There’s chatter on social media that actress Jodie Foster is responsible for Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley‘s whirlwind romance. The actress became a part of the buzzing fan theory after the Green Bay Packers quarterback, 37, thanked “Jodie Foster” in his acceptance speech at the NFL honors Broadcast — the same speech that Rodgers also thanked his “fiancee,” which confirmed he’s engaged. The latter occurred just three days after multiple reports confirmed that Rodgers and Woodley have been quietly dating.
Rodgers — whose speech came after he was named MVP of the 2020 NFL season (his third time winning the award) — named Foster while reflecting on his “crazy year” in 2020, and thanking his “off the field” supporters. Now, unless the star QB is friends with another Jodie Foster, and not the Jodie Foster with an illustrious acting resume, then fans are completely wrong about the viral relationship theory. However, here’s how it seemingly ties together.
Why Jodie? — Well, Rodgers’ rumored fiancee and the actress are costars in the upcoming film The Mauritanian, which is set for release later this month. The timing is ironic to suit the theory because fans are speculating that the legal drama, which also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, led to Foster’s relationship with the new couple. Then again, eagle-eyed fans pulled back a few more layers of the situation to discover that Foster may have already had close ties to Rodgers —seeing as she’s a well-known and well-documented Packers fan.
.@AaronRodgers12 accepts his award after being named the MVP of the 2020 NFL season. 🎥#GoPackGo
📺 #NFLHonors on CBS pic.twitter.com/vgSKnjGNXh
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) February 7, 2021
While there’s still much to unpack in Rodgers and Woodley’s private romance, this could be a solid start. So far, neither the Super Bowl XLV champion nor the Big Little Lies star have confirmed a romance, let alone an engagement. Though, multiple outlets have confirmed the news to be true. HollywoodLife reached out to representatives for both Rodgers and Woodley when the initial dating news broke.
As for their past romances? Woodley confirmed her split from rugby player Ben Volavola in April 2020, three years after they were first romantically linked. At the time, she said she “wasn’t ready too commit” to a relationship where “marriage and children” were “very much on the road.” Meanwhile, Rodgers split from his girlfriend of two years, NASCAR star Danica Patrick, 38, in July 2020, after two years. At the time, her rep confirmed the split to HollywoodLife.