Darren Waller Opens Up About Divorce From Kelsey Plum, Cites Co-Dependency

Darren Waller has done plenty of self-reflection since his divorce from Kelsey Plum.

The very public split between the newly-retired Pro Bowl tight end and the WNBA star was shocking for fans, as the two had been married for just one year. Plum broke the news in April via a cryptic social media post, implying that Waller was the one at fault.

But on Monday’s episode of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, Waller finally gave his side of the story.

"You talk about get honest or die lying, you kinda got to look at yourself and realize, alright, what role am I playing that all the relationships in my life have always had the same patterns," Waller said. "It kind of plays into everything else I was mentioning earlier, the co-dependency aspect.

"Like, any time I’m in a relationship, I feel like I gotta dance or do a certain thing to keep this person around, almost tying my self-worth to the success of a relationship. And you realize how much you lose yourself and doing the things that you love and things that take care of you on a daily basis. Making this person kind of like the center of your universe and how unhealthy that is for everybody involved."

The 31-year-old explained that he had to step back and make "decisions that were authentic for the life that I wanted."

"You have certain conversations and realize there’s so much life ahead of both of us, might as well just go ahead and live it and move on and no type of hostility," he continued.

Kelsey Plum and Darren Waller split after just one year of marriage.

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Waller married Plum, a two-time WNBA champion for the Las Vegas Aces, in March 2023. That same month, he was traded to the New York Giants from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kelsey Plum Broke The News Of Her Divorce From Darren Waller

On April 23, Plum posted a cryptic message on both her Instagram and X accounts, alluding to the split.

"I'm devastated. I walked through fire for that man, but now I see it's time to go," she wrote on Tuesday. "God has given me an incredible life, and I'm truly so grateful for the profound love from my family and friends.

"One day I'll share my story, today is not that day. Thank you for the grace to process my pain, to forgive and move forward. Today and everyday I will continue to choose joy. Much love KP."

During the interview, Waller said about Plum’s message that she "has every right to express herself in whichever way that she chooses," adding, "I was never perfect, and some of the reasons that motivated me to leave, they caused harm, they hurt. I respect whatever way she wants to express herself."

"I’m out here trying to improve and by no means claiming to be a victim in any way, I’m all good with it," he added.

Meanwhile, Waller chose to express himself by dropping a rap song in May about his relationship with Plum. The music video for "Who Knew (Her Perspective)" features a Kelsey Plum lookalike, whom Waller desperately tries to win back in the video as she drives away in a yellow Jeep.

Waller announced his retirement last month after eight seasons in the NFL. He finished his career with 350 receptions for 4,124 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Now, he has plenty of time to focus on his music career.

"I feel something, in a way, like spiritually pulling me in that direction," he said. "I don’t have any expectations with it, but I believe in myself and the growth that I’m having as an artist and stuff I’m going to be putting out, so, something I want to definitely devote time to among a lot of other things."