Who Is Madonna’s Ex-Boyfriend? All About Josh Popper

Madonna and Josh Popper have gone their separate ways.

Popper, a boxing coach who briefly appeared on the reality show Summer House, met the pop icon after he trained her son, David Banda, at his boxing gym in New York City.

Madonna first appeared on Popper’s Instagram feed in February 2023. Then, in December 2023, he joined the “Vogue” singer on stage during her Celebration Tour stop in Brooklyn. The couple shared a kiss in front of more than 14,000 people.

It’s unclear when the pair stopped seeing each other. The last Instagram post Popper made about Madonna was in February 2024 when he said he was “Missing Portugal.” The “Holiday” singer is now rumored to be dating former soccer player Akeem Morris.

So, who is Madonna’s ex-boyfriend? Here’s everything to know about Josh Popper.

He was born and raised in New Jersey

Popper was born in New Jersey on Sept. 23, 1993, to the late Michael Popper and Vanita Allen. He was raised in the South Jersey town of Egg Harbor Township and graduated from Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey, in 2011.

According to his Instagram, he has lived in New York City since at least 2019.

He is a boxing coach

Popper owns Bredwinners — a boxing gym in N.Y.C. According to the gym’s website, Popper is a “lifelong athlete and a full-time coach” who “believes the best kind of workout isn’t the one that just gets the job done, but one that helps you show up, zone in, and level up.”

The New Jersey native was crowned the 2023 NYC Ring Masters Heavyweight Champion at Madison Square Garden in April.

In addition to boxing, Popper is repped by modeling agency Soul Artist MGMT.

He and Madonna were first linked in February 2023

Following a boxing match win at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, Popper posted photos of him and Madonna for the first time on Feb. 12, 2023.

“Another W for the books‼️” he captioned the photos on Instagram. “I wanna thank my coaches, my team, and my Bredwinners family for pushing me to be my best in and out of the ring. I got some good people by my side.”

He appeared on reality TV

Though his reality TV career wasn’t long-lasting, Popper did appear on Summer House.

During Season 7, Summer House star Samantha Feher went to Popper’s gym for a training session. She then invited him to hang at the Hamptons share house, but after he joined the crew at a bar, Feher ultimately decided there was nothing romantic happening between them.

“I’m looking for the guy who will jump up on the counter and dance with me, not the guy who’s gonna watch,” she said in a confessional about Popper after he didn’t jump up and dance on a bar with her.

He had a brief NFL career

Popper stayed in-state for college, playing as a defensive lineman for Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. He was a Rowan Scholar-Athlete and a New Jersey Athletic Conference first-team selection in 2013 and 2015, and helping lead his team to a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship in 2013.

After college, Popper had a brief NFL career, attending the Arizona Cardinals rookie minicamp in 2016, but he was cut before the season started. He was then called to the Indianapolis Colts in 2017 but was released by them as well.

Following his stint in the NFL, Popper sold insurance for New York Life, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He has a number of tattoos

Much like Madonna, Popper is inked.

His tattoo collection includes a phrase written out on his right bicep, a large chest piece and an illustration on his upper right arm.

He loves traveling

Popper has done quite a bit of traveling. In 2018, he went zip-lining with his brother in Hawaii and enjoyed a trip to Greece, and in August 2023, he shared a shirtless black-and-white photo from a trip to Lisbon, Portugal.