“Big Brother” season 26 competitor Matt Hardeman has broken his silence on his breakup with runner-up Makensy Manbeck, via an Instagram story post.
Matt & Makensy’s Breakup Explained
CBSMatt and Makensy first met in the “Big Brother” house when they were both cast on season 26, but the two didn’t start dating for a few months. Matt was the first person evicted from the house, whereas Makensy made it all the way to the final two chairs. Unfortunately, she lost to Chelsie Baham, taking home the $75,000 second place prize as opposed to the $750,000 grand prize.
Once they were both out of the “Big Brother” house, the friendship they had started on the show was able to blossom more, and after bonding over their shared faith, both Makensy and Matt realized the relationship wasn’t as platonic as they once thought. They made their new romantic relationship Instagram official in December, 2024.
Come October 2025, fans started to notice cracks in the relationship. Namely, people realized Matt and Makensy unfollowed each other on Instagram, sparking breakup rumors.
Shortly after, Makensy confirmed her split from Matt, asking for support and clarifying that there was no cheating in the relationship. Matt waited until the next day, but now, he too has broken his silence.
Matt Hardeman’s Instagram Story Post
Matt’s Instagram story post was significantly longer than Makensy’s, spanning four separate pages. In the lengthy post, Matt explained “there has been a lot of hurt and pain over the course of the last year,” although he did not give any specifics, nor did he say if the pain was coming from his relationship with Makensy or outside factors.
Despite the hurt, Matt said he’s trusting in “God’s plan,” and asked readers not “to bash Makensy.” In fact, he doesn’t want people to take sides in their breakup at all. After all, Matt said he and Makensy spent their relationship in “one of the most special, fun, and unique seasons of life,” and he’s been “honored” to have so many fans “invested” in his relationship.
Matt went on to give slightly more details about the breakup than Makensy did in her post. According to Matt, “Certain things have transpired over the course of the last year that leave us no choice but to know that although we would like to,” they can’t make the relationship work.
Matt, like Makensy, insisted that no one cheated, and that infidelity was not the cause of their split. In the final slide, Matt asked readers “to pray for both Makensy and I as we build a life apart from one another.”
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