Jen Hatmaker Is Dating After Divorce From Brandon Hatmaker

The American author and podcaster Jen Hatmaker has been open about her personal life ever since she and her then-husband, Brandon Hatmaker, hosted HGTV series Your Big Family Renovation.

Her married life with Brandon was always open to the public, and her divorce was also made known to us.

Ending a 26-year-long marriage was difficult for Jen, but now, she has moved on with her new partner.

Jen isn’t shy about sharing her happiness after finding love again. But if you are still unaware about her boyfriend, here is all that you need to know about Jen Hatmaker’s dating life.

Who Is Jen Hatmaker’s Partner?

After the divorce, Jen found love with a Nashville-based activist, actor, and author, Tyler Merritt.

Jen introduced Tyler to us through her Instagram post shared in February 2022.

Jen wrote,

“This is Tyler. We met randomly in New York at the beginning of November. He was there to lay claim to life. I was there unknowingly stepping into the story. He is now so impossibly important to me, so miraculous, I could just throw my head back and laugh every time I think of him.”

Jen dedicated a couple of paragraphs to opening up about her relationship with Tyler, but the announcement came as a surprise to many.

Jen had kept her dating life private following the end of her 26-year marriage, but with this single post, she made it clear that she had found joy again.

Since then, Jen has been giving glimpses into her love life through her social media posts and her website.

They even appeared on Jen’s podcast on Episode 8 “Surprised by Love: Jen & Tyler On Where They Started and How It’s Going,” where they talked about how they met, the joys and challenges of a new relationship.

In June 2025, Jen shared a series of pictures of her partner on Instagram to mark his 49th birthday. She even wrote that they are in their fourth year of their relationship.

Jen has frequently shared pictures with Tyler on her social media accounts documenting the time they spend together.

While many comment with messages of support expressing admiration for the couple, there are some who believe that their relationship is fake.

There is a thread on Reddit where some users openly doubted the authenticity of their relationship.

One said,

“Jen Hatmaker and Tyler Merritt are not in a real relationship. I would think Jen is being malicious by constantly lying about this PR stunt but she chose the worst guy to go along with the plan. He doesn’t give a shit about giving Jen love. That’s only reserved for his real girlfriend.”

Another user said that Tyler once flirted with her when she took a photo of her reading his book and tagged him.

Although there is online skepticism about their relationship, the Instagram posts made by both Jen and Tyler paint a picture of a genuine connection.

In August, they were seen on the For The Love podcast where they talked about their personal lives and relationship.

Lately, Jen is not seen posting about her boyfriend much as she used to, which has made people wonder if Jen Hatmaker is in a relationship now or not.

Jen Hatmaker’s relationship status in 2026 is the same as in 2025; she is dating Tyler Merritt. Jen shared a sweet Valentine’s Day post in 2026 featuring some pictures with her boyfriend.

She also shared how she and Tyler spent their Valentine’s Day in New York City, which is the very place where they first met.

Who Is Jen Hatmaker’s Partner, Tyler Merritt?

Tyler Merritt is a creative force behind The Tyler Merritt Project. He wears many hats as an actor, comedian, vocalist, and author.

Tyler has over 20 years of experience speaking to audiences ranging from elementary school students to nursing home seniors.

He is known for the video “Before You Call the Cops,” which was named one of the Top 20 videos of the year by NowThisPolitics.

He is also known for writing books like I Take My Coffee Black: Reflections on Tupac, Being Black in America, and Musical Theater, Faith.

As an actor, Tyler has appeared in The Inspection, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Joe, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Swagger, Outer Banks, and more.

Who is Jen Hatmaker's ex-husband?

Jen Hatmaker’s ex-husband is Brandon Hatmaker, who is widely known as the former husband of the author and speaker.

Beyond that, Brandon has built his own identity as an entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist with over two decades of experience in leadership and project development.

Brandon and Jen met in the early 1990s while studying at Oklahoma Baptist University and went on to marry on December 30, 1993. During their nearly three-decade-long marriage, the couple worked closely together not just as partners in life, but also in purpose.

They co-founded Austin New Church and later launched Legacy Collective, a nonprofit focused on global issues like child trafficking, healthcare access, and housing support.

After almost 27 years of marriage, their relationship came to an unexpected end in 2020. Jen publicly announced their divorce in September of that year, describing the decision as sudden and deeply painful while choosing to keep the details private.

Together, Brandon and Jen share five children. They have three biological and two adopted kids whom they continue to co-parent despite their separation.

The names of Jen and Brandon’s kids are Gavin, Caleb, Sydney, Ben, and Remy.

Following the divorce, Brandon moved forward with a new chapter in his personal life and is now remarried. Brandon Hatmaker’s second wife is Tina Hatmaker, with whom he got married on December 3, 2022.

What happened with Jen Hatmaker?

Jen’s life that she had built over 26 years was completely shattered in July 2020 when she heard her then-husband, Brandon, talking to his lover on the phone at 2: 30 A.M. in the morning.

Years later, Jen opened up about it in her memoir, "Awake," saying that she woke up to hear her husband whispering words that weren’t meant for her.

Jen and Brandon’s marriage appeared to be strong from the outside, but behind the scenes, things had already been struggling for years. Jen later admitted that their marriage had been “broken” long before it officially ended.

Their separation was not just followed by heartbreak, but it was a complete transformation. The end of their marriage became the beginning of a new chapter, not just for Brandon but also for Jen.

That period has been described as a kind of awakening by Jen, so in her memoir Awake, she has not just talked about divorce but about things that happen after everything falls apart.