Alex Rodriguez Reveals Who Was Behind ‘Flirty’ DM to Australian TV Host

Alex Rodriguez raised some eyebrows when he allegedly sent direct messages to Belinda Russell, the co-host of Australia‘s Today Extra, complimenting her on her “great feed” earlier this week. Rodriguez’s representative tried to set the record straight, claiming his daughters used his Instagram profile to send messages to Russell, who is happily married with three children. Rodriguez is dad to two daughters, Natasha, 16, and Elle, 13, whom he shares with ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis.

The situation unfolded on Friday morning’s episode of Today Extra, when Russell’s co-host, Richard Wilkins, noted that she recently had a “celebrity encounter.” Russell explained that she woke up that morning to see Instagram message requests from Rodriguez, who ended his engagement with Jennifer Lopez in April. Russell then showed the message to her co-host. “Great feed!!!” the message read. At first, she thought this was a trick from someone, but she checked that it was indeed from Rodriguez’s verified account.

“I went, ‘This can’t be real,’ so I tapped on it and [his account] is verified,” Russell said. “If you count [there are] four million followers. Give me a shout-out, A-Rod, and get me some followers!” Russell believed the “great feed” comment was not meant to be a romantic overture. “He just likes my videos…I’m very happily married,” Russell said.

A rep for Rodriguez confirmed to E! News that Russell did receive a message from the former New York Yankees player‘s Instagram page, but it was not written by him. Instead, Natasha and Elle used their father’s account to reach out to her. The two are “big fans” of Russell. Perhaps the two really enjoy the recent dancing videos Russell also shared from the Channel 9 studios.

It’s not known why Natasha and Elle didn’t use their own Instagram accounts unless they decided their dad’s blue checkmark would give them a better chance of talking with Russell. Back in 2019, Rodriguez told Barstool Sports‘ Chicks in the Office podcast that they do have their own Instagram accounts, and they do not let him follow them. Rodriguez said he had to create a “dad burner account” to see what they were up to.

Rodriguez also admitted that the two advised him on how to use social media. “Oh my gosh, they are like the COO and the CEO of my social media craziness, whatever I do,” Rodriguez explained at the time. “They’re so good. Every time I post something, usually like, five out of 10, both of them would DM and say, ‘Dad, are you serious? Dad, you know I’m going into high school this year. Dad, this is how bullying starts.’”