Braxton Berrios is defending himself after fans called him out for skipping his ex Alix Earle’s Dancing With the Stars performances before they split.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, December 11, Berrios, 30, appeared to poke fun at the drama surrounding his break-up by uploading a series of photos of himself and captioning it, “What did I miss?”
Fans were quick to flock to the comments section to respond. One follower replied, “Every single performance of Alix’s.”
The comment referenced Berrios’ absence from the crowd which cheered on Earle, 24, as she competed in Dancing With the Stars’ season 34.
In response, the Houston Texans wide receiver claimed that he wanted to be there but was unable to do so due to his NFL commitments.
“I would’ve been at every one if I could’ve, sadly I can’t travel like that in season,” Berrios wrote.
Earle and her Dancing With the Stars partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, ultimately finished in second place on the reality show. They were beaten to the top spot by Robert Irwin and his DWTS partner, Witney Carson, during the November 25 finale.
Berrios did not attend the finale but shared his support for Earle at the time via a video message.
“I’ve watched you pour everything into this since the moment it has started, and I think it shows,” Berrios said in a prerecorded video. “Good luck. Have fun, babe.”
Berrios and Earle split after two years of dating, multiple sources confirmed exclusively to Us Weekly on December 6.
“Majority of their relationship was long-distance and it was hard for them to navigate,” one insider told Us. “They mutually agreed on the split.”
After being linked to Berrios in May 2023, Earle initially denied they were dating. She ultimately confirmed her relationship with the athlete several months later in November 2023.
A year later, Earle shared a gushing tribute to Berrios to mark 12 months together.
“To the person who taught me to love wholeheartedly .. happy 1 year ❣️ You have become so much more than my best friend and partner,” she wrote via Instagram for their November 2024 anniversary. “I didn’t know I was capable of this type of love and I feel like I have truly found my other half! I love you.”
Earlier this year, Earle spoke about her relationship with Berrios, divulging they were planning a future together.
“We always talk about our future,” she told Us in February. “Right now, we’re so focused on our careers that we live in the moment and don’t rush into anything. I think that’s the cool thing about being with Braxton, [he] is not scared of any type of future.”
During an appearance on the “Hot Mess” podcast in September 2023, Earle opened up about the night they first met during a Great Gatsby-themed party in February the same year.
“As we’re standing around the bar, this guy comes up to me and he’s like, ‘Oh, you should really go talk to my friend over there,’ and he points to this guy. I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK, whatever,’” she said.
Earle explained, “I go right up to him, I shove my hand in his face and I say ‘You.’ He looks at me like I have six heads. And he’s like ‘What?’ And I go, ‘You wanted to meet me.’”
