What Jerry O'Connell said to ex Giuliana Rancic during awkward gym run-in after her memoir diss - Page Six

What the report says

Page Six reported that Jerry O’Connell revisited his past relationship with Giuliana Rancic during a Monday appearance on Kelly Ripa’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, describing deliberately awkward encounters with Rancic after their breakup. O’Connell said he sometimes saw Rancic at an Equinox gym and would approach her closely while pretending, in an exaggerated manner, to flirt and say he missed her. He framed the routine as a joke, saying it was something people should try with exes, while acknowledging that Rancic appeared irritated by it.

The exchange drew attention because Rancic previously wrote about their split in her 2015 memoir “Going Off Script.” According to Page Six, Rancic alleged in the book that O’Connell ended the relationship over an intercom and included a sharply worded line she attributed to him. On the podcast, O’Connell said he did not remember the exact words used during the 2004 breakup and could not rule out having said them, though he suggested the phrasing sounded crafted for a memoir.

Page Six noted that O’Connell, known for roles including “Stand by Me” and “Jerry Maguire,” and Rancic, a television journalist and former E! News host, dated from 2003 to 2004. O’Connell also described himself as a poor partner during that period and recounted a tense episode involving Rancic trying to enter his condominium while another woman was there.

The comments add new context to a long-public celebrity breakup, with O’Connell addressing both Rancic’s memoir account and his own behavior more than two decades after the relationship ended.