‘American Idol’ Alums Maddie Poppe And Caleb Lee Hutchinson Break Up, Poppe Shares Photo With New Beau
It appears Poppe has moved on with a new boyfriend.
Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Maddie Poppe; Photo by ABC, American Idol
American Idol alums Maddie Poppe and Caleb Lee Hutchinson have broken up.
Poppe sparked a bit of confusion among fans regarding her relationship status after a recent Instagram post.
Since her time on Season 16 of the singing competition show, Poppe has been open about her dating life with fellow Idol alum, Caleb Lee Hutchinson. They first became friends during their time on the show and even declared their relationship official in the season finale. However, her latest Instagram post is leading fans to believe she and Hutchinson have called it quits.
The post features a polaroid of the female songstress cuddling up to Nashville-based singer/songwriter, photographer and guitarist, Gabe Burdulis, with a caption that reads, “Happy♥️”
Burdulis is currently touring as a guitarist with country singer Brittany Spencer. He has also played in support of artists such as Brooke Eden and Micah Nelson and previously released his own set of solo music.
While many were quick to share their support for her happiness in the comment section of the post, others also expressed some confusion.
One user wrote, “Just realizing her and Caleb broke up” while another said “Aw. This is sweet. I didn’t know you split with Caleb. You two were so sweet together, but happy you are happy♥️”
While Poppe hasn’t come out publicly to say much about her breakup with Hutchinson, she did touch on the topic during an interview with Iowa radio station KWAY that took place earlier this year in support of April release, “Screw You a Little Bit.”
When asked to shed some light on the song’s heartbreak narrative, Poppe explained that “It is a breakup song,” however she revealed it is not directed towards her split with Hutchinson.
“This one is not about who everyone thinks it’s about,” she confirmed. “That relationship, I still have a place in my heart and I have nothing but love and respect on that side of things. 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.”
Some of the last few posts Poppe shared of her and Hutchinson were from 2022 when the pair filmed a music video together for the dramatic single, “One That Got Away.”
The video features Poppe’s character getting arrested and taken to the police station where she is questioned by the hard-hitting detective played by Hutchinson.
“Caleb is so creative and good at everything he does,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “But also, we were on a budget. He worked for cheap!” She laughed. “But yeah, there was never a question he would be in the video. We needed a detective and I think he was perfect for the role.”
During their time together, the couple consistently showed support for each other’s careers. They also returned to the American Idol stage in May of 2022 as part of The Great Idol Reunion.
Together, they performed “Islands In The Stream,” a duet written by the Bee Gees and made famous by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
Although the pair might not be together anymore, it appears that they are each continuing on with their own separate musical journeys. Hutchinson has been traveling on the road, performing various shows, posting covers to social media and teasing new music for fans. Meanwhile, Poppe is currently on her headlining tour with support from fellow Idol alum, Megan Danielle.
The two singer/songwriters kicked things off on July 6 in Swisher, IA and will continue with a total of 20 stops before they wrap up the run with one final show in Tuscon AZ on August 26.
Then in the fall, Maddie Poppe will open for Backstreet Bot, Nick Carter on his Who I Am 2023 Tour. This stint of shows is set to launch on October 4 in Lexington, KY.
Maddie Poppe is next slated to perform in Portsmouth, NH on August 7.
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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