Jerry O'Connell addresses brutal Giuliana Rancic breakup
Jerry O'Connell does not dispute Giuliana Rancic's blistering memoir account of their 2004 split. As jerry o8217connell addresses brutal breakup claims on Kelly Ripa's podcast Monday, he says he cannot deny the intercom dump she described, admits he was a terrible boyfriend, and apologizes while explaining another woman was inside his condo at the time.
Key Takeaways
- O'Connell told Kelly Ripa's "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast he does not recall his exact wording but cannot deny Rancic's quoted dump.
- In her 2015 memoir "Going Off Script," Rancic said he ended things over an intercom with a cold "Nope, sorry, homegirl" line.
- He called himself a "terrible boyfriend" from 2003 to 2004 and said another woman was in his condo when Rancic buzzed the gate.
- He also discussed dating Geri Halliwell-related claims and a one-date fling with Sarah Michelle Gellar.
More than a decade after Rancic's tell-all, the "Jerry Maguire" star, 52, finally weighed in on the split that still circulates in celebrity breaking news circles. His remarks air on Monday's "Let's Talk Off Camera" episode with Ripa, 55.
What did Jerry O'Connell say about the Giuliana Rancic breakup?
Ripa asked whether O'Connell really dumped the entertainment reporter over an intercom, as Rancic claimed in "Going Off Script."
O'Connell said he does not "recall [his] exact wording" from the 2004 breakup. "I can't deny that I said that," he noted. "It doesn't sound like something I would say, but again, if I was writing a memoir, it made for a good quote."
He "applaud[ed]" Rancic, 51, for "using colorful dialogue and everything" in the book. According to Page Six, Rancic's representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why does O'Connell say the breakup went so poorly?
O'Connell apologized on air and labeled himself a "terrible boyfriend" during their 2003–2004 relationship. He said the pairing "was [already] in trouble" and played coy on whether they were exclusive.
He gave blunt context for the "poor" ending: "[Another woman] was inside my condominium. … Giuliana Rancic wanted entry into my condominium. Thank goodness, buzzer, gate, security."
He did not name the other woman. Ripa guessed Spice Girl Geri Halliwell or O'Connell's now-wife, Rebecca Romijn. He recalled telling Rancic she could not arrive unannounced and that he "didn't want any confrontation."
When Ripa noted that Rancic also accused him of cheating with Halliwell, 53, O'Connell praised how the "smart girl" wrote about the affair, including a line comparing his emotion to a customer-service agent reporting lost luggage.
Did Jerry O'Connell talk about other famous exes too?
Yes. O'Connell said he went on "literally one date" with Sarah Michelle Gellar when they were young. "Sarah Michelle dumped my ass," he said, calling her "the smartest one" for walking away from "this drunk."
He flagged Freddie Prinze Jr.'s jiu-jitsu training and insisted he does not "want any beef" with Gellar's "beautiful family."
The interview closes a long silence on a breakup that Rancic framed as chilly and public more than 20 years after the split—and more than a decade after her memoir made the intercom quote famous.