Terrence O'Connor Says Benito Skinner Breakup 'Knocked Me on My Ass’ as He Addresses Their Split
- - Terrence O'Connor Says Benito Skinner Breakup 'Knocked Me on My Ass’ as He Addresses Their Split
Luke ChinmanJanuary 20, 2026 at 4:05 AM
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Terrence O'Connor and Benito Skinner -
Terrence O’Connor opened up about his split from Benito Skinner, sharing that the breakup “really knocked me on my ass”
The pair announced in October that they were going their separate ways after nine years of dating
“I have such a greater capacity for empathy than I had before it,” shared O’Connor of the breakup
Terrence O’Connor is opening up about his split from ex-boyfriend Benito Skinner.
Three months after the duo shared that they had broken up after nine years of dating, O’Connor pulled back the curtain on the end of their relationship during an appearance on The Cutting Room Floor, a podcast hosted by designer Recho Omondi.
“I have been floored by my breakup,” he shared. “It has really knocked me on my ass.”
During the episode, clips of which were uploaded to the podcast’s TikTok account, O’Connor revealed that he first met the Overcompensating actor at a mutual friend’s party while they were both “very early on in our coming out-ness.”
Though the two didn’t speak for most of the party, near the end, Skinner “did this big gesture of the end of the party where he was like, ‘It was so nice hanging out with you’ — because we actually hadn’t spoken at all,” recounted O’Connor. “I thought he was, like, this straight douchebag.”
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Benito Skinner and Terrence O'Connor
But the next day, O’Connor continued, he followed Skinner on Instagram after discussing the interaction with his friends, becoming “fully obsessed” with the comedian because he was “so hot.” And when he was later told by a friend that Skinner was gay, he had what he described as an “out of body experience.”
“It was, like, electric,” said O’Connor. “Now it's tragic, but I was like, ‘I'm gonna marry him.’ ”
The duo went on their first date shortly after, and the rest was history. The couple dated for almost a decade, sharing many glimpses of their love story on social media. They also collaborated professionally as O’Connor consulted on the marketing for Skinner’s hit series Overcompensating, which was released in May.
Reflecting on the split, O’Connor said, “I have such a greater capacity for empathy than I had before it.”
The creator director shared that he couldn’t fully “understand” when his friends had gone through breakups in the past. “I’m, like, horrified — what if I went my whole life without knowing how this feels and ever be able to be there for my friends in the way that they were truly there for me,” he shared.
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Skinner first revealed that the pair had gone their separate ways in an Oct. 22 episode of his podcast RIDE, hosted with comedian and friend Mary Beth Barone.
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Benito Skinner and Terrence O'Connor
“Terry and I are no longer together,” he shared, adding that the split was “amicable.”
“We both just love each other so much and have so much love and respect for each other, and we treated each other with love and respect until the end," he continued. “I feel so unbelievably lucky to have met him and to be a part of his family.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
