Maddie Poppe and Caleb Lee Hutchinson, an American Idol fan-favorite couple, have gone their separate ways.
The pair never formally announced their breakup, but it seems that they called it quits some time ago: Poppe debuted a new relationship with singer-songwriter and guitarist Gabe Burdulis on her Instagram on Monday (July 24), sharing a photo of them together and captioning it “Happy.”
Poppe and Hutchinson first met while both were competing on Season 16 of American Idol. They got to know each other during Hollywood Week and made their relationship official during a 2018 trip to Disneyland, but kept things under wraps until the season finale, when they were announced as the two finalists.
“It was one of those things where I didn’t want it to affect anything, and I didn’t want to exploit my feelings for her, because they’re very, very real,” Hutchinson explained to ET Online at the time. “Once voting was over, I was like, ‘Shoot, I want the world to know.'”
Poppe was eventually crowned Idol‘s champ for that season, and in a social media post celebrating her win, she said that her relationship with Hutchinson was one of the most special experiences she’d gotten out of her time on the show.
“One of the best gifts it’s given me is Caleb Hutchinson. This guy captured my heart from the start and showed me what love truly means,” she wrote.
Though it’s not clear exactly when Poppe and Hutchinson broke up, Country Now reports that Poppe alluded to a breakup — without naming names — in April, when she put out a song called “Screw You a Little Bit.”
“It is a breakup song,” she confirmed, but made it seem like it might not be about Hutchinson.
“This one is not about who everyone thinks it’s about. That relationship, I still have a place in my heart and I have nothing but love and respect on that side of things,” Poppe said. “So this is NOT about that person. Because I don’t have negative things to say about that particular person. If you are out there and if you are wondering. There you go.”
14 ‘American Idol’ Singers Who Secretly Hooked Up — Or Did They?
Country ‘American Idol’ Stars Who Disappeared
We cheered for them. We voted for them. We followed them. Then, these seven American Idol stars vanished. Or, at least it seems like it.
What happened to some of country music’s best American Idol contestants over the last 20 years? This list of country American Idol stars who disappeared includes a winner, a runner-up and a third place finisher, plus several early cuts who enjoyed radio success before losing touch with fans.