@wgacooper
Out Social media influencers Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo announced they are divorcing after being married since 2022, the couple told Out in an exclusive interview.
Out is a sibling publication of The Advocate.
The two tied the knot in August of 2022. Before getting married, the two had dated for over six years.
"With social media, it's a bit complicated. Our relationship became a brand," Champa tells Out about the two’s decision to split.
Champa, 27, continued, “I want to say I have nothing but love and respect for this person. I spent my entire twenties with this person. I grew up with this person. He's a very special person and will always remain that way for me.”
He added that the nine-year age gap between him and Boo, 36, also put pressure on their relationship.
"I think as you age, you kind of realize different things," Champa shares with Out. "Then on top of it, the social media aspect of it and people constantly comparing ourselves to each other and the pressure of maintaining this image. It almost became, I would tell people, like a Black Mirror episode."
The influencer said he began to feel trapped.
“I can only speak for myself. I lost myself in this relationship, incredibly. I sacrificed a lot for this relationship. I dedicated myself to this relationship and the brand that we were building. I think that at this stage in my life, I had to choose me and pick me first. And I think [Pierre] had to do the same, and that's the direction we're heading in."
Boo took to his Instagram Stories earlier today to post a short announcement signaling to his and Champa's followers that they had split.
"We broke up," Boo wrote.
On TikTok, Champa has 13.3 million followers and Boo has 13.7 million, at the time of writing. The two made a name for themselves creating content about their daily lives and travels as a gay couple, according to Out.
Champa and Boo also shared a joint YouTube account, where they had nearly 2.5 million subscribers tuning into their videos.
The two will not be making content together anymore, Champa says.
"I will be continuing my own process," he tells Out. "I think my biggest goal is to find my voice.”
Check out images of the former couple below. Above image of Pierre Boo and Nicky Champa by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images.
