Back in December, social media lit up with smiles and sparkles when Dwight Howard and rapper Amy Luciani dropped a surprise engagement bombshell on Instagram. The 39-year-old NBA vet and the reality star shared a cozy carousel of loved-up pics—complete with a square-cut diamond that practically screamed, “forever-ever.” Naturally, fans zoomed in and celebrated. But then there was the other side, keen on poking Amy about the rumors around Howard.

The couple was basking in the comfort of being newlyweds when Amy had to field a comment that made her blood boil. She was asked whether Howard actually spends time with his kids, and she pulled no punches in making that crystal clear. She practically laid out a list so thorough and detailed that even boxer Claressa Shields couldn’t help but commend her. And in what was a response to Shields’ support and a warning to everyone else, Amy made it abundantly clear that she wouldn’t hesitate to stand up for her husband. “sisssss you know personally I be sitting on my hands stopping myself from defending him but the whole absent Dad thing is the oneeeeee that boils my blood,” Amy wrote.

However, just as things looked rock solid, rumors started flying last month. Fans began whispering about a possible split after noticing a sharp drop in the couple’s joint posts. The usual lovey-dovey snapshots suddenly stopped, and the silence only added fuel. Neither Dwight nor Amy responded initially, letting speculation build–until now. Amy finally spoke up, and again, she didn’t hold back.

“I stopped posting him because I could see if it was like people saying negative things about him,” Amy explained. “But y’all going out y’all way and y’all adding my husband, y’all gonna at him to disrespect him on my page? We’re not gonna do it. So I thought I was gonna be one of them girls who can showcase like her.”

Now, you know where all this defense comes from. Dwight Howard has been the subject of plenty of controversies in recent times. For instance, Howard’s ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Render, accused him of being an absent father and using his wealth to prolong custody battles over their 14-year-old daughter. And that’s just one part of it—there’ve been other accusations and lawsuits that have shaped how people see him. So every time someone posts about him, the comments tend to go negative really fast. That’s why, as Amy put it, all the hate has made her not even want to share the moments that actually make her happy—the ones she wants to put out there.

“And I wanted to show y’all us traveling. And I wanted to show y’all like it’s my first time being married,” she added. “I’ve never been married before. I don’t plan on doing this twice.” But constant negativity pushed her back. With a warning tone, she ended, “I actually wanted to show y’all a lot of stuff, but people were so negative and so nasty that I was like, maybe I got to turn to that girl who don’t show y’all.” 

Thus, they haven’t separated, but how did the rumors begin?

Dwight Howard and Amy Luciani’s separation rumors

At first, it looked like everything was straight out of a rom-com. Back in December, Dwight Howard had fans cheesin’ when he posted a soft, love-filled snap with Amy Luciani. Two sweet photos, an infinity emoji, and the words “Happy #BlackLove #PrayedForThis” were enough to send the internet into a full-on swoon. Things escalated quickly when Amy dropped a video of Dwight admiring what looked a lot like an engagement ring on her finger. As expected, the comment section blew up—some in disbelief, most in excitement.

But then came the plot twist no one saw coming. Unwine with Tasha K stirred the pot with a bold claim: “We can exclusively confirm that #AmyLuciani and #DwightHoward have ended their relationship…. The engagement is officially off, and the split happened shortly after Valentine’s Day.” That single post had fans scrambling, wondering if the fairytale had already faded.

To make matters more suspicious, Amy was silent during one of the biggest moments of Dwight’s career—his Hall of Fame induction. Not even a shout-out. And those cute couple posts that used to show up like clockwork? Gone, especially after V-Day. People couldn’t help but piece it all together. Yet just when it felt like the love story had run its course, Dwight tossed a curveball. On Valentine’s Day, he posted a dancing video with Amy, writing, “When you no longer have to look for a valentine because you’re married.”

Now, with Amy clearing the air and clapping back at trolls, it’s clear they’re together—and maybe stronger than ever.