Former child star Madison Pettis has publicly labeled her ex-boyfriend, NBA star Michael Porter Jr., a “psychopath.” The 27-year-old actress shared these strong sentiments during her appearance on the In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele podcast. It’s a pretty wild revelation, especially considering Porter Jr.’s own comments about how he approaches dating and relationships.
Around the 54-minute mark of the interview, Pettis was chatting about how she likes to wind down, mentioning that she often enjoys a glass of wine while catching an NBA game. “I’m a Warriors fan, but I have an NBA League Pass on DirecTV… so I watch a lot of basketball, I know a lot of stuff,” she told Thiele. According to Complex, that comment naturally led Thiele to ask if she would ever consider being a “basketball wife.”
Pettis paused for a moment before responding with a thoughtful “Um, yeah,” before revealing her personal connection to the league. “I mean, my ex is now in the NBA. When we dated, he was in high school and college. I broke up with him before he was in the league because he was a psychopath. I do think a lot of athletes are not great partners, but I wouldn’t, like, rule it out because I do love what they do. I would have respect for them and love to talk to them about, you know, their passion.”
That past relationship clearly left an impression
Pettis and Porter Jr. dated from late 2016 through mid-2017, well before he was drafted into the NBA by the Denver Nuggets in 2018. He’s since moved on to play for the Brooklyn Nets and, he’s been quite vocal on various podcasts himself, often garnering attention for his rather outspoken views. It seems like both exes have a lot to say about relationships and dating in the public eye.
In a move that certainly provides some context to Pettis’s remarks, Porter Jr. appeared on the One Night with Steiny podcast last year and dished on a pretty wild dating tactic he uses. He admitted to trying to get women he’s dating to watch content from Andrew Tate, the controversial influencer known for his misogynistic views.
“So, I’m not saying I’m a misogynist or anything, but I’ll throw on some Andrew Tate and see how they react. I’ll bring up conversations and play devil’s advocate just to see how this girl thinks about certain things,” Porter Jr. said. It’s a bold strategy and certainly paints a picture of what he might have been like in a relationship. Stories about complicated athlete relationships have surfaced recently, highlighted by a WNBA star’s chilling court declaration and a $200K offer from her NFL ex.
Porter Jr. also had Brittany Renner as a guest on his own podcast last year, where he talked about his hesitations when it comes to seriously dating as a famous player. He mentioned that he feels it would be tough if a potential partner had previously been involved with other NBA players.
“I feel like if you dated publicly, like a player, it would be hard just because of… it would be tough dating someone’s old girl and they just always have that over you. It could be like an ego thing or like I don’t know… I’m open to change, I’m not stuck in my ways,” Porter Jr. explained.
Published: Mar 13, 2026 11:00 am