Brian Austin Green Reflects on His Marriage to Megan Fox: “I Realized Friendship Is the Foundation of a Lasting Relationship”

Years after the end of his marriage to Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green has opened up about the biggest lesson he learned from their divorce. The actor revealed that therapy completely changed the way he views love, helping him realize that lasting relationships should be built on friendship and mutual understanding rather than physical attraction alone.

Appearing on the I Do, Part 2 podcast, Green answered fan questions about love and relationships. During the conversation, the 52-year-old actor reflected on his years-long marriage to Megan Fox and explained how his perspective on romance has evolved since their split.

Brian shared, “My ex and I were together for almost 15 years. We were married for almost 10 years, and I led with physical attraction.”

The actor admitted that most of his previous relationships began with physical chemistry before any deeper emotional connection developed. As he explained, “First, I’d be physically attracted to somebody and then sort of build a relationship around that.”

However, the end of his marriage became a turning point that forced him to reevaluate himself. Brian said he never expected to get divorced, nor did he imagine becoming a single father raising three children. Those circumstances ultimately motivated him to make meaningful changes.

Recalling that period, Brian said, “I was divorced, which I didn’t expect. I had three kids, was a single parent, and I knew that I didn’t want to repeat things that I had done. So I went through all sorts of therapy and all sorts of things to really figure out what it was that I brought into a relationship.”

According to Brian, that journey completely transformed the way he approached his next relationship. When he met his fiancée, professional dancer Sharna Burgess, they didn’t rush into romance. Instead, they spent countless hours talking, getting to know one another, and building a genuine friendship first.

He explained, “I genuinely believe that you need to be friends with someone first.” Brian recalled that during the early days of their relationship, he and Sharna would spend hours talking over breakfast before romance naturally developed.

The actor continued, “We were really, really good, easy, natural friends to begin with. Then we realized, in being physical, that we really worked well together, and then it became the relationship.”

Brian believes that friendship creates a much stronger foundation for a lasting partnership. As he put it, “When you start from a place of a genuine connection with someone, then you’re not so concerned about whether they are truly into you or not. Because you guys are already speaking to each other in a very transparent way.”

He also revealed that he and Sharna were completely honest with each other from the very beginning, openly discussing both their strengths and weaknesses. Brian said, “Sharna and I talked about our best qualities and our worst qualities together. We sort of put it all out on the table. For us, it was pretty apparent then, like, ‘Oh, hey, we should stick with us. This seems to be working.’”

Brian also expressed his belief that relationships built primarily on physical attraction often struggle to stand the test of time. He explained, “Your approach to a relationship is the best way to know if it’s just a purely physical connection. 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.”

Elsewhere in the podcast, Brian emphasized that openness is the most important ingredient in a healthy relationship. As he simply stated, “To me, a healthy relationship… everything’s open.”

Brian Austin Green first rose to fame through his role as David Silver on the iconic television series Beverly Hills, 90210. The show’s success made him one of the most recognizable television stars of the 1990s. He later appeared in numerous productions, including Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Desperate Housewives, Anger Management, and several reality television projects.

Brian and Megan Fox first met in 2004 while filming Hope & Faith. At the time, Megan was just over 18 years old, while Brian was already an established television actor. Their age difference of more than a decade attracted considerable public attention throughout their relationship.

After dating for several years, the couple married in 2010 and welcomed three sons together: Noah, Bodhi, and Journey. Throughout their marriage, they faced repeated rumors of separation, briefly reconciled after an earlier divorce filing, and ultimately finalized their divorce in 2020.

Their breakup became a major entertainment headline as it coincided with Megan Fox beginning a relationship with rapper Machine Gun Kelly (MGK). Megan later became engaged to MGK before their on-and-off romance eventually ended. She has since welcomed a daughter, Saga Blade, with the musician, while Brian has also found happiness in a new relationship.

Brian officially began dating professional dancer Sharna Burgess in early 2021 after they were introduced by mutual friends. The couple later competed together on Dancing with the Stars and welcomed their son, Zane, in 2022. They are now engaged and frequently share glimpses of their family life on social media.

Looking back, Brian Austin Green says his marriage to Megan Fox gave him far more than memories of an important chapter in his life—it also helped him better understand himself. After experiencing heartbreak and personal growth, the actor now believes that honesty, friendship, and open communication form the true foundation of a lasting relationship, rather than fleeting passion or physical attraction alone.