Who did Shaun White date before Nina Dobrev? All about Sarah Barthel 

Shaun White, who was previously in a relationship with Sarah Barthel, the lead singer of Phantogram, is now reported to have split from actress Nina Dobrev.

Sarah Barthel, who had previously performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, rose to fame with the hit single Fall in Love, which peaked at the no. 3 spot on the US Alternative Charts. Shaun White and Sarah Barthel were in a six-year relationship until their breakup in 2019.

According to People Magazine, White and Nina Dobrev began a relationship back in 2020 and later got engaged in October 2024 but have now gone their separate ways. A source close to the couple confirmed the news of their split to People Magazine, stating that

"It as a mutual decision, and wasn’t an easy one, but it was made with love and a deep respect for one another."

The couple were last seen out together two weeks prior, on August 31, when they visited a farmer's market in Los Angeles.

More about Sarah Barthel, as former boyfriend, Shaun White and Nina Dobrev end their engagement

Sarah Barthel is a multi-instrumentalist who is a member of the indie rock band Phantogram. According to her IMDB, in addition to her musical pursuits with her band, Barthel has also contributed to the soundtrack for several movies and TV shows, including Pitch Perfect, The Edge of Seventeen, Sinner, Lockwood & Co., No Hard Feelings, The Flight Attendant, and many more. In her 2017 interview with Billboard, Sarah Barthel had once opened up about what makes Phantogram stand out from other artists and said::

"I think fans connect with us because we’re different. They hear different elements of everything but can’t put their finger on it. That was what we strived for from day one."

According to US Weekly, Sarah Barthel met the former Olympic snowboarder back in 2013, while both of them were visiting the set of Saturday Night Live. In a 2019 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, White recounted how the pair first met, after which they began their relationship, saying:

"I was in New York, looking to buy an apartment in the city, and met her backstage at Saturday Night Live. She told me to give her a call if I wanted her to show me around,” he explained in August 2019. “I didn’t want to be in a long-term relationship and wasn’t looking for anything serious, but we started off slowly and became friends.”

He further added:

"Sarah is a genuine and beautiful person. I travel so much and so does she, but we make an effort to keep it together. I’m not in the kids and marriage headspace now, but one day for sure. I have learned how to be a good friend by being with her. All my life it’s been about me and my work and my goals. It’s nice to hear about someone else and what they’re doing.”

Sarah Barthel was previously often seen at many of Shaun White's games to show her support, and she also stood by him during the rumors of sexual allegations that surrounded the Olympian in 2016. According to TIME, the allegations were brought forward by drummer Lena Zaweideh, who alleged that Shaun White "repeatedly sexually harassed her and forced his authoritarian management style on her for over seven years." Both Zaweideh and White were part of the same band, Bad Things. In May 2017, he settled the matter out of court, the details of which have not been made public.

Sarah Barthel experienced a significant personal loss in 2016. When her sister Becky Barthel passed away by suicide, Sarah, who was close to her, wrote a heartfelt post in her memory.

Following her sister's passing, Barthel opened up about her emotions in an interview with American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, saying:

"Nobody should ever feel responsible for a suicide death…but that’s easier said than done. That is the truth. I’m growing through this process with the help of therapy, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t blame myself, and the other people in her life, too. It’s the heaviest feeling to ever feel. Suicide is so hard to understand."

According to People Magazine, Sarah Barthel is a dog lover who often shares pictures of her Yorkie on her Instagram. In an interview with Billboard, the Black Out Days singer opened up about what her dog, who is called Leroy, means to her and said:

"He’s like my therapy dog. Being on tour is not easy — you forget about the normal world because you’re in this strangle bubble where things can just stress you out, depress you. but when Leroy is in the bubble, everyone’s happy. They can breathe."

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After dating for almost six years, Sarah Barthel and Shaun White split up in 2019. But the reasons for their split have been kept private. Soon after his split with the When I'm Small singer, Shaun White was linked to Nina Dobrev, with the pair confirming their relationship in 2020.

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