Greater than 20 years after his relationship with Giuliana Rancic ended, Jerry O’Connell is taking ownership of one of the infamous celebrity breakup stories of the early 2000s.
The actor recently reflected on the split during an appearance on Kelly Ripa‘s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, admitting he was “a terrible boyfriend” while revealing he couldn’t dispute Rancic’s long-standing account of how their relationship got here to an end. His comments also offer a brand new perspective on a breakup that first made headlines again in 2015, when the entertainment journalist detailed the painful split in her memoir “Going Off Script.”
During the podcast, Ripa asked O’Connell about one of the memorable moments from Rancic’s memoir, through which she claimed he ended their relationship over his condominium’s intercom system. In “Going Off Script,” Rancic recalled O’Connell allegedly telling her, “Nope, sorry, homegirl. Things change, but you’re taking care, OK?”
While O’Connell admitted he doesn’t remember the precise exchange from their 2004 breakup, he also wasn’t prepared to say Rancic got it improper. “I can’t deny that I said that,” the “Jerry Maguire” actor admitted. “It doesn’t sound like something I’d say, but again, if I used to be writing a memoir, it made for an excellent quote.”
Somewhat than criticizing his ex, O’Connell praised the way in which she told the story. “I applaud her for using colourful dialogue and the whole lot,” he said.
O’Connell Explains Why The Relationship Was Already Falling Apart
While acknowledging the breakup was handled poorly, O’Connell also offered additional context that wasn’t widely known when Rancic first shared the story in her memoir. Calling himself “a terrible boyfriend” during their 2003-2004 relationship, the actor apologized before revealing one other woman was inside his condominium when Rancic unexpectedly arrived.
“[Another woman] was inside my condominium,” he admitted. “Giuliana Rancic wanted entry into my condominium. Thank goodness, buzzer, gate, security. I paid a reasonably hefty homeowners’ fee for this stuff. Cameras and the whole lot.”
Although O’Connell declined to discover the lady, Ripa speculated it might have been either former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell or O’Connell’s future wife, Rebecca Romijn.
Jerry O’Connell Explains The Context Behind Their Infamous Breakup
The actor also insisted the connection had already begun unraveling before that moment. “Our relationship was already in trouble,” he explained, adding that he hadn’t expected Rancic to stop by.
“I said, ‘I didn’t know you were coming. You’ll be able to’t come here unannounced,’” O’Connell recalled. “Notice nobody had a key, so the connection was not like that. There was no warning, and I didn’t want someone coming in because I didn’t want any confrontation.”
Giuliana Rancic’s Memoir Kept The Story Alive For Years
Although O’Connell and Rancic split greater than 20 years ago, the breakup became a part of Hollywood lore after the tv personality revisited the connection in her 2015 memoir.
Together with recounting the intercom incident, Rancic accused O’Connell of cheating on her with Geri Halliwell and compared his response in the course of the breakup to an airline worker delivering bad news. “[He gave me] as much emotion as the shopper service representative who tells you your bags missed the flight,” she wrote.
Somewhat than keep off against that characterization, O’Connell again complimented Rancic’s storytelling in the course of the podcast.
When Ripa referenced the cheating allegations, O’Connell called Rancic “a sensible girl” and described her writing as “great,” suggesting he appreciated the colourful way she recounted their relationship despite being at the middle of it.
Jerry O’Connell Also Looked Back On Dating Sarah Michelle Gellar
Elsewhere in the course of the interview, O’Connell reflected on one other famous relationship from his younger years, joking about occurring “literally one date” with Sarah Michelle Gellar before she decided to not pursue things further. “We were kids, and Sarah Michelle dumped my ass,” he joked. “She was the neatest one. Sarah Michelle took one take a look at me and was like, ‘I’ve got to get away from this drunk. One and done.’”
O’Connell quickly added that he has no real interest in revisiting that chapter, joking that he doesn’t “want any beef” with Gellar’s husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., while praising the couple’s longtime marriage and “beautiful family.”
Today, O’Connell has been married to Romijn since 2007, and the couple shares twin daughters.