Benito Skinner and Terrence O’Connor have ended their nine-year relationship, the Overcompensating star announced on his podcast.
The 31-year-old comedian shared news of their breakup during the Oct. 22 episode of RIDE, which he hosts with Mary Beth Barone.
“Terry and I are no longer together.”
Skinner described the split as “amicable” and emphasized their mutual respect.
“We both just love each other so much and have so much love and respect for each other, and we treated each other with love and respect until the end.”
The comedian reflected on their relationship’s impact on his life. He dated O’Connor throughout most of his twenties, saying they “grew up together in so many ways.”
“I feel so unbelievably lucky to have met him and to be a part of his family. I love his family. I love the cousins. So I hope that if anything, you should believe in love, because I really had it and I really feel so lucky to have met him and to have been around his genius.”
The couple first met at a party in 2016. O’Connor, a photographer and creative director, told NYLON in April about their instant connection.
“I really had a That’s So Raven moment where I was immediately like, ‘I’m going to marry him.’ He told me he wanted to be an actor. I was like, ‘I don’t know how I could help you become an actor, but maybe we could try to get you a following on Instagram?'”
The pair became social media fixtures throughout their relationship. They regularly appeared on each other’s accounts and worked together professionally.
O’Connor consulted on marketing for Skinner’s hit series Overcompensating, which launched in May.
Skinner acknowledged that fans were invested in their relationship and might be upset by the news.
“Over the years, I’ve seen comments that say, ‘If you break up, I’ll stop believing in love.’ I think that if us breaking up makes you stop believing in love – I think it should be the opposite because I was with someone so special to me for nine years in a committed relationship with my best friend.”
The announcement included a lighthearted moment. Skinner joked about making one final request of his ex-partner.
“Yes, I did make him promise that he will never date an actor younger than me. That was my one request, and he spit-shook on it. So I would love a little bit of privacy and respect for both of us.”
