You may have heard that actor Michael B. Jordan and skincare enthusiast, Lori Harvey, are no longer an item. The couple, who had been dating for a year and a half, announced their split in an exclusive for People via a “source” over the weekend. And as of two days ago, Lori erased all evidence of the actor from her Instagram page, while Jordan still has photos of him and the model up from March, when the couple made their red carpet debut at the Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party following the 2022 Academy Awards. Of course, her father, Steve Harvey also put his two cents in subtlety.
The internet has certainly been eating this up like Christmas came early over the past few days. While the People article didn’t disclose who initiated the breakup, the immediate assumption on social media was that Lori dumped Jordan’s ass because he did something stupid (i.e. cheated). It also didn’t help that the official Chase Center Twitter account posted a video of the 35-year-old actor sitting courtside at an NBA Finals game on Sunday where he appeared unhappy.
According to People, an inside source close to Lori Harvey said that the two stars are in two different places in life and want different things right now. Where Michael B. Jordan may have been gearing up to take the relationship to the next step, Harvey was not ready to commit at this point in her life. This is what the source alleges, exactly: “She still wants to have fun and be free. Michael is a great guy. She is sad that their relationship didn’t work out, but she is moving on”.
The characterization of Harvey online as a gold digger or a professional girlfriend at best is not new. When the SKN founder first arrived in the spotlight in 2017, she was engaged to Dutch soccer player Memphis Depay, who she split from in 2018. Since then, Harvey has either dated or been seen on what appeared to date with high-profile men such as Diddy’s oldest son Justin Combs, eventually Diddy, Trey Songz, and Future. The fact that Harvey has been linked to several men and doesn’t dress like a nun, all the while being the stepdaughter of a man who famously dishes out conservative dating advice to women, has rattled spectators on social media for confounding, mostly sexist reasons.
In that way, the internet has been strangely presumptuous when crafting narratives around Harvey and her motivations in dating other famous people, something she’s been tight-lipped about until very recently. Even the women who applaud her “hustle” and project a feminist angle onto her romantic life are inadvertently making a spectacle out of a 25-year-old whose refusal to be tied down seems healthy and, most importantly, normal.
A source close to both Harvey and Jordan told People recently that being with Harvey changed Jordan. “Michael matured a lot over the course of their relationship and was ready to commit for the long term,” the source said. “He let down his guard with her, opening up emotionally in a romantic relationship for the first time. They had great times together and brought out the best in each other.”