Olivia Culpo and Nick Jonas might both be in happy, committed relationships now, but once upon a time, they were very close to becoming each other’s forever. Culpo is now engaged to 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, but she revealed recently that she almost married Jonas, who is himself now married to actress Priyanka Chopra.
When did Olivia Culpo date Nick Jonas?
The Miss Universe and the singer dated between 2013 and 2015, in what the former describes as a “very formative experience.” A fair assessment given how young they both were when they met. Culpo was 21 and Jonas was 20 when their paths first crossed backstage at the Miss USA competition in Las Vegas in June 2013. Culpo was the reigning champion and Jonas was co-hosting and performing with his siblings.
By September they had taken things public, sharing some PDA at the US Open and making the relationship Instagram official. The two posed for a picture before attending a party together, with Culpo teasing her boyfriend for his serious posing game.
The two were “inseparable” for a while, going everywhere from events to tour dates and weddings hand-in-hand, and even moving in together in L.A., as Culpo revealed years later on her family affair reality TV series The Culpo Sisters. The Pageant queen and influencer also reflected on being “in love” and how her “whole identity was in him.”
Jonas wasn’t any less dedicated, even writing his most famous solo song “Jealous” about his girlfriend, casting her in the music video playing the cello in nothing but lingerie (an instrument which she actually plays in real life, by the way), and getting down on one knee and singing it to her at the 2014 Miss Universe gala.
Their relationship got serious fast. “I thought we were going to get married,” Culpo said in 2022. At the time, however, Jonas was not ready. “We’re 22 so there’s plenty of time to do that,” he told The Sun in 2014, later saying they were “still quite young” and “going on a journey” in an interview with Access Hollywood.
When and why did Olivia Culpo and Nick Jonas break up?
By 2015, the two superstars were no longer on the same page. In June, almost two years exactly to the date they met, the singer called it quits. “The long distance and ups and downs have been weighing on the two of them lately and it has not been easy but they know this is the best decision for them at this time,” E! News reported at the time.
However, unlike what those statements might indicate, Culpo’s 2022 revelations definitely paint a more one-sided picture. “I had no brand, no money and I was in love. That was great right, but when he broke up with me, I was kind of left with no sense of identity,” she revealed on The Culpo Sisters, adding that she couldn’t afford rent or groceries.
During the breakup, Culpo would tweet inspirational quotes and messages to her fans which revealed her heartbroken state of mind and spirit. “Heartbreak is hard but you find more and more things to be grateful for every day,” the model wrote on Instagram. An attitude which she had stayed true to since. In 2022, speaking about that time in her life, Culpo reiterated that “it was something that taught [her] that you can’t give up.”