TikTok stars Pierre Boo and Nicky Champa announce divorce: ‘Our relationship became a brand’

Influencer couple Pierre Boo and Nicky Champa have announced they plan to divorce less than a year after tying the knot, citing the pressures of social media as the reason for their split.

When it comes to power couples, there’s one pairing that has even the likes of Barbie and Ken shaking in their pink jelly boots. It’s not Beyoncé and Jay-Z. It’s not even David Furnish and Elton John.

We are, of course, talking about social media juggernauts Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo, who each boast more than a million followers on Instagram – and over 13 million followers each on Gen Z’s favourite platform, TikTok.

But according to the American-French couple, who have both issued separate statements to their waves of followers, their reign as ‘internet’s favourite siblings-or-dating couple‘ has come to an end; the pair have announced their professional and romantic split less than a year after getting married, and six years after first getting together in 2017.

Champa, 27, told Out Magazine that the constant pressure of generating content as a couple was one reason for their split.

“With social media, it’s a bit complicated. Our relationship became a brand,” he explained, before adding that he’s still incredibly fond of Boo.

“I want to say I have nothing but love and respect for this person. I spent my entire twenties with this person. I grew up with this person. He’s a very special person and will always remain that way for me.”

Continuing, Champa also cited his age difference with Boo as a contributing factor to the pair’s split.

“I think as you age, you kind of realize different things,” he said. “Then on top of it, the social media aspect of it and people constantly comparing ourselves to each other and the pressure of maintaining this image. It almost became, I would tell people, like a Black Mirror episode.

“It was almost like I felt trapped within an ideology of what we’ve become. I can only speak for myself. I lost myself in this relationship, incredibly. I sacrificed a lot for this relationship. I dedicated myself to this relationship and the brand that we were building. I think that at this stage in my life, I had to choose me and pick me first. And I think [Pierre] had to do the same, and that’s the direction we’re heading in.”

Boo, 36, took to his Instagram story to announce the split on Sunday (9 July), writing: “We broke up” and “I am so sorry everyone” in two consecutive posts, before sharing a simple heartbreak emoji in a third.

Champa’s Instagram story contains a link to his interview with Out Magazine, followed by a screenshot of the lyrics to “In This Shirt” – a heart-wrenching breakup song by The Irrepressibles.

“I will be continuing my own process,” Nicky Champa said of his creative endeavours after his split with Pierre Boo.

“I recently started working with CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and I want to focus more on acting and modelling. So that’s my pursuit and also social media on top of it.”

The social media star also said that a new process will allow him to “find [his] voice”; something that the constraints of creating content as a couple prohibited:

“I think that for a long time I was kind of shadowed by the brand that we created and I didn’t have the platform or space to be myself. That’s what my focus will be going forward.”

Pierre Boo and Nicky Champa tied the knot in a secret Las Vegas wedding ceremony in October, 2022, according to a TMZ report.

Prior to their wedding, Champa told NBC News that he hoped the pair could be a representation of a “happy, healthy queer couple” – something he didn’t have as a child.

“When I was growing up, it constantly was stories being told of suffering and pain – that we had to go through this negative journey through life.

“I was like: ‘I’m sick of that. That’s not helpful for me. I don’t want to put that out there. I want to portray happiness.'”

The couple also have a YouTube channel which they have used to share intimate glimpses of their lives and relationship with a further 2.44 million subscribers.