Joe Keery Opens Up About His 'Big Breakup' from Maika Monroe

The 'Stranger Things' star dated the actress for five years prior to their split

Joe Keery is finally opening up about his breakup with Maika Monroe.

The Stranger Things actor, 32, dated the It Follows star, 31, for five years before separating sometime between 2022 and 2023. They made their final public appearance together in March 2022 at the Vanity Fair Oscar party.

Now, in a new interview with Variety, Keery offered some insight into the timing of the breakup — and how he handled it.

Reflecting on the six months he spent in Calgary filming season 5 of Fargo, Keery said he arrived straight from Rome, where he’d been filming Finally Dawn, and his relationship had just ended.

“I had also gone through a big breakup, right as I was leaving Rome, so I was really isolated and focused on my work,” he told Variety of the end of his relationship with Monroe. “My social life pretty much revolved around the show; my work life revolved around the show. We weren’t really leaving due to COVID-19.”

Related: Joe Keery and Maika Monroe's Relationship Timeline

In the aftermath of the breakup — and as he prepared to star as Gator Tillman on the FX series alongside stars like Jon Hamm and Juno Temple — Keery said he “started working out a bunch and changed my diet a little bit.”

“I’ve never really done that for a job. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think it kind of informed me physically … I had a very simple lifestyle, and I was cooking for myself,” he told the outlet, adding that “being able to roll with the punches and buckle in” is a big part of making his career work amidst life changes, like the breakup, and geographical ones.

“It’s a weird job, being an actor. You fly to a random place, move your whole life and that is basically your new life for the next six months.”

Related: David Harbour Says He Is 'Thrilled' to Return to Stranger Things: 'I'm Ready to Work' (Exclusive)

While the pair never officially confirmed their breakup, Monroe, who is also an actress, was spotted kissing Dalton Gomez, Ariana Grande's ex-husband in photos obtained by TMZ in October 2023. Since the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscars party, neither Keery nor Monroe have been seen together, and neither have spoken about their relationship.

During their five years together, the pair had largely kept their relationship private, though Monroe often stepped out to support her beau at various premieres and events.

They made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Stranger Things season 2 premiere in 2017. At the event, Monroe showed off some PDA with the actor, who has played fan-favorite Steve Harrington since the show's premiere. They were later seen sharing a kiss while out in New York City that same year.

In a rare interview with GQ, Keery opened up about his relationship with Monroe — who he met while filming their 2018 film After Everything — as he said they "spent so much time together" over quarantine, "which was rare."

"I mean, that's one of the disadvantages of dating someone else in the industry. There are advantages as well: somebody who kind of understands what's going on with you in a pretty deep way," he said. "But yeah, I think she's like me. She doesn't take it all too seriously."

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Keery's current relationship status is unknown, though he has been spotted out in New York City with actress Chase Sui Wonders — who previously dated Pete Davidson — several times since October 2023.

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