SPORTSCASTER, Maria Taylor, left ESPN after being embroiled in a “racial” scandal with co-worker, Rachel Nichols.
After joining NBC, fans want to know more about the 35-year-old’s private life.
Who is Maria Taylor’s ex-husband Rodney Blackstock?
Maria Taylor is currently a sportscaster for NBC Sports.
She was previously an analyst and host for ESPN and SEC Network.
According to The Netline, Maria and her first husband, Rodney Blackstock, called off their first engagement before reuniting after three years to get married.
They met in 2014, while at the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina.
Maria told The Knot: “I remember seeing him and telling my friend, ‘If we keep coming to these games, I’m going to end up dating him’.”
Rodney, meanwhile, was also curious about her – asking his pal whether she “played for the WNBA in Charlotte”.
Maria added that Rodney thought that “maybe I was there to support one of the guys – I was a girlfriend of a player or something”.
Rodney asked her out “on a dare” and their first date was in a parking lot where they had some food.
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He told her: “You’re not as tall as I am.”
Maria recalled: “We ended up talking in the parking lot until 5am.
“I’ve never had that feeling before, ever, where you just look at someone and you’re like, ‘That’s the one’.”
Celeb Pie writes that Rodney is from Greensboro in North Carolina, and is of “Brazilian ethnicity and speaks fluent Portuguese.”
The website claims he suffered a harsh childhood, living in various foster homes.
His mom reportedly died when he was 12 years old.
In 2020, he was the owner and an agent of The Auto Club Group in Buckhead, Georgia.
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How long were Maria Taylor and Rodney Blackstock married?
The couple wed in May 2019, at the oceanfront Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Florida, “because we actually had SEC coaches meetings there before,” Maria said.
However, they later called time on their marriage, according to several websites.
Distractify says: “They would later call it quits for reasons unknown to most of Maria’s fans and social media followers.”
Due to Maria’s private nature, it is unknown when the couple officially ended their marriage.
When did Maria Taylor get remarried?
In February 2021, the TV host shared wedding pictures on social media.
This time, however, they featured a different man.
She captioned the Instagram post, “I love our love story.”
Although little to nothing is known about Maria’s new husband, according to an Instagram page named @flowersbyyona, his name is Jonathan.
Maria seems to enjoy posting pictures of the two on social media.
On July 12, 2022, she posted a video on TikTok and Instagram documenting a surprise birthday trip she organized for her boo.