Hollywood has a way of painting everything in Technicolor. We see the red carpets, the blinding smiles, and the "power couple" labels thrown around like confetti. But behind the scenes of Glee and Supergirl, there was a story unfolding that was anything but musical. Honestly, when the news first broke about Melissa Benoist ex husband, fans were mostly just surprised the marriage was over. Then the real details started coming out.
It wasn't just a "Hollywood divorce." It was a tectonic shift in how we view the personal lives of our favorite actors.
The Glee Project Beginnings
Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner met on the set of Glee in 2012. He had just won The Glee Project, a reality show that literally hand-picked him for stardom. She was the "new Rachel Berry," the sweet-voiced Marley Rose. On screen, they were Ryder and Marley—the cute, somewhat awkward teenagers falling in love in the choir room.
Off screen, things moved fast. Like, really fast.
They got engaged in 2013, just a year after meeting. There’s always been some confusion about when they actually tied the knot. Some sources say it happened right away in 2013, while others point to a spring 2015 wedding. Melissa herself once mentioned they had been married "longer than anybody knows." They were the indie-darling couple of the musical TV world.
When the Music Stopped
By 2016, the cracks were showing. Melissa had landed the role of a lifetime as Supergirl. Blake even appeared on the show as Adam Foster, a love interest for Kara Zor-El. It looked like they were building a career together. But in December 2016, Melissa filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences."
The divorce was finalized in 2017. For a couple of years, that was that. Just another young marriage that didn't survive the pressure of the industry.
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Then came November 2019.
Melissa posted a 14-minute IGTV video titled "I am a survivor of domestic violence." She didn't name her abuser at first. She didn't have to. The timeline she described—a partner younger than her, a relationship that began on a job they shared—pointed directly at one person.
The Phone Incident and the "Smoothie"
In that video, Melissa described a "runaway freight train" of a relationship. It started with emotional manipulation. Jealousy. Basically, the typical red flags that people often miss because they look like "passion." She spoke about turning down auditions and job offers because her partner didn't want her doing scenes with other men.
The physical stuff started about five months in.
She detailed being pinned down, slapped, and punched so hard she couldn't breathe. She talked about being dragged by her hair across pavement. But the most visible injury—one fans had actually noticed years prior—was the phone incident.
In 2015, Melissa appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with a massive injury to her eye. She told a story about tripping and falling onto a potted plant. It was a quirky, self-deprecating "clumsy girl" story.
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The truth? Her partner had thrown an iPhone at her face.
The impact tore her iris and nearly ruptured her eyeball. It broke her nose. To this day, her pupils are permanently different sizes. One stays wide open, a physical scar she carries from that marriage.
Blake Jenner’s Response
Nearly a year after Melissa's video, Blake Jenner broke his silence. He posted a long statement on Instagram. He admitted to throwing the phone. He said he took "full responsibility" for the "hurt" he inflicted.
However, he also made claims that the abuse went both ways. He alleged that he had been "scratched," "slapped," and "punched in the face." He described an incident in a shower that left him with a "traumatic injury."
In her original video, Melissa actually addressed this. She admitted to "fighting back" in a way that she wasn't proud of. She described it as a "contagious rage" that developed after months of being a victim. It’s a complicated, dark dynamic that experts often call "reactive abuse."
Life After the Storm
The fallout for Blake Jenner was significant. While he was once a rising star in Richard Linklater movies like Everybody Wants Some!!, his career largely stalled after these revelations.
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Melissa, on the other hand, became a massive advocate for IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) survivors. She found support in the Supergirl cast and crew. Most notably, she found a healthy relationship with her co-star Chris Wood.
They got married in 2019. It was a complete 180 from her first marriage. They have a son now, Huxley Robert Wood. When Melissa shared her story, Chris was one of her loudest supporters, tweeting with the hashtag #IStandWithMelissa.
What We Can Learn From This
Melissa’s story matters because it proves that domestic violence doesn't care if you're a superhero or a celebrity. It can happen in the most "glamorous" settings.
If you find yourself in a situation that feels like a "freight train" you can't get off:
- Trust the red flags: If a partner is jealous of your coworkers or tries to control your career choices, that's not love. It's control.
- Documentation is key: If you are injured, keep a record, even if you aren't ready to report it yet.
- Let people in: Melissa said it herself—the more people she told, the more "bolstered" she felt. Isolation is an abuser's best friend.
- Safety first: Leaving is the most dangerous time in an abusive relationship. If you're planning to go, reach out to organizations like the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233) for a safety plan.
The story of Melissa Benoist and her ex-husband isn't just gossip. It's a reminder that recovery is possible. You can go from being "pinned down" to flying high, both literally and figuratively. Melissa is proof of that.
To help someone else, you can share resources or simply be a safe space for them to talk without judgment. Sometimes, just knowing that even "Supergirl" struggled to leave is enough to give someone else the courage to start their own journey out.