‘I CROSSED THE LINE’: ADAM LEVINE’S ‘MR. ROMANCE’ IMAGE SHATTERS AS BIZARRE BABY-NAME TEXTS EXPOSE WIDESPREAD ONLINE FLIRTATIONS

LOS ANGELES, CA — The carefully curated image of Adam Levine, the charismatic Maroon 5 frontman and celebrity coach known for his long-standing marriage to former Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo, was violently shattered in September 2022 when a young Instagram model publicly accused him of carrying on a relationship with her for nearly a year, capping off the shocking revelations with a bizarre and tone-deaf text message he allegedly sent her—while his wife was pregnant with their third child.

The scandal erupted on Monday, September 19, 2022, when Sumner Stroh, a 23-year-old social media influencer and model, took to TikTok to post a video that quickly went viral, accumulating millions of views in a matter of hours.

Stroh claimed she felt compelled to go public after a friend she had confided in allegedly tried to sell the private messages to a tabloid.

Stroh’s tearful video began with the bombshell: “Essentially, I was having an affair with a man who is married to a Victoria’s Secret model.

” She then named the man as Adam Levine, the 43-year-old lead singer of Maroon 5.

Stroh alleged that the relationship, which she described as physical, lasted for “about a year.

” She shared screenshots of numerous direct messages exchanged on Instagram, which she claimed were from Levine’s verified account.

The messages revealed a highly flirtatious and often aggressive pursuit, including one in which the pop star allegedly wrote: “It is truly unreal how fing hot you are.

Like it blows my mind.”

However, the element that pushed the controversy from a typical cheating rumor into a national media firestorm was a message Stroh claimed she received from Levine in June 2022—months after she had stopped speaking to him and shortly before Prinsloo’s third pregnancy was publicly confirmed.

The text was not an apology or a desperate plea to rekindle their connection; instead, it was an audacious request related to his growing family.

The screenshot, which shocked millions of viewers, allegedly read: “Ok serious question.

I’m having another baby and if it’s [a] boy I really wanna name it Sumner.

You ok with that? DEAD serious.”

Levine and Prinsloo, who married in Mexico in 2014, were already parents to two daughters, Dusty Rose, 6, and Gio Grace, 4, at the time the scandal broke.

Prinsloo had only recently confirmed her third pregnancy with a baby bump photo in early September 2022, compounding the public outrage over the alleged betrayal during such a vulnerable period for his wife.

The massive public backlash forced Levine to break his silence the day after Stroh’s video exploded.

On Tuesday, September 20, 2022, he issued a statement on his Instagram Story, attempting to control the narrative by admitting fault while simultaneously denying the core allegation.

“A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air.

I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner,” Levine wrote.

He then made the critical distinction: “I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life.

In certain instances it became inappropriate; I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family.

Levine concluded his statement by expressing remorse and pledging loyalty to his wife: “My wife and my family is all I care about in this world.

To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make.

I will never make it again.

I take full responsibility.

We will get through it.

And we will get through it together.”

Stroh, clearly unimpressed by his choice of words, immediately posted a cryptic, pointed response to her own Instagram Story: “Someone get this man a dictionary. ”

The fallout only intensified as more women came forward with their own screenshots of alleged flirtatious messages from Levine, substantiating a pattern of inappropriate online behavior.

The ensuing online conversation quickly shifted from just the details of the alleged affair to a deeper critique of the celebrity power dynamic, with many accusing Levine of exploiting his fame and perceived martial vulnerability to manipulate younger women, a claim Stroh herself echoed, stating she was “very easily manipulated” and felt “exploited.”

Despite the public shaming and the intense scrutiny, Prinsloo remained supportive of her husband, opting to weather the storm privately and publicly standing by his side in the weeks following the allegations.

The couple was photographed together several times, presenting a united front amidst the relentless media attention.

The couple eventually welcomed their third child in January 2023, marking a difficult, yet ultimately unified, new chapter for their family.

The entire incident stands as a potent lesson in the unforgiving nature of the digital age, where a celebrity’s private indiscretions, fueled by the recklessness of social media DMs, can be exposed instantly, resulting in a public reckoning that forever taints their image and forces a painful, very public, marital repair.