Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez confirm split

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have confirmed the end of their relationship one month after Page Six first broke news that the A-list couple split.

"We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so," A-Rod, 45, and J-Lo said in a joint-statement, exclusive to NBC. "We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another's children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support."

This is a sharp detour from their original March 13 statement addressing the rumors, per ABC News. "All the reports are inaccurate," they said at the time. "We are working through some things."

Page Six's Emily Smith had reported that Lopez and Rodriguez "broke up in the wake of his scandal with 'Southern Charm' star Madison LeCroy," though LeCroy insisted in February that she'd never "been physical" or met the former MLB star in person. 

"The Madison LeCroy scandal was the reason they finally broke up," an unnamed source told Smith. "There were already problems, but Jennifer was really embarrassed by it."

The couple, who first announced their relationship publicly by attending the 2017 Met Gala together, first met in winter 2016. The origins of their romance, as well as its blissful nature at the time, were recounted in a Vanity Fair cover story published October 2017.

Lopez and Rodriguez got engaged in March 2019: