Taylor Hale and Joseph Abdin. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Taylor Hale and Joseph Abdin, who met while competing on Big Brother in summer 2022, have decided to amicably split after about six months of dating.
The former Miss Michigan, 28, who won season 24 of the long-running reality TV series, decided to end the relationship after careful thought and consideration, Us Weekly has exclusively learned.
Ultimately, it came down to a few factors, distance being one of them. Hale, who once considered Florida as a place to settle down, slowly realized that she couldn’t see herself living there, while Abdin, 25, is tied to his home state of Florida for personal and professional reasons.
The couple, who fans affectionately refer to as “Jaylor,” officially called it quits right before a pre-planned a cruise getaway but still decided to go together since they plan to remain friends and wanted the opportunity to decompress.
“Joseph and I have made the decision to love and support one another as best friends going forward,” Hale wrote in a statement on Instagram on Wednesday, April 19, which Abdin re-posted. “We recognize what’s best for both of our futures at this time. This decision was made with lots of love, care and acknowledgment of how special our relationship is to the both of us.”
She continued, “We want to thank you for the love and support you’ve shown us while we navigated our relationship from friends, to lovers, and now back to friends. We’ve seen every message about how watching an interracial relationship form impacted you, in spite of the ongoing harassment, and we’re touched by how our love has inspired you.”
The beauty queen and attorney had faced ongoing harassment online for months, even requiring law enforcement officials and network involvement. The pair tried their best to protect the relationship and remain private, but ultimately decided it was best to part ways.
“Joseph and I will continue to support each other enthusiastically, and we encourage you to do the same, as you always have,” Hale ended the post. “Ain’t no love lost over here! We will always be part of each other’s lives. Whether platonic or romantic we are, and always will be, Jaylor.”
The two indicated that they will speak more about the breakup when they are ready, and have asked that their decision and privacy please be respected.
The CBS stars officially became a couple back in November 2022, a few months after their season had wrapped. They had formed a tight bond inside the Big Brother house amid bullying and racism directed toward Hale.
“There was just something really warm and inviting about Joseph,” she told Us in September after the finale. “It was really hard that first few weeks of the house. I could not walk to a room without people just stopping a conversation, changing a conversation. I felt like my fate was sealed every single day and my best friend was my bed. And I’m an introvert on top of all of that.”
She continued of their friendship, “But Joseph, no matter whether I was forced or needed to be in a corner … would always just check on me and be like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ And for someone to even care or feign like they could care, even a pinky amount about how I was doing, it was very, very difficult in that house. And Joseph was willing to be a friend to someone that everyone was painting out to be the most disgusting villain.”
As for what’s next for the reality stars, Abdin has decided to take a short break from social media to focus on his legal career and philanthropy, while Hale, the first Black woman to win a non-celebrity season of the CBS reality show, is also focused on her career and supporting each other in any way they can.
