2025 has just begun but we already got some shocking news from a now-former celebrity couple. ICYMI, Barbie Forteza and Jak Roberto are no longer together according to Barbie's heartfelt Instagram post.
As of writing, it's been 24 hours already since the news made the Internet go on a frenzy but we still haven't heard anything from Jak. What we know, though, is that Barbie had referred to their relationship as "seven wonderful years." In fact, she had nothing but love for Jak in her post. It was a breakup post that willingly expressed gratitude for their past together and hope for their future apart.
The ex-couple was one of the most followed celebrity couples out there primarily because they are two well-known artists in their network. Their love story was brought under some heat in 2023 as some online citizens sparked speculations and doubts about Barbie and Jak's connection. But way before the couple had more eyes on them for alleged jealousy, the two have been living a peaceful dating life. Below, let's look back on how Barbie and Jak's love story began, thrived, and ended.
Barbie Forteza and Jak Roberto's 7-Year Relationship Timeline
2017: When it all began
Like many other couples, Barbie and Jak met at work. The two starred in the 2017 rom-com series, Meant To Be. This was two years before the two were formally known as JakBie, or their love team name.
It wasn't long after they first got acquainted that dating rumors started circulating about Jak and Barbie. It seemed that they didn't keep it a secret among their peers. PEP.ph reported that in 2017, celebs like Marian Rivera and Alden Richards teased Barbie about being an "inspired" girlie during her 20th birthday performance in the now-defunct noontime show, Sunday Pinasaya.
July 31, 2017: Jak's first IG story for Barbie
Barbie entered her 20s giddy, glowing, and in love. On July 31, 2017, she celebrated her birthday with her low-key announcement of her relationship with Jak. She captioned, "Mas happy pa sa happy, 20th!" Although it was a no-face post with only Barbie holding someone's hand shown in one of the pics, Barbie and Jak didn't hide their relationship from the public months later.
(Not-so-fun fact: Apparently, Barbie used the same pics she used to soft launch her relationship with Jak in 2017 in her breakup post.)
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August 20, 2017: 'Monay at pandesal' debut on Barbie's IG
Almost a month after the soft launch, there were still no sightings of Jak on Barbie's IG. But Barbie did another soft launch by revealing a certain "monay" and "pandesal" were together. On August 20, 2017, Barbie shared that she wrote "Monay at Pandesal, sana magtagal" on a lantern used to manifest one's wishes. She did it during her overseas trip with her sister, Gabrielle Vernieza.
Internet users were quick enough to pick up what Barbie was trying to tell. Monay was a term coined for Barbie because of her cute, round face, while Pandesal was a reference to Jak who was known for his chiseled abs.
December 2, 2017: Barbie's surprise for Jak's birthday
Even after Barbie's monay-at-pandesal IG post, there were only a few moments where the two were seen together. But on Jak's 24th birthday on December 2, 2017, Barbie surprised Jak with a birthday cake on set. Barbie posted it on her IG and said, "Maligayang kaarawan sayo. Okay, back to work hahaha! Galingan mo."
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December 25, 2017: First Christmas together?
Still no verbal nor written confirmation of their relationship. But (!) Barbie had posted about them spending family together with each others' families. If that's not an indication of a relationship between the two...well, we don't know what is, LOL. We even spotted past comments in Barbie's post asking if they're really together.
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February 14, 2018: Valentine's Day with JakBie
For most people, it's a win when the guy you like gets along with your parents. It was something that Barbie shared to the world during the first Valentine's Day after dating rumors between them began. Barbie greeted Jak with a post filled with Jak's moments with her parents. She wrote in the caption, "Sa masugid na manliligaw ng mga magulang ko at nails spa buddy ko, Happy Balentayms."
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March 29, 2018: JakBie's first beach trip
As fans already know by now, Jak new how to flaunt his fit physique—and yes, at the beach. When he started dating Barbie, well, it seems his beach pics took a massive upgrade because obviously he now has pretty Barbie in his arms. Case in point: their March 2018 trip to Coron, Palawan. The two seemed to have squeezed in a trip together in between work.
May 19, 2018: Barbie and Jak are officially together
PEP reported that Barbie and Jak started officially and exclusively dating each other on May 19, 2018. It was also the start of how the ex-couple posted more about each other, even appearing on each others' YouTube vlogs.
A lot has happened with Jak and Barbie since then—there were a couple of viral vlogs together like when Jak pretended she forgot Barbie's birthday in 2020, their couple shirt in their 2018 Hong Kong trip that read "Power Couple," Jak's cutesy Valentine's Day surprise at the back of a pickup truck in 2021, and also their several local and overseas trips together. The couple proved that their love was strong enough to overcome their hectic work, packed schedules, and anything that a couple would've faced in a longterm relationship.
December 2019: JakBie in Japan
It was their first snowy trip to Japan together. Jak and Barbie commemorated it by sharing lots of snaps on their Instagram. While Jak kept his caption short and sweet with, "Snow angel with my angel," Barbie wrote a paragraph describing how Jak made her feel loved during their trip.
Barbie wrote in 2019, "This man took really good care of me the whole trip [...] He made me feel like a queen. His queen. Sana all tulad mo @jakroberto."
October 2022: Maria Clara at Ibarra
Fast forward to 2022, Barbie and Jak have been together for five years already. They made the public swoon with their monthsary dates which they religiously post. But it was also this year that the public started paying more attention to their romance—in a not-so-genuinely good way, tho.
Barbie achieved one of her career's breakthroughs with the fantasy-historical series, Maria Clara at Ibarra. There, she solidified the connection with her newest love team partner, David Licauco. We have to note that throughout the years, Barbie had her fair share of pairing up with fellow actors all for the love team (ex. JoshBie (the OG!) an KenBie). In 2022, the public paid attention to the start of BarDa. Their love team's impact made it through the year 2023, and with all the kilig scenes they do together, the people wondered if Jak ever feels jealous of David.
March 2023: The start of the intrigue
Yes, the intrigue over what looked like an IRL love triangle between David, Barbie, and Jak, kept them all busy. Barbie and Jak have been frequently asked about their relationship amid the growing fame of BarDa—and if they are still together.
It was in March 2023 when Barbie first voiced out that Jak never feels jealous of David because 1) Jak and David are friends, and 2) Barbie and David had set clear boundaries for themselves knowing that everything "romantic" between them is just for work.
"Hindi naman po. Kasi magkaibigan po sila ni David and kami ni David malinaw sa aming dalawa na this is a business partnership," Barbie underscored in an interview.
July 2023: Barbie goes solo at the GMA Gala 2023
With BarDa's fame and all the questions doubting her relationship with Jak, Barbie decided to go solo at the GMA Gala 2023. The Internet was surprised that David, Barbie, and Jak strutted down the red carpet alone. As much as Barbie's solo moment was empowering AF ('coz obviously, it doesn't matter if she's taken or not when having her moment at an event), people couldn't help but wonder if everything was all right between Jak and Barbie.
The two were quick to quash the speculations (because it's just a red carpet event). Days after the gala, Jak greeted Barbie with a happy birthday with a sweet pic of them together. He said, "Happy birthday madam!" ICYDK, madam was one of the many terms of endearment that Jak used especially for Barbie.
August 2023: Jak established the Anti-Selos University
Yes, the saga about Jak's jealousy continued—but Jak knew how to handle it, at least in a fun way. First tho, Jak had declared how much he understands Barbie's line of work as an actress, since he's an actor himself.
"Di po ako nagseselos. Mula't mula, di po talaga ako seloso eh. Wala po, Tito Boy eh. Kasi kami po, wala po talaga kaming pakialaman sa trabaho po. Parehas kaming aktor pero pagdating sa trabaho, trabaho po. Pagdating sa love life, love life po," Jak shared in an August 2023 interview.
Then came Jak's viral "anti-selos university." It was coined after the public continuously asked him some "anti-selos techniques," saying it must've been so effective after seeing how romantic Barbie and David are onscreen.
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September 2023: Barbie on the selos curiosity
If Jak tried to be funny about people asking about his possible jealousy towards David (nonstop!), Barbie took her chance to be candid about the questions for once. In a September 2023 media conference of her series, Maging Sino Ka Man, she expressed how "fed up" she already is with the questions when she herself has made herself clear that Jak has no problem with David whatsoever.
"Sorry, kasi ever since nag-pick up [at] sumikat ang BarDa, it has always been the question kung nagseselos ba si Jak. Hindi nga! So can we stop? Parang nakakapagod nang sumagot. Hindi ko alam paano i-ibahin yung wording. Laging yun ang tanong. Wala nga, at all. Siguro, yung assurance na tinatanong niya sakin sa set is kung nakakain na ba ako, kung hindi ba ako natutuyan ng pawis—yung care. Yung selos, wala talaga. Jusko. Parehas na kaming aktor, alam na namin yan," Barbie voiced out.
December 2023: Jak's controversy with Ava Mendez
ICYMI, Jak was slightly involved in a controversy with actress Ava Mendez. The intrigue began when photos and videos of Jak and Ava at a party circulated online. The Internet was quick to put some malice into it, assuming that Jak was allegedly intoxicated during the party.
In a December TikTok video, Ava shed light on the snaps of them spotted online. The actress debunked any romantic connections with Jak, saying that the photos were cropped and that they both had a mutual friend at the party. But Ava did not deny that Jak was being touchy after being a little bit intoxicated that night. "Si Jak, medyo naka-inom na rin. Nagiging touchy na siya. Hindi lang naman sa akin," she remarked. "'Yung iba kasi binibigyan na nila ng malisya, pero 'pag talagang kilala mo 'yung tao, parang siyempre normal lang, makulit lang, kasi nakainom e 'di ba? 'Yun naiintindihan ko 'yon."
May 2024: Seven-year itch
Okay, so, after Barbie got so real about the jealousy and curiosity, it kinda died down. But Jak and Barbie stayed high-key about their monthsaries, their random dates when they had the time, and their vlogs. One of the most viewed vlogs by Jak was their seven-year anniversary vlog. The two went to Tagaytay to eat ramen and steak for two days.
During the vlog, Jak asked Barbie if she ever felt the so-called seven-year itch. ICYDK, it's a term for a couple's tendency to either lose interest in each other or "fall out of love" after seven years of an intimate and exclusive relationship. The two noted that they never felt the itch perhaps because they have been handling their relationship with so much maturity, plus they were both busy with their careers.
July 2024: Wedding plans, anyone?
The Internet has moved on from asking Jak and Barbie about selos. This time around tho, the ex-couple were hounded with questions about settling down.
Fact: Way back in 2018, PEP reported about an email interview where Barbie affirmed wedding talks with Jak—but she noted that they had set financial goals before marriage. "Well, nothing's final, but we speak about it from time to time. We both agreed that we would save and prepare for it financially first before we really start planning," Barbie told PEP.
Six years later, Jak also said the same thing. When asked if wedding is in sight already for them as a couple, Jak underscored, "Marriage is something na, sabi nga nila, parang mainit na kanin na puwede mong iluwa kapag napaso [ka]. It takes a lot of preparation—financial and emotional, of course. We need to establish ourselves [first]." In other words, he still needs time to prepare for a lifetime with Barbie.
January 2, 2025: Barbie's breakup announcement
Unfortunately, instead of a wedding, the public saw the end of Barbie and Jak's relationship. After 84-ish monthsaries, a handful of vacations, and vlogs together, the seven-year love story is now over. The reason for their breakup? No one knows but them—and well, it's not something that they're obligated to share with us.
As of writing, Jak hasn't posted anything yet about their breakup. His last post was an Instagram Reel of him welcoming the year 2025 at a concert with friends, posted 23 hours before Barbie's breakup confirmation.
