AJ Michalka Recalls Amicable Phone Call Split From Joe Jonas Years Ago
AJ Michalka and Joe Jonas concluded their teenage romance in a familiar fashion – through a phone conversation.
“We didn’t end things via text message, [but] it happened over the phone,” Michalka, 34, shared on the Thursday, January 8, episode of the “Podcrushed” podcast. “I feel like it was a very gentle, amicable [split]. I know that sounds unusual at that age.”
She elaborated, “It was considerate and, I believe, it was mutual.”
Michalka and Jonas, now 36, dated for nearly a year in 2006.
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“We had also been on tour together, so we got to know each other while traveling,” she added. “That’s how it began.”
AJ and her older sister, Aly Michalka, had opened for Jonas’ own sibling group during the Jonas Brothers’ Living Room Tour. AJ’s connection with Jonas was her initial romantic relationship.
“We were, like, 15,” AJ previously mentioned on “The Viall Files” podcast in 2023 when asked about Jonas’ kissing abilities. “We were so young, honestly, I think we were both awkward and inexperienced.”
After AJ and Joe gracefully parted ways, he subsequently dated figures like Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift — who famously recounted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he ended things in a 20-second voicemail — and Gigi Hadid. Jonas later married actress Sophie Turner in 2019, but filed for divorce in 2023. The former couple, who share two daughters, finalized their divorce the following year. Jonas has since moved on with model Tatiana Gabriela.
As for AJ, she has been in a relationship with actor Josh Pence since 2017. The pair even collaborated on Aly & AJ’s 2020 song “Dead on the Beach.”
“Maintaining open communication [helps us],” AJ said on “The Viall Files” at the time, describing the secrets of her long-term relationship. “I think it’s challenging when you’re touring and you’re on the road for three months and you’re not seeing your loved one consistently.”
She continued, “You have to have some sort of bond that you at least cultivate virtually that can be your, like, ‘This is supporting me for three months even if I’m not seeing this person.’ … It’s a really beautiful partnership, and he’s in the entertainment industry too, so he understands it even though he’s not a touring musician [but] an actor.”
AJ has also maintained a friendly dynamic with the “Cake by the Ocean” singer long after their 2006 breakup.
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“I believe that there is a friendship there that will always exist,” AJ told People in September 2025 regarding her current relationship with Jonas. “We were together when our music careers were just beginning, so there’s a unique aspect that most people don’t grasp. That’s kind of special.”
AJ further praised how Jonas is able to balance his music career with his parenting responsibilities.
“He’s a father now. He works incredibly hard, and he still has a wonderful sense of humor.” AJ added last year. “And he is genuinely kind.”
Joe and his brothers — Kevin and Nick Jonas — even invited the Michalka sisters to join them for a surprise duet during their Los Angeles Greetings From Your Hometown concert last fall.
“We were like, ‘Yes, of course.’ It was a really wonderful moment,” AJ told People of accepting the performance invitation. “I think the fans were pleasantly surprised, and it had been so long that I think it was really refreshing for a lot of fans to see us back together, but he’s lovely. It was a really fun night.”
