Advertisement

Who Is Madonna's Boyfriend? All About Josh Popper

Madonna and Josh Popper have been linked since February 2023

Madonna/Instagram
Madonna/Instagram

Madonna is going strong with Josh Popper.

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

The pair made their first Instagram appearance together in February 2023, with Madonna posing next to Popper in a series of photos after his boxing match at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York. One month later, Madonna showed support at another one of Popper's matches, and the two then attended a piano recital together in April.

Though they've appeared on each other's social media accounts, neither has spoken publicly about their relationship yet.

So who is Madonna’s boyfriend? Here’s everything to know about Josh Popper and his relationship with the pop icon.

He was born and raised in New Jersey

<p>Josh Popper Instagram</p> Josh Popper in NYC, 2019

Josh Popper Instagram

Josh Popper in NYC, 2019

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 and met Madonna at his gym

Josh Popper/Instagram
Josh Popper/Instagram

Popper is a boxing coach and owns a gym in New York City called Bredwinners. That’s where he met Madonna, after training the “Ray of Light” singer’s son, David Banda.

According to the Bredwinners 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 N.Y.C.'s Madison Square Garden in April.

According to his Instagram bio, in addition to boxing, he is repped by modeling agency Soul Artist MGMT.

Madonna and Popper made their first Instagram appearance in February 2023

Josh Popper/Instagram
Josh Popper/Instagram

The first time the duo were spotted together on social media was on Feb. 12, when Popper shared a series of photos to his Instagram following a boxing match win at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn.

The first snap in the slideshow shows Popper with his arm around Madonna while surrounded by three of his teammates and coaches. The second is just the two of them, with Madonna posing coyly behind her beau.

“Another W for the books‼️” Popper captioned the photos. “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.

The reality star told Page Six that she is still friends with Popper and has chatted with him about his relationship with Madonna.

“I mean, we messaged about it jokingly of like, ‘Oh, if this is true, that’s baller,’ and he’s very vague. No one knows the truth,” Feher told the outlet, adding that this was “the coolest thing that’s ever happened to" both her and Popper.

Madonna and Popper have slowly gone public with their relationship

<p>Madonna Instagram</p>

Madonna Instagram

After going Instagram official, Madonna has since posted about some of the duo’s outings.

The “Vogue” singer supported Popper’s boxing match in New York City in March. Then in April, the duo stepped out for a piano recital date night, with Madonna posting a series of photos from the “amazing" night to her Instagram story.

That same month, Popper appeared in a “family and friends” dinner video that Madonna posted on Instagram to announce that her Madonna: The Celebration Tour was going to Mexico.

He had a brief NFL career

<p>Josh Popper Instagram</p> Josh Popper

Josh Popper Instagram

Josh Popper

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

<p>Josh Popper Instagram</p> Josh Popper in Hawaii with his brother in 2018

Josh Popper Instagram

Josh Popper in Hawaii with his brother in 2018

Though there’s no news on any worldly adventures with Madonna yet, Popper has done quite a bit of traveling himself.

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.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.