Breakup rumors began swirling in May 2026, and by June 21, Deuxmoi reported that Hughes had been spotted acting single at venues in Nashville and New York City.
Tate McRae, 23, told Variety on August 3 that she tries to keep her relationships “as sacred and private as possible.”
The interview was conducted one day before DeuxMoi speculated about the status of McRae’s romance with Hughes.
“I love the people in my life. They love me. You just try to keep that circle as positive and supportive as possible,” McRae added.
“The outside noise, I can’t do anything about that,” the 23-year-old continued. “Focusing my energy on something that I can’t control, it just puts me in a bad mood.”
Meanwhile, Hughes had similarly shared his approach to privacy.
“We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple,” Hughes said.
“I’m not sure who broke up with who, but I was at a party Saturday and they weren’t hanging together, though they were both present,” a source told Deuxmoi.
Another sighting suggested trouble in paradise.
A Deuxmoi insider claimed to have seen Jack with “his hockey f boys at Chez Margaux” where he was reportedly “acting very single,” while both Tate and Jack attended Michael Rubin’s White Party in the Hamptons but were “photographed standing in the same group chatting but not exactly looking like a couple.”
The couple kept things quiet from the start.
Sources revealed to Us Weekly in March 2026 that the two had been casually seeing each other toward the end of late 2025, after Hughes DMed the Canadian singer on Instagram.
Although neither McRae nor Hughes publicly confirmed the relationship, a source close to the couple confirmed to Us Weekly that the relationship had turned exclusive in early 2026.
According to an insider, the two first connected after Jack “initially messaged her on IG and started a conversation,” and “She thinks he is a really cool guy and they have been having a lot of fun together. She has been so supportive of his career and has been loving going to the games and cheering him on.”
The early timeline moved fast.
In November 2025, Tate was spotted on a cozy date with Jack at Anton’s in NYC, and a source said “the entire restaurant was staring” at the pair, noting that Jack “seemed nervous, like was looking around a lot when they first sat down.”
In December 2025, Tate was seen watching Jack at the New Jersey Devils hockey game, and the day after that, Tate and Jack were spotted walking around NYC together.
In the viral moment that defined their time together,
Jack Hughes scored the gold-winning goal at the 2026 Olympics and lost his two front teeth in the process.
Both Hughes and McRae then set their sights on the 2026 Winter Olympics, with the Devils’ 2019 first-round pick teaming up with older brother Quinn on the U.S. men’s hockey team, while McRae had the internet talking over her appearance in an NBC ad spotlighting the games and Team USA athletes, given she’s a Calgary, Alberta native.
McRae quickly responded to critics by posting a childhood photo holding a Canadian flag, writing, “…y’all know I’m Canada down.”
The relationship had seemed sweet before tensions arose.
A source said, “They are making it work during this busy season, but hope to have more time together next month when his season ends. Tate thinks he’s really sweet and it’s going well so far.”
The split came quietly, with neither party making a statement.