AOC's hypocritical outburst about her personal life as egg-freezing congresswoman is seen for first time since split from fiancé Riley Roberts was announced

By BEN ASHFORD, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 16:58, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 17:18, 12 August 2026 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refused to speak about her personal life after she was spotted for the first time since it emerged she has split from her fiancé. The congresswoman emerged from her home in Queens, New York, on Wednesday after reports emerged on Tuesday she had split with long-term partner Riley Roberts. When asked about the break up, the 36-year-old said: 'I don’t comment on my private life – thank you,' as she walked her French Bulldog Deco. The two met when they were both undergraduates at Boston University and he was by her side when she became the youngest person elected to Congress in 2018. The former couple were last pictured together inside a Manhattan burger restaurant in May of this year.   But about 18 months ago, the engagement was suddenly called off, according to Leigh Ann Caldwell, the Chief Washington correspondent for Puck News. It is unclear what may have led up to the split, but insiders have said she stopped wearing her engagement ring in the months before they decided not to get married. Ocasio-Cortez asserted her right to privacy just days after announcing that she is in the process of freezing her eggs to 'feel more in control of my life' and will be documenting her fertility journey. The congresswoman emerged from her home in Queens, New York, on Wednesday after reports emerged on Tuesday she had split with long-term partner Riley Roberts The 36-year-old declined to comment when asked about the break up on Wednesday morning The former couple were last pictured together inside a Manhattan burger restaurant in May of this year, seen here Roberts is notably absent in clips of the congresswoman discussing the process and is not mentioned in her updates. She also spoke carefully when asked if her fiancé is 'supportive' of her fertility journey, saying: 'All of my loved ones have been very supportive.' A review of Ocasio-Cortez's Instagram page shows her last picture with Roberts was posted in December 2021, as they celebrated the holidays. The pair were snapped together at the 2021 Met Gala, and Ocasio-Cortez announced their engagement the following year. Roberts was previously caught on camera by the Daily Mail photographers walking Deco, around their apartment in Queens last summer. Ocasio-Cortez was not with him for the walk and Roberts kept a low profile in a baseball hat, a white T-shirt, blue cargo shorts and loafers. He was seen speaking with a security guard as they cased their apartment building for any vulnerable areas following a pro-Palestine vandalism attack on her campaign headquarters. That same month, the New York congresswoman was named in a House Ethics report for listing Roberts as her 'spouse' on federal documents she filed to attend the 2021 Met Gala, when she famously wore a 'Tax the Rich' dress, but did not list him as a spouse in her financial filings. 'The Committee notes that at the same time Representative Ocasio-Cortez was seeking to take advantage of exceptions to the Gift Rule only applicable to spouses and/or certain relatives, she was not disclosing Mr. Roberts's financial interests as is required of Members who are legally married,' the House Ethics committee wrote in its report. The former couple are pictured here together attending the Met Gala in New York City in September of 2021  Within the filings, AOC's attorney David Mitrani argued that the Democrat's partner is not subject to 'financial disclosure guidance [because] Mr. Roberts is not considered a spouse.' Despite not being subject to spousal financial disclosures, the committee noted that Roberts reaped the benefits of being an official congressional spouse. One of the perks Roberts enjoyed was receiving an official spouse's congressional pin, which allows the partners of lawmakers to access typically restricted parts of the Capitol complex. As AOC now puts her plans to start a family on pause, speculation is mounting that she may run for higher office. In a recent appearance on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, she insisted she is 'focused on winning the midterms. I'm running for Congress right now.'  But, she added: 'I haven't ruled out the possibility, and I'm very humbled to the tremendous amount of support out there,' when prodded about a run for President. She also noted that 'anything is possible,' when asked if she would challenge fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer, the current Minority Leader in the US Senate, for his seat in 2028. Roberts was spotted walking his and Ocasio-Cortez's dog, Deco, around their Queens home in July 2025 In an interview with POLITICO last month, she responded: 'I mean, I can't say that I've ruled it out,' when asked about a presidential campaign. Back in May, while speaking at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez was asked by legendary Obama strategist David Axelrod whether she planned to run for higher office in 2028. 'They assume that my ambition is positional,' Ocasio-Cortez replied, adding: 'They assume that my ambition is a title or seat, and my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country.' She then outlined a wish list of socialist policies she would like to see implemented across the United States. 'Presidents come and go. Senate [and] House seats, elected officials come and go, but single-payer healthcare is forever,' she noted, while attendees cheered. 'A living wage is forever. Workers' rights are forever. Women's rights. All of that,' she added. 'When you aren't attached. When you haven't been like fantasizing about being this or that since the time you were seven years old, it is tremendously liberating, because I get to wake up every day and say, "How am I going to meet the moment?"'