People love a good mystery, especially when it involves a couple they’ve watched for years. If you’ve spent any time on the corner of YouTube where the "Squirmy and Grubs" channel lives, you’ve probably seen the whispers. Search suggestions like "why did shane and hannah divorce" pop up before you even finish typing their names. It’s wild. One day they’re posting about their dog or a new book, and the next day, a random corner of the internet is convinced they’ve signed papers and moved into separate houses.
But here is the thing about internet rumors: they’re often born out of a mix of boredom and deep-seated bias.
Let’s get the big answer out of the way first. Shane Burcaw and Hannah Aylward are not divorced. As of early 2026, they are still very much married, still living together, and still doing the work of being one of the most visible interabled couples on the planet.
So, why does everyone think they split up?
Why did Shane and Hannah divorce rumors start?
It’s actually kinda fascinating—and a little depressing—to see how these narratives form. For Shane and Hannah, the rumors usually stem from two specific places: internet trolls and the "Stardew Valley" effect.
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First, there is the video game. If you aren't a gamer, this will sound ridiculous. In the wildly popular game Stardew Valley, there is a character named Shane. He is a grumpy, beer-drinking bachelor you can marry. Players frequently post on Reddit about "divorcing Shane" because he’s a difficult spouse in the game. These posts often rank high on Google. When people search "why did Shane and Hannah divorce," Google’s algorithm sometimes gets confused and serves up threads about pixels instead of people. Honestly, half the "divorce" drama is just people being frustrated with a virtual character who won't stop leaving muddy footprints in their digital farmhouse.
The second reason is much heavier.
People have a really hard time believing that a non-disabled woman like Hannah can truly, deeply love a man like Shane, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). From the second they went public, they’ve been hit with accusations. People say it's "fake." They say she's his "nurse." They say she’s only in it for the YouTube money. Because of these biases, any time they don’t post a video for a week or Hannah isn't smiling in a thumbnail, the "I knew it" crowd comes out of the woodwork. They are waiting for the relationship to fail because it challenges their worldview.
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The reality of their marriage in 2026
If you actually follow their content, the picture is the opposite of a divorce. In late 2025, they released their book, Interabled: True Stories About Love and Disability. You don't usually write a vulnerable, deeply researched book about the success of interabled relationships if you’re secretly meeting with lawyers.
They’ve also been incredibly open about their IVF journey. That process is exhausting. It's heavy. Shane has talked about how the stress of medical procedures and the public's prying eyes can put a strain on things. But instead of hiding it, they vlogged it.
Common Misconceptions That Fuel the Rumors
- The "Caregiver" Myth: People assume that because Hannah performs physical care for Shane, their romantic spark must be gone. They’ve addressed this a thousand times—caregiving and intimacy aren't mutually exclusive.
- The "Money" Accusation: Skeptics claim they stay together for the "Squirmy and Grubs" brand. But if you look at their separate careers—Shane is an established author and speaker, and Hannah has her own professional background—the "business marriage" theory falls apart pretty quickly.
- Silence equals trouble: In the world of social media, if a couple doesn't post for ten days, people assume the worst. Sometimes, they're just tired. Or Shane has a cold. (SMA makes respiratory stuff a big deal).
Facing the "Vegetable" Comments
It isn't all sunshine and book tours. Shane recently shared that a comment calling him a "vegetable" received over 50,000 likes. Think about that. 50,000 people saw a cruel, dehumanizing comment about a man’s marriage and hit "like."
When you live under that kind of scrutiny, you have to develop a thick skin. They’ve basically decided that the rumors are just part of the job. They use the "why did shane and hannah divorce" searches as fuel to keep educating. They know that by staying together and staying visible, they are proving those 50,000 people wrong every single day.
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How to tell what's actually happening
If you're genuinely worried about them, stop looking at Reddit threads from three years ago or Stardew Valley forums. Check their verified accounts.
- YouTube: Their channel "Squirmy and Grubs" is still active.
- Instagram: Hannah (@hannahayl) and Shane (@shaneburcaw) still post regular life updates.
- The Book: Their 2025 release Interabled is probably the most honest look you'll get into their dynamic.
The "why" behind the divorce rumors isn't about a breakup. It's about a society that still struggles to see disability and romance in the same frame. Shane and Hannah are still here, still married, and probably laughing at the latest round of "are they still together?" posts while they film their next vlog.
If you want to support them, the best thing you can do is actually engage with their educational content rather than the tabloid-style speculation. Understanding the realities of Spinal Muscular Atrophy and the logistics of interabled life does a lot more for the community than wondering about their relationship status. You can find Shane's books, like Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse, which give a much deeper, more hilarious look into their actual lives than any rumor ever could.