Brian Austin Green is reflecting on the lessons he learned from his marriage to Megan Fox years after their split.
During a recent podcast appearance, the actor admitted that “physical attraction” was the foundation of their relationship and revealed how their divorce prompted a period of self-reflection.
Through therapy, Brian Austin Green said he gained a new perspective on love and compatibility, lessons that have since shaped his relationship with his fiancée and his approach to co-parenting with Megan Fox.
During a recent appearance on the “I Do, Part 2” podcast, Brian Austin Green reflected on his nearly 15-year relationship with Megan Fox, admitting that physical attraction played a major role in how their romance began.
“We were married for almost 10 years, and I led with physical attraction,” Green told hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach.
“The Beverly Hills, 90210” alum explained that for much of his life, he approached relationships by following chemistry first and allowing emotional bonds to develop later. Looking back, he now believes that mindset may have contributed to some of the challenges in his marriage.
Green and Fox, who married in 2010, ended their relationship in 2020 after welcoming three children together: Noah, 13, Bodhi, 12, and Journey, 9.
“I was divorced, which I didn’t expect,” he recalled, per Page Six. “I had three kids. I was a single parent.”
The Actor Says Therapy Changed The Way He Approaches Relationships
The unexpected end of his marriage prompted a period of self-reflection. Determined not to repeat old patterns, Green said he sought therapy to better understand his role in past relationship struggles.
“I really figure out what it was that [he] brought into a relationship that was just toxic and wasn’t good and wasn’t helping the relationship at all,” he shared.
Through that process, the 52-year-old came to a significant realization: friendship and genuine compatibility should come before romance.
Green said he learned that building a strong friendship first creates a healthier foundation for a relationship, making it easier for both partners to communicate openly and honestly.
“I think when you started from a place of a genuine connection with someone, then you’re not so concerned about whether they are truly into you or not,” he explained, adding that it allowed two people to communicate “in a very transparent way.”
Brian Austin Green Says Honest Conversations Strengthened His New Relationship After Split From Megan Fox
That perspective ultimately shaped how Green approached his relationship with fiancée Sharna Burgess. Before becoming serious, the couple made a point of discussing both their strengths and flaws, putting everything on the table from the beginning.
“Sharna and I talked about our best qualities and our worst qualities together,” the “Knots Landing” alum said. “We sort of put it all out on the table.”
According to the actor, relationships built solely on physical attraction can struggle to stand the test of time. While chemistry may spark a connection, he believes a deeper emotional bond is what ultimately sustains it.
“Your approach to a relationship is the best way to know if it’s just a purely physical connection,” he said. “That’s only going to last for so long that you’re going to get to a point where you go, ‘I can’t stand that other person. So they’re not hot to me anymore.’”
Green and Burgess began dating in late 2020. The couple welcomed their son, Zane, in 2022 and later became engaged.
The Actor Hoped He And Megan Fox Could Work On Their Relationship
While Green has found happiness in a new chapter of his life, he and Fox have remained committed to co-parenting their children despite the end of their marriage.
The transition, however, was not without its challenges. The actor has previously admitted that he was blindsided when Fox first raised the possibility of ending their relationship after their separation in 2019.
Even after nearly 15 years together, he believed they would be able to work through their difficulties.
“I honestly felt at that point like, ‘We got this,’” he recalled during a May 2025 appearance on the “Oldish” podcast, per E! News. “We had already been through almost 15 years of a relationship together, so I believed it, and I think she believed it at the time also.”
Brian Austin Green Claims Co-Parenting With Megan Fox Became The Priority After Their Split
Despite the heartbreak, Green said becoming effective co-parents quickly became more important than dwelling on the end of their relationship.
Speaking to E! News in 2024, Green explained that successful co-parenting requires setting aside personal differences and focusing on what is best for the children.
You’ve got to “pick your battles,” he said, noting that any lingering issues between former partners should never take priority over their role as parents.
“The only choice you have is how it affects the kids,” he explained. “So, you have to decide, ‘OK, it’s not about us getting along anymore. It’s about us co-parenting, which is a totally different situation.’”
