Payton Sartain and Joe Ross have been together for several years, but it hasn’t come without a few bumps in the road.
During a performance at Allison Kuch Sunday sports club podcast on December 1, the 30-year-old Note to self podcast host opened up about her brief split from the Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, 31, in late 2022, revealing they initially split after Ross injured himself and told her he “couldn’t support the life” she wanted.
“I think he thought we were going to be separated for a few months, to be honest [but] We ended up not speaking for nine months,” she explained. ‘I wanted to make sure that if we did get back together, it would be because we were getting married. I had to go through the process of grieving the fact that he was no longer in that world [and] I’m alone to get clarity on whether or not this was for me.”
Sartain – who was 29 at the time – added that it was “beneficial” for her that they didn’t talk while apart because it allowed her to “get serious” about what she was looking for in a relationship.
“I thought about what I really wanted out of this life we had created together,” she continued. “Obviously, your brain will tell you, ‘Go back, go back, go back,’ even if it’s not the right thing for you.”
However, after that time apart, Sartain said they got back together sometime in November 2023. She later moved from Los Angeles to Milwaukee in 2024 to continue supporting his career.
Payton Sartain/Instagram
“For me, being part of the whole experience is worth it,” she continued. “It’s rare for me to see someone you love be so uniquely good at something [and] It’s so inspiring to see you do this. So for me it’s worth being part of the whole experience.”
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Sartain previously opened up about her breakup and why she got back together with Ross in a TikTok shared in February. In the video, she reiterated that “no contact is essential” when taking time away from someone and that it helped her “figure out” who she was without Ross.
“No contact allowed me to really get in touch with myself without any outside noise,” she explained. “I had to take enough time for myself to realize that I’ll be happy when we get back together and I’ll be happy if we don’t.”
“Relationships are a choice,” she continued. “I think it’s the most romantic thing to choose someone every day, no matter how you feel or how your life is going right now. You can have all the love and attraction in the world for someone and still not be a great partner in ages when life is a little tough for both of you. It’s the choice to stay committed during those times that, in my opinion, makes a relationship truly great.”
