After 8 trips to the Super Bowl, 73 year-old former NFL coach Bill Belichick is ready to start a new phase in his career: mentor, college football coach, and now doting boyfriend to 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. But as Hudson also takes an increasingly important role in Belichick's professional life, people are speculating about the motivations behind their union. Why do we care? Brittany is joined by arts and entertainment reporter Shar Jossell and Vox senior correspondent Alex Abad-Santos to explore the public's reaction to this very public relationship, as well as the question of whether it's okay to marry or partner for reasons other than love.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What is the connection between age gaps and wage gaps?
Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. This week, we're connecting the dots between double standards, the 18th century enlightenment, and the National Football League. I know, I know. How are all of these things connected?
Well, we're going to find out with arts and entertainment reporter Char Jassel and Vox senior correspondent Alex Abad-Santos. Char, Alex, welcome to It's Been a Minute.
Hello, Brittany.
Thanks for having us. Hey, Brittany. Okay, one teeny tiny little question before I continue on. What's your love language?
My love language. Ashar, you look so purple. No, because it's really a little bit of all of them. But I love the acts of service because I've fallen for lovely and fluffy words. But I need the actions. You know, love is an action word, right? So it would be acts of service.
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Chapter 2: Why is the relationship between Belichick and Hudson so controversial?
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. My love language is when anyone says, can I be a bitch for a second? And I'm like, yes.
I'm inclined to agree with that. Well, oh my gosh. This week, speaking of love languages, we got a pair of star-crossed lovers to rival Romeo and Juliet themselves, baby. If you don't know NFL Titan Bill Belichick, think of him like the Audra McDonald of football coaches. Audra has the most Tony Awards for acting. He's got the most Super Bowl wins.
And after coaching the New England Patriots for 24 years, it seems like he might be ready to settle down with his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. According to Belichick, they met on a plane in 2021, but went public with their relationship in 2024.
Now, since getting together, Hudson has taken an active role in managing Belichick's career, from fielding media requests to shutting down nosy interview questions.
How did you guys meet?
Not talking about this.
No? No.
But here's the thing. Hudson is 24. Belichick is 73. That's almost 50 years between them. And with Hudson making moves like trademarking Belichick's iconic catchphrases, some people have been questioning her intentions, asking who has the power in this relationship and wondering whether Belichick is safe, lucky, or something else entirely. But All right, let's get into it. Let's get into it.
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Chapter 3: What historical context influences our views on relationships?
I mean, everybody's been talking about this. I wonder, Char, why is this relationship catching everyone's attention?
I think this relationship is catching everyone's attention because it is one of those things that's a tale as old as time. Like age gaps aren't anything new, right? I think of David Foster and Catherine McPhee. I think that this particular relationship is capturing the public's
interest because she's so visible and involved in Bill Belichick's public facing life and seemingly his everyday like comings and goings. And I think that's what's got everybody captivated by this.
I think like a lot of the questions and a lot of the fascination between Bill Belichick and Jordan are like, what do they talk about? What does that relationship look like behind closed doors? And we all have this idealized view of like what marriage is supposed to look like and what love is supposed to look like. And it's just like that doesn't match up with what we see on paper.
That doesn't match up with what we see on photos with this coupling.
I mean, many people speculate about this relationship, suggesting that Jordan is interested in Bill's wealth and power. You know, not necessarily his charm or good looks or magnetic personality. Even though Jordan herself calls Bill her twin flame, she's facing criticism for allegedly entering this relationship for personal gain.
But we know that historically marrying for love was absolutely not the norm. That is a more recent development. People traditionally married to forge alliances and consolidate wealth. It wasn't until the Enlightenment in the 1700s that marrying for love started to become more and more acceptable in Western societies. So that leads me to this question.
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Chapter 4: Is it acceptable to partner for reasons other than love?
In this day and age, is it okay to marry or partner for reasons other than love?
again, with the moves that you mentioned, it's hit upon this trope of like, oh yes, a woman maybe taking advantage of an older man for his money. And that is what he has to provide for. And I think it makes us face these questions of like, is this okay? If they're both consenting adults and he's in it for dating a younger, attractive woman and she's in it for his money, is that okay?
If they're okay with each other. And I think a lot of us have our own opinions whether that's okay or not.
What do you think, Char? The same. And I think that it's okay. I think that if both of them have their mental faculties about them and they're both consenting and willing participants, who are we to question? Who are we to question if they both are of sound mind and, you know, pursuing whatever version of whatever this relationship might be?
But I wonder, is she blazing a new path or walking a path that we've seen many women walk before? Yeah.
I think what sets her apart is a little bit of both. It's blazing a new path and walking a path that's already kind of been made for her. I think that because she is so public-facing, that adds to the conversation. And, you know, we can't have this conversation without acknowledging what a lot of, like, the manosphere...
influencers and the Joe Rogans and the conversations that they're kind of really platforming around this idea, around this concept of like young men aren't able to find true love because women are out to get you and they want what you.
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Chapter 5: How do public perceptions affect private relationships?
So it's like this story is like, even though the story involves like a 70 something year old man who actually does have a lot of money. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
This is still, like, striking this cultural chord right now.
Yes. To your point, Brittany, I'm not tuned into the NFL and the sports ball of it all. So when you look at the audience and the key demographic who would know who Bill Belichick is, this is really tapping on some insecurity that's kind of been perpetuated throughout the past few years from the Andrew Tates and the Joe Rogans and the Manosphere of it all, the Fresh and Fit podcast of it all.
Mm-hmm.
And I think that that's what's really making people of all backgrounds sink their teeth into it because it's a conversation that doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon as it pertains to women being out to get you and get your things. And Jordan seems unapologetic. Like, she's not taking a back seat. She's interrupting CBS interviews. Like, she doesn't give a damn.
It doesn't appear that she gives a damn. So I'm just, that's what it is. Yeah. What do you think, Alex?
Well, you can't like take Jordan in a vacuum because I think as what Char said, like there's this whole manosphere, right? But at the same time, there's like this championing of trad wives that is happening all around social media, all around Instagram and TikTok. And I think like an extension of that is also wives and girlfriends at like football games, right?
And it's just like, well, trad wives are now like making millions of dollars on the internet being like, oh yeah, I love like not being a nine to five. And I love being a trophy wife. She is in her own like lane making a career out of being a girlfriend, a very visible girlfriend to a very successful NFL coach.
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Chapter 6: What role does societal expectation play in relationships?
You know, and to your point, I mean, even outside of Tradwife, there's also like an offshoot of that that's like stay-at-home girlfriend, which we can talk about the possible pitfalls of being a stay-at-home girlfriend another day.
I mean, it seems like a nice life, though.
I mean, it seems like a nice life, but I tell you what, the state says you're not entitled to any part of it.
You're not entitled to anything, and I imagine that it's incredibly controlling. It sounds nice in theory, but... But in practice, I challenge that.
And to your point, Alex, it is a nice fantasy. Trust me, when I get my attitude in the morning, I do think it would be nice to be a stay-at-home something.
Coming up... And I think it's catching people off guard to see him, you know, now posted up on Instagram, you know, lifting her up in the air like a mermaid while they're on the beach. They can't crack the mystery about what it is about Jordan. Stay with us.
For years, we've seen the wives and girlfriends of the sports elite make their way into the spotlight, like Shawnee Henderson. Many of you may know her as Shawnee O'Neill, aka the basketball wife of basketball wives fame. Aisha Curry, who's got cookware and cookbooks and all kinds of products. I wonder, why do you think we keep coming back to this storyline? What is it about
this Hudson-Belichick union that has people so up in arms if this kind of dynamic between, you know, the wag and the sports guy is something that we've seen time and time again.
I think it's the perfect storm of things. She's not playing it soft and demure. In the back, you know, she's kind of ballsy about the moves that she's making. And I think that it catches people off guard because of the reputation that Bill Belichick has crafted for himself. Right.
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