New Girl saw Jess Day trying to have a fresh start after her boyfriend cheated on her, and before she settled down, she dated various men, all of them with a different story – here’s who they are. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, New Girl made its debut on Fox in 2011, and thanks to its sense of humor and the performances of its main cast (especially those of Max Greenfield and Jake Johnson), it lived on for six more seasons, coming to an end in 2018 after many failed dates and relationships and a lot of jokes.
New Girl followed Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel), a bubbly teacher who after finding out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, moved into a loft with three strangers she found on the internet. Jess then had to adapt not only to living with roommates Schmidt (Greenfield), Nick Miller (Johnson), and Winston (Lamorne Morris) but also to being single and dating again, something her roommates helped her with a couple of times. As a result, Jess went out with various guys throughout New Girl, though many of them were nothing more than just a one-night stand.
Amidst the awkward dates and failed romances, Jess got involved with different men with whom she began a proper relationship, and some of them became so popular with viewers that many believe she should have ended up with one of them and not with Nick. Many of them returned at some point, but the chemistry they once had with Jess was no longer there, while others should have stayed for a bit longer – here are all seven boyfriends Jess had in New Girl, how they met, and why they broke up.
Spencer
The events that kickstart New Girl were all Spencer’s fault. Jess dated him for six years and they lived together in his home, where Jess found him cheating on her with a woman named Rochelle. Spencer appeared again in season 1 when Jess called him to get her things back, and thankfully, Spencer and his ego never showed up again, and Jess was finally able to move on.
Paul Genzlinger
Paul Genzlinger (Justin Long) was a music teacher at the school Jess used to work at, and they had a lot of things in common, such as a sensitive nature and a love for music, to the point where the guys thought of him as the male version of Jess. Paul was the first guy Jess dated after Spencer, and though their first “date” (a Thanksgiving dinner) was a disaster, they gave their relationship a chance. However, when Paul told Jess that he loved her, she didn’t know how to react, and they broke up after Jess felt he was going too fast, and he didn’t want to slow down. Paul returned when Jess, after breaking up with Russell, “backslid” into bed with Paul, but he was already dating someone else (Jenn, who looked very similar to Jess), and ended up proposing to her in front of Jess.
Russell Schiller
Russell Schiller (Dermot Mulroney) is the father of one of Jess’ students, Sarah, and they met when Jess wanted to discuss Sarah’s disturbing artwork. Jess didn’t like him at first, as that meeting didn’t go as planned, but after he helped her when her car broke down, she gave him a chance. The age difference was evident when Jess felt Russell lacked passion, and they realized they wanted different things from a relationship. Russell returned a couple more times, and in season 7 he tried to get back with Jess, but she was already in a committed relationship with Nick – but in the meantime, he remarried and divorced twice, and even had a toddler that went to the same gym class as Ruth, Schmidt and Cece’s daughter.
Sam Sweeney
Sam Sweeney (David Walton) was a doctor whose relationship with Jess had an unconventional beginning. Jess and Sam met at the bar where Nick worked, and Sam mistook Jess for his blind date, Katie. Jess played along and they began a “no-strings-attached” relationship, which continued after he found out she wasn’t Katie. With time, their relationship went from casual to serious, but they broke up after he learned that Jess and Nick had kissed. They got back together in season 5, but it was so messy and awkward that Sam even filed for a restraining order from Jess, which she obviously ignored. Ultimately, Sam realized that he still had feelings for his college girlfriend, and he got back with her.
Ryan Geauxinue
When Jess was vice-principal, the school welcomed a new teacher: Ryan Geauxinue (Julian Morris), from England. Jess was immediately attracted to him, but she tried to keep her feelings hidden as she was his supervisor, and getting involved in a romantic relationship with him would have violated many school policies. Of course, she ended up giving in to her feelings and they dated for a while, but it came to an end when he took a job as a headmaster back in England, and so he went back to the other side of the world.
Robby McFerrin
Perhaps one of, if not the most awkward relationship Jess had in New Girl was the one with Robby McFerrin (Nelson Franklin), who initially dated Cece, Jess’ best friend. He and Jess developed feelings for each other in season 6 when they were part of the “Single and Sufficient” club, but Jess didn’t feel a spark, and considered breaking up with him – but he got hurt at their gym, and she didn’t want to break up while he was hurt. What ended their relationship was the discovery that they are third-cousins, because their relationship wasn’t awkward enough already.
Nick Miller
Last but not least, is Nick Miller himself. The attraction between Nick and Jess was revealed in season 2 when they kissed for the first time after being sent “behind the Iron Curtain” during a game of True American, but Jess was dating Sam at the time. Once she broke up with Sam, Jess and Nick gave their relationship a chance, but they broke up some time later. They got back together at the end of season 6, and by season 7, they were already in a serious relationship. New Girl’s final season saw Jess and Nick getting married, and a flashforward in the series finale showed that they built a family and continued to be very close to Cece and Schmidt, and Winston and Ally.