Another Big Brother showmance has sadly ended. Season 26 houseguests Matt Hardeman and Makensy Manbeck have called it quits after one year of dating.
She confirmed the news to fans via Instagram. “I want to be very open with y’all, just as I’ve been over the past year while sharing my life. Matt and I are no longer together,” Makensy, 23, wrote on Friday, October 17. “And I want to make it 100% clear, no one cheated. We are normal people who spent great time together that sadly came to an end. I loved Matt very much, and I still do. He is a big part of my life. I am truly grateful that God crossed our paths, even if it wasn’t for forever.”
She continued, “I know many of you were invested in us, and I can’t thank you enough for your support through the past year. All I ask moving forward is that you continue to support and please be kind. I loved him and our relationship deeply, and this will be a long road of healing for me. I will do my best to stay present with y’all through it all though. Thank you for understanding and for always supporting me. Love y’all.”
Matt, 26, later also posted a series of statements on Instagram, the first of which said, “As many of you know, I have decided to part ways and end my relationship with Makensy. There has been a lot of hurt and pain over the course of the last year, and although many may not understand, I’m choosing to believe there is more for me in what God’s plan is ahead. In no way would I ever hope to bash Makensy. The internet tries to make you think you have to take sides, that it’s me vs her, and I don’t think either one of us would ever ask for that.”
He continued, “We got to walk through one of the most special, fun, and unique seasons of life together. To have so many invested in our relationship, to have been given some of the cool opportunities we have, it’s an honor. Unfortunately, certain things have transpired over the course of the last year that leave us no choice but to know that although we would like to, we can not make this work. My biggest hope for what our relationship was is that it would serve as a beacon of hope to those who saw it. Although we are choosing to now part ways, it still feels cool to see that for so many of you—it was.”
The couple met during summer 2024 while competing on the long-running CBS reality series. While Matt was the first evicted houseguest, Makensy went on to become runner-up of the season, sitting at the end next to eventual winner Chelsie Baham.
She went into the show as construction project manager from Houston, Texas. He was a tech rep from Loganville, Georgia who had a thing for Southern girls and quickly became enamored. In fact, he told me right after his July 2024 eviction that he was interested in pursing her. “I think Makensy is beautiful. I think her personality is amazing. I think how she carries herself and her life values is someone I would be interested on the outside,” he said on The Exclusive podcast.
It was unclear throughout the rest of the 90-day season whether Makensy would date him after the show, but they made things Instagram official that December. “In case the soft launches weren’t enough, here’s a hard launch” she posted at the time, alongside a carousel of photos of the pair.
A few days later, Matt posted a long caption, some of which said, “Who knows what’s in the future for Kens and I—We have BIG dreams and big ambitions! Whatever it is? I’m just happy that we get to do it together. I’m at peace knowing the author of LIFE is writing a better story for us than we ever could. Having her by my side has forever changed the way I view love + all that’s possible in life…and our story is one I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
He added: “Despite the unknowns and all the ‘what ifs’, I can promise y’all this: I’ll be chasing after this girl every day until she tells me not to.”
Rumors of a breakup began when eagle-eyed fans noticed the duo seemingly unfollowed each other on Instagram. And while both still have photos together on their feeds, they weren’t nearly as active as they usually were, often doing TikToks together too.
Parade has reached out to both parties for comment.
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