Friends Reveal Gabby Petito & Brian Laundrie’s Relationship Was 'Toxic' & Full Of ‘Drama’

If you look into Gabby Petito’s and Brian Laundrie’s social media, it appears that the pair was happily in love. However, as more details have come out during the investigation into her disappearance and death, we’ve seen that’s not exactly the truth.

And now friends close to the two have confirmed the seemingly picture perfect relationship online couldn’t be farther from reality.

In an interview with People on Wednesday, Laundrie’s friend Ben Matula admitted there was always some sort of “drama” going on between the on-again-off-again couple since they started dating as teens:

“One minute, they’d be all over each other, the next minute, he’d be like, ‘We’re fighting.’ They always had some drama. There was always something below the surface where things weren’t 100% wonderful.”

That may be the understatement of the year, considering. Gabby’s friend Alyssa Chen shared a similar sentiment, explaining their relationship was riddled with either extreme highs or extreme lows:

“They had times they were toxic and times where everything seemed a lot more healthy. They had very low lows and very high highs. But they really seemed to love each other. When things were good, you’d be like, ‘Why can’t I have a relationship like that?’ When they were bad, you’d be like ‘Oh my God, just break up and spare yourself from the drama and everyone else from having to hear about it.’”

As you know, the search for Petito came to an unfortunate end after investigators discovered a body near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming over the weekend, with an autopsy later confirming the human remains were that of the 22-year-old YouTuber. Laundrie, who returned home to Florida without his girlfriend on September 1, was named a person of interest in the case. Then he mysteriously disappeared after heading out for a hike in the Carlton Reserve in Florida over a week ago.

Throughout the initial investigation into Gabby’s case, evidence of their seemingly problematic relationship slowly has been uncovered. As we previously reported, the duo was stopped by police in Moab, Utah, on August 12 during their cross-country road trip after a witness called 911 about a potential domestic violence situation. The person who phoned the police said he saw Laundrie “slapping” and “hitting” Gabby. Even a park ranger, who also responded to the domestic assault incident, warned the young woman that she thought their romance may have been a “toxic” one, saying:

“I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life.”

As you might know, police at the scene wrote off the instance as a “mental health crisis” on Gabby’s part. Then, according to People, North Port police detective Daniel Alix claimed in a warrant the texts between the vlogger and her mother showed that “there appeared to be more and more tension between her and Laundrie” during their travels.

Now, Matula says the whole situation has made him re-examine everything he ever knew about Brian and his treatment towards Gabby during their relationship:

“The guy who he’s being made out to be isn’t the guy I knew. But then I have to look at what’s going on and realize that he did some stuff that seems like it was shady — seems like maybe he wasn’t on the up and up. And because he did that stuff, a girl might be dead and he might be in trouble.”

He continued:

“It seemed like they were seeing the world with the person they loved. They were living the dream that all of us want to do. But they were doing it. All their friends were either still in college or searching for entry level jobs, and they’re out there killing it. I was jealous, and I know I’m not the only one. I was happy for them.”

It is just another example that what you see on social media isn’t always the truth and that there is always more to the story. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below).

[Image via Gabby Petito/Instagram, NBC New York/YouTube]