Justin Trudeau's Ex Sophie Subtly Hints Why They Didn't Last & The Internet Is Picking Sides

In August 2023, then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announced they were calling it quits. There were some red flags that hinted that Justin and Sophie weren't going to last, and now we might have more insight into the relationship thanks to a May 2025 Instagram post from Sophie. She included a video where she talked about the importance of moving on and staying true to yourself, and in the caption, she said, "To live the life you want you have to get comfortable with one simple truth: You will disappoint people. And that's okay." She also noted, "Anxiety ... and even depression ... can be signs that we're abandoning ourselves. And sometimes, the most loving thing we can do is not to rescue — but to step back, trusting that others are capable of doing their own inner work."

Sophie doesn't mention anyone by name, but it could be seen as a dig at Justin with him being the one that she perhaps had to step back from and let do his own work on himself. Some Instagram users came right out and said it in the comments. One wrote, "Wow, do you not miss Justin?"

Some just didn't seem to like the overall message. "Sounds like a girl just barely hanging on by a thread giving life advice to the rest of us," one critic commented. While another said, "You are privileged to be able to let go and be who you want to be and live the life you want," explaining that not everyone has that luxury.

Others have come out in support of Sophie Grégoire Trudeau's life advice post. Some saw themselves in the scenarios that she was describing: "I always want to rescue, so that makes sense, Soph," one person commented. Another said, "Thank you Sophie for always being there for us and telling your truth! It truly is important to listen to yourself and make yourself a priority."

This isn't the first time that Sophie has talked about the importance of being true to yourself and acknowledging how hard it is. Sophie, who's friends with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, went on Meghan's "Archetypes" podcast for an episode called "Good Wife/Bad Wife, Good Mom/Bad Mom." The episode aired in November 2022, so that was months before the public confirmation that Sophie and Justin Trudeau's marriage was coming to an end. But in their conversation, you could hear what now seem like hints as to some of the issues that Sophie was dealing with and echoes some of what she said in her Instagram post. When discussing traditional women's roles and the at times overwhelming expectations that women face to care for their families, she said, " ... we all long to be free in who we are" (via Spotify).