Heavy/Getty "American Idol" season 20 winner Noah Thompson
After more than a year of fan speculation about the state of their relationship, “American Idol” season 20 winner Noah Thompson and Angel Dixon, with whom he shares two-year-old son Walker Lee, have made it clear they’re no longer together.
Thompson recently alluded to their split in a new interview, admitting his current songwriting sessions include “writing a lot of breakup stuff” while joking that he’s become a “depressing guy.” Meanwhile, on July 29, 2023, Dixon went Instagram official with her new boyfriend, a bodybuilder who’s also named Noah.
Here’s what you need to know:
Noah Thompson’s Ex-Girlfriend Posts Photos With Her New Beau
On July 29, Dixon put any lingering questions about the status of her relationship with Thompson to rest, posting a photo of herself in a car with fitness coach Noah Marshall, whom she tagged in the photo, and writing, “My Happy Place🤍”
Dixon also posted that and other photos of Marshall on her Facebook account that day, writing, “Had the best time with you.”
Marshall seems to already have established a good connection with little Walker, too. On July 22, Dixon posted a series of Facebook photos and videos from a day the three spent together, including footage of her toddler and Marshall playing together on an inflatable slide.
“Had a great day with my boys,” she captioned the post.
During Thompson’s journey on “Idol,” Dixon was seen multiple times on the show, including holding their young son as Thompson performed and surprising the rising star during a taping at Disneyland. In May 2022, Dixon posted an Instagram photo of them onstage with Thompson’s grandma after he’d won the competition.
She wrote at the time, “I’M STILL IN SHOCK YALL😆 This is so dang crazy!!! I just want to thank each and everyone of you for all the love and support you have shown Noah throughout his whole journey!!❤️”
But rumors began to swirl about a breakup by that July, when Thompson admitted in an interview with Music Mayhem Magazine that they were both having a “hard time” adjusting to his newfound fame.
“It’s just a whole different lifestyle for all of us,” he said. “Angel and me, we both kind of just had a hard time with it, but we’re getting used to it. It’s different, but it is what it is, you know? But it’s for the better and we both know that. It’s all moving in a positive way and that’s all that matters.”
Days later, Dixon posted a cryptic message about “dark moments” and fans began speculating that Thompson was dating season 20 runner-up HunterGirl, an ongoing rumor that both singers have repeatedly denied.
In early 2023, Thompson moved to Nashville to focus on his career, while Dixon and their son stayed in Kentucky. During a podcast interview with Hollywood Life on July 11, Thompson said that the arrangement was working well so far.
“I go back and forth from home to Tennessee just a lot now,” he said. “I get him, either bring him down here with me or I go home for a couple of days, just to kind of be with him on the days that I have off. But it’s working out, you know.”
Noah Thompson is Recovering From COVID and Writing Lots of Sad Songs
Though Dixon has clearly moved on, Thompson admitted to Hollywood Life that he’s been finding solace in writing and listening to breakup songs lately.
“I’ve been writing a lot of breakup stuff,” he said. “I wanna write stuff I wanna listen to. I listen to breakup songs all the time. I listen to sad country music. I listen to sad rock music. I listen to sad, I just listen to sad songs.”
He then quipped, “I’m just a depressing guy!”
Thompson said the title track of his new EP, “Middle of God Knows Where,” is a breakup song he wrote shortly after the “Idol” finale last year, alluding to his much-rumored split from Dixon at the time.
“That’s a song that I wrote not long after I got off the show, really,” he said. “And it was about a time I was going through … you know, a break up obviously.”
Thompson has been busy touring this summer to promote his new album. But on July 27, he revealed on Instagram that he was recovering from COVID following being on a cruise, and had struggled during his show the previous night in West Virginia.
“I know I didn’t do my best but I tried lol, this ole boy is still getting over the Covid,” he wrote. “Truly love y’all and I’ll do better next time. Love yuns ❤️ Enjoy the picture of me blowing my nose at the end!!”
“Idol” fans may remember that Thompson and fellow “Idol” contestant Fritz Hager contracted COVID two weeks before the season 20 finale in May 2022, per USA Today. While the show aired rehearsal footage of Hager, Thompson opted to sing live from his hotel room and received rave reviews from the judges.