In October 2025, a New York Giants quarterback and a Georgia-born influencer attended a Halloween party in Manhattan. Nobody made any announcements. No photos went up together. The only evidence was a trail of Instagram likes, a mermaid costume caption, and the kind of quiet social media breadcrumbs that NFL fans have become exceptionally skilled at following. By January 2026, Jaxson Dart had commented “in a movie w you” on Marissa Ayers’ official Instagram post, and one of the more compelling new relationships in professional sports was fully public. The story of where Marissa Ayers and Jaxson Dart met is a very 2025 romance — slow-burn, digitally traceable, and ultimately confirmed by the people themselves rather than by any outside source.
Who Is Marissa Ayers?
Marissa Ayers was born on April 10, 2003, in Atlanta, Georgia. Her childhood involved extensive relocation — she reportedly moved 17 times before graduating high school, according to Glamour Biz. That nomadic early life gave her an unusually adaptable social intelligence that later served her well in navigating the very different worlds of boxing events, NFL sidelines, and brand partnerships.
What Did Marissa Ayers Study?
Marissa Ayers graduated from the University of Alabama in May 2025. She studied communications with a focus on public relations and advertising, according to Exclusive Tak. At Alabama, she was a member of Delta Zeta sorority, according to Glamour Biz.
Her TikTok content includes lifestyle, beauty, fitness, and day-in-the-life videos. Her Instagram handle is @marissaayerss. She has posted courtside NBA content from games in Atlanta and frequently documents travel and fitness, according to Famous Birthdays. She has a combined following of over 2 million on Instagram and TikTok.
How Did Marissa Ayers Become Famous?
Ayers made a name for herself after a viral moment working as a ring girl in July during the Taylor-Serrano boxing match at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which aired on Netflix. That event placed her in front of one of the largest boxing audiences in recent history. Her Instagram and considerable TikTok presence with 1.5 million followers exploded into mainstream recognition following her appearance at the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano event at Madison Square Garden in July.
The boxing world operates at the intersection of sports and entertainment, and ring girls who appear at major televised events gain visibility across multiple audience types simultaneously. Sports fans, lifestyle audiences, and celebrity-culture followers all encounter the same image on the same night. Marissa’s appearance at the Taylor-Serrano fight was her inflection point, the moment a steadily growing following became a nationally recognized presence.
She continued her ring girl career with Most Valuable Promotions, working as a ring girl for the Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua fight card in Miami in December 2025. That event was broadcast live on Netflix and drew a massive global audience, further extending her reach beyond the domestic sports market.
| Personal Profile | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Marissa Ayers |
| Date of Birth | April 10, 2003 |
| Birthplace | Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
| Age (2026) | 23 years old |
| Education | University of Alabama (Communications/PR, graduated May 2025) |
| Sorority | Delta Zeta, University of Alabama |
| Career | Social media influencer, model, ring girl for Most Valuable Promotions |
| TikTok Followers | Over 1.5 million |
| @marissaayerss (over 400,000 followers) | |
| Known For | Viral ring girl appearance, Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, July 2025 |
| Relationship | Jaxson Dart (confirmed January 2026) |
Where Did Marissa Ayers and Jaxson Dart First Meet?
According to the TikTok Ayers posted on January 27, Ayers and the New York Giants quarterback went on their first date in October, grabbing dinner and then watching The Great Gatsby on Broadway in New York City. That first date established a specific and memorable context. Broadway is not a typical first-date venue for a 22-year-old rookie quarterback and a Georgia-born influencer both navigating New York City for the first time in professional capacities. The choice reflects a shared appetite for experiences beyond the typical sports-celebrity circuit.
Did They Meet at a Halloween Party?
The Halloween party played a significant role in the public origin story, though the Broadway dinner came first. Fans first linked Jaxson Dart and Marissa Ayers after seeing them together at a Halloween party in October. Although neither of them posted photos together from the event, Ayers later shared an Instagram roundup featuring her mermaid costume, captioned “mermaid spotted in Manhattan,” which drew attention online.
The pair kept the good vibes going later into the month, celebrating Halloween together while decked out in elaborate costumes. Ayers and Dart first sparked dating rumors when they were reportedly spotted out together at a Halloween party. The Halloween party was therefore the second significant shared event of that month rather than the first meeting — a distinction Marissa’s own TikTok timeline made clear when she posted the relationship recap in January.
The specific location where they first encountered each other before the October dinner has not been publicly confirmed by either party. New York City social and event calendar during NFL season creates considerable overlap between athletes, entertainers, and influencers. Their paths could have crossed through mutual connections, an event in the city, or simply through the kind of digital-to-real-life transition that characterizes how many young public figures meet in the current media landscape.
What Did the Early Social Media Breadcrumbs Look Like?
The weeks following Halloween produced the kind of digital trail that modern relationship detection has become an art form around. Around the same period, Dart began engaging with her content, liking her Halloween post. He also liked several other Instagram updates, including photos from her trip to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend in November 2025.
That F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix connection added another dimension. Formula One’s Las Vegas race is one of the most high-profile sporting and social events on the American calendar. The overlap between NFL players, influencers, and the F1 social circuit is well established. Whether Dart and Ayers attended the same events at the Grand Prix weekend is unknown, but his Instagram activity around her Las Vegas content kept observers paying attention.
Ayers appeared to hint at her romance with Dart when she posted a photo of herself wearing an oversized Giants T-shirt. They both also liked an Instagram post by Betr, a sports gambling company, that referred to Ayers as Dart’s girlfriend. That mutual like on a post that named the relationship was the clearest pre-official signal of the season. Both parties knew exactly what liking that post communicated.
How Did Their Relationship Go Public?
The path from Halloween party to Instagram official took approximately three months, moving through a series of increasingly visible public moments before either party confirmed anything directly.
When Did Marissa Ayers Attend Her First Giants Game?
She first attended a Giants game in December 2025. That appearance represented a meaningful escalation in public visibility. Attending a game signals willingness to be associated with the player in a context where media cameras are everywhere and social media speculation intensifies immediately.
Their rumoured relationship gained more attention in December 2025 when Ayers attended a New York Giants game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. She was also photographed with Dart’s mother during the outing, further fueling speculation. The appearance with Kara Dart was the most significant signal of all. Kara has been Jaxson’s most visible sideline presence throughout his NFL career. Being photographed beside her at a game carries a weight that a casual association would not typically produce.
Dart shared a photo on his Snapchat that showed him posing alongside Ayers, posting the black-and-white photo over the weekend.
How Did They Make the Relationship Official?
On January 9, 2026, Ayers made her relationship with Dart official on Instagram, posting a series of photos captioned “rumor has it…” tagging the Giants’ quarterback. That caption neatly acknowledged months of public speculation while making the confirmation simultaneously playful and definitive. Dart responded to the photos with a comment: “in a movie w you.” That response, simple and genuinely affectionate, generated its own wave of media coverage and fan reaction.
“I owe you all a recap so here it is….” That TikTok montage answered the question of where they met more directly than any media report had. It showed the Broadway dinner, the Halloween celebrations, game appearances, and the Radio City Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular they attended together.
What Has Their Relationship Looked Like Since Going Public?
The post-official period produced a steady stream of shared content that gave fans genuine access without the kind of overexposure that erodes privacy. Both Dart and Ayers approach visibility with similar instincts: selective, controlled, and focused on moments that feel real rather than performed.
What Public Events Have They Attended Together?
The NFL Honors ceremony in February 2026 served as their first major red carpet moment together. Dart attended as an AP Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist. Ayers appeared in a champagne-gold metallic gown with a structured corset and floor-length train that drew significant fashion commentary, according to Glamour Biz. Speaking to People on the carpet, Dart said: “The rookie season was a grind, but having Marissa by my side made the New York transition seamless. She’s the best.”
Dart and Ayers enjoyed a date night at 4 Charles Prime Rib in New York, as seen in a video the influencer shared to her Instagram Story. It shows Dart sitting across from her at a table while a waiter is cutting their cheeseburger in half at the famed New York steakhouse. That moment, casual and domestic, captured a side of both their personalities that the more polished event appearances do not always reveal. Dart appeared in a white short-sleeve shirt and clear-frame glasses. The clip felt genuinely unscripted.
They also traveled to Jaxson’s hometown of Kaysville, Utah, where Marissa posted a TikTok from JCW’s Burgers, rating strawberry milkshakes in a parked car, according to Glamour Biz. That Utah trip represented significant relationship territory. Meeting a partner’s family and hometown in any context carries meaning.
What Did Jaxson Dart Say About Marissa Ayers?
She’s the best.” That statement acknowledges Ayers’ role in his life without oversharing personal detail. It credits her with something specific and real, easing the transition to a new city and a high-pressure professional environment, rather than offering generic celebrity-couple language. Coming from a quarterback known for measured, confident public communication, it carries weight proportional to its simplicity.
Their shared approach to public visibility reflects compatible instincts. Both came from high-visibility moments that preceded their relationship — Dart from the Giants’ breakout season, Ayers from the Madison Square Garden boxing event. Both knew how to manage attention before they had to manage it together. That mutual media literacy likely contributes to how naturally they have navigated public life as a couple since January 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Marissa Ayers and Jaxson Dart meet?
According to Marissa’s January 27, 2026 TikTok recap, they went on their first date in October 2025, grabbing dinner and watching The Great Gatsby on Broadway in New York City, according to Yahoo Sports. They were later spotted together at a Halloween party in Manhattan that same month.
When did Jaxson Dart and Marissa Ayers start dating?
They began dating in October 2025, according to multiple outlets including Tuko and Sports Illustrated. They confirmed the relationship publicly in January 2026.
How did Marissa Ayers and Jaxson Dart go Instagram official?
On January 9, 2026, Ayers posted a series of photos on Instagram captioned “rumor has it…” tagging Dart, according to Heavy.com. Dart responded in the comments with “in a movie w you,” confirming the relationship publicly for the first time.
Who is Marissa Ayers?
Marissa Ayers is an American social media influencer, model, and ring girl from Georgia. She graduated from the University of Alabama in May 2025 with a degree in communications and PR. She became nationally known after her appearance at the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano boxing match at Madison Square Garden in July 2025, which aired on Netflix.
When did Marissa Ayers first attend a New York Giants game?
She first attended a Giants game in December 2025, watching the New York Giants face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. She was photographed with Jaxson’s mother, Kara Dart, during the appearance, according to Tuko and Fox News.
What was Marissa Ayers wearing to the Giants game that went viral?
A TikTok of Marissa wearing an oversized New York Giants T-shirt while doing her skincare routine in December 2025 attracted widespread media attention and significantly amplified speculation about her relationship with Dart, according to Fox News and AOL.
How did Marissa Ayers become famous?
She became nationally known after a viral appearance as a ring girl at the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano boxing match at Madison Square Garden in July 2025. The event aired on Netflix and introduced her to a mainstream audience beyond her existing social media following, according to LowKick MMA and Yahoo Sports.
What has Jaxson Dart said publicly about Marissa Ayers?
Speaking to People at the 2026 NFL Honors ceremony, Dart said: “The rookie season was a grind, but having Marissa by my side made the New York transition seamless. She’s the best.”
Did Marissa Ayers meet Jaxson Dart’s mom?
Yes. Marissa Ayers was photographed with Kara Dart, Jaxson’s mother, at the Giants vs. Patriots game at Gillette Stadium in December 2025, according to Tuko, Fox News, and AOL. The appearance with his mother significantly accelerated public interest in their relationship.
Where is Marissa Ayers from?
Marissa Ayers was born on April 10, 2003, in Atlanta, Georgia. She grew up in Georgia, attended the University of Alabama, and moved to New York City after graduating in May 2025.
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