Troy Aikman Moved On With A Much Younger Woman After His Divorce
Social media was abuzz when photos of Troy Aikman — who once dealt with rumors he was gay — and his girlfriend hit Instagram in June 2023. Not only was there talk about the age difference between Aikman and his new love interest, but the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback still appeared to be married to his second wife, Catherine "Capa" Mooty, at the time.
Aikman proposed to Mooty in Italy during a whirlwind summer in 2017 which saw them married a few months after he popped the question. Perhaps the writing was on the wall for their marriage from the beginning. "We haven't had time for a honeymoon. I was just kidding with her saying I'll take her to Green Bay with me this weekend," the "Monday Night Football" commentator joked during a radio interview on KTCK in 2017, via InTouch.
Six years after proposing, Aikman made headlines during another vacation to Italy when his girlfriend Haley Clark posted photos of their trip to her Instagram. On June 7, 2023, Clark uploaded a snap of her planting a kiss on Aikman's cheek while the two lounged near the water in Capri, Italy. She also posted photos of the NFL broadcaster to her Instagram Stories, including one of the pair with their arms around each other while on a yacht. The photos were published by the New York Post, which noted that Clark — born in 1989 — was 22 years younger than Aikman. The status of Aikman's marriage was unclear at the time.
Troy Aikman and his ex reportedly had been on the outs
In the piece published by the New York Post on June 7, 2023, the outlet claimed that Troy Aikman had seemingly been on the outs with Catherine "Capa" Mooty for years. The outlet noted that Aikman had not posted any photos with his wife to Instagram since 2019, and that Mooty had not posted any snaps with the retired quarterback since 2020. The Post believed the PDA photos uploaded by his new girlfriend, Haley Clark, were proof that his marriage was over. Meanwhile, other publications were more reserved about declaring Aikman and Mooty's marriage over.
The following day, we heard more about Aikman's official marital status. According to a report published by the New York Post on June 8, Aikman and his ex had been separated since 2020, although it took Aikman almost two months to make his status with Mooty crystal clear to the public. On July 28, Aikman confirmed that he and Mooty were indeed divorced, although the former couple were seemingly on amicable terms. "They're still close with each other's kids," an insider told People at the time.
Another insider also shed some light on the football commentator's relationship with his new girlfriend, as they witnessed him spending time with Clark while in Italy. "They were very much into each other," the source told People. While it was unknown how long Aikman and Clark had been dating, there were a few signs that they had been together for a while.
Troy Aikman posted a photo of Haley Clark to Instagram
Troy Aikman and Haley Clark's relationship appears to date back to at least early 2023. Back in February, Clark posted a photo of a restaurant's place settings with the names "Troy" and "Haley" to her Instagram Stories, per the New York Post. Also, as noted by the Post, Aikman brought his daughters on his Italian vacation with Clark in June, so it seems the couple were well-established before the viral pictures were posted.
Once the pics of Aikman and his girlfriend started circulating online, Clark decided to switch her Instagram to private on June 8, 2023. It was not until late August that Clark once again made her account public. This, of course, came after Aikman officially made his divorce known.
After Clark reopened her account to the public, fans could see that she posted a sweet photo with Aikman from their trip to Italy on June 28. In the photo, the couple posed on a balcony with a stunning view of the Amalfi Coast in Italy in the background. Aikman uploaded a photo featuring Clark to his Instagram Stories on Aug. 31, in which the couple was soaking up the last days of the offseason by enjoying a hike. In the picture, he rested his hand on her leg and wrote, "12 days until Monday Night Football," per The Spun.