the "Safe Haven" star sparked dating rumors again when E! News reported they had gone on an ice cream date together in Los Angeles. While a witness reportedly told the publication the pair looked "very flirty" together, a separate source said the stars "have been friends for eight years "and that there was "nothing more" to their relationship.
Neither Barnes nor Hough have ever publicly addressed the dating speculation.
