Remember gay influencers Max and Andrés? Their marriage (and their dog’s life) ended tragically

Gay influencers Max Emerson and Andrés Camilo were a staple of internet culture a decade ago, but then their house burned down, and they broke up.

Max Emerson has been a mainstay of Instagram for years now, amassing a following of over one million people on that app alone – it helps that he’s traditionally gorgeous. Meanwhile, Andrés also has a loyal following of close to 500k.

Max and Andrés were together for nine years and were widely credited as being instrumental in other people’s coming out stories. I, too, remember seeing their hopeful content as a closeted preteen.

They got engaged in 2023, but by 2025, they’d cancelled the wedding and broken up.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Max Emerson (@maxisms)

They said in a joint statement: “After nine years together we’ve decided to separate. The fire that took our home accelerated this decision by giving us clarity and simplicity. We were already beginning to explore different paths- this tragedy is serving as a catalyst for a clean break.

“It’s time to start again, as individuals. Our time together wasn’t wasted. We still love each other fully, deeply, and unconditionally. That love doesn’t end; it evolves. We are part ways with respect and gratitude, carrying forward all that we’ve learned.”

Though the breakup was sad, it was other events that went viral.

Their house burned down

Credit: Instagram

Amidst their breakup in 2024, Max and Andrés experienced a tragedy when their house burned down during an LA wildfire. Reflecting on that, Max admitted it was a “catalyst” for the breakup.

“The fire turned out to be a catalyst,” he told Gayety. “We were already beginning to separate. This just accelerated everything.”

Their shared home was reduced to rubble

Max Emerson and Andrés Camilo had their dog put down

Most Read

Ariana Grande’s family share ‘concern’ for her health after saying she’s ‘not in a healthy place’

Bonnie Blue shares sick logistics and graphic videos from ‘g*lden shower’ with over 100 men

A look at André and Alex’s life in Spain now, 34 years after Rachel Nickell’s murder

For much of Max Emerson and Andrés Camilo’s social media career, their dog Sarge was by their side. Sadly, after getting bitten on the face, Max was forced to put him down earlier this year.

He announced on Instagram: “This week we said goodbye to Sarge. He’s had a history of reactivity since he was young, mostly conflict with other dogs. In recent months, this behaviour began to escalate in both frequency and severity.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Max Emerson (@maxisms)

“Last week, during a moment of distress, he lost control and sent me to the hospital for stitches on my face. We believe he was suffering from something our vet couldn’t identify, and his inability to communicate that discomfort showed up as fear and reactivity.

“After a lot of research and exploring every option, we learned the most humane thing we could do for Sarge was to put him to rest. He deserved peace. Thank you to everyone who has been part of loving our baby boy.

“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed bombarding you with Sergeant Pupper content over the last decade. We love you, Sarge. You’ll always be our goodest boy.”

Despite their shared heartbreak, the moment generated a lot of backlash online. With such prolific social lives, which included jetting off around the world, people accused them of creating Sarge’s “reactivity” themselves due to a lack of training. Owning a dog is a responsibility, they argued.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Max Emerson (@maxisms)

What are they up to now?

Both Andrés and Max are still working in the influencer space, but Max is also dedicating a lot of time to documentary and humanitarian work. Last year, he was working in Switzerland on a project about health and education. He’s also in a new relationship that seems to be going steady.

Andrés is less involved in the influencer space now, but he still posts to his 500k followers on Instagram. Outside of content creation, he’s a successful artist whose pieces go for thousands.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image credit: Instagram