Who Is Manti Te'o's Wife? All About Jovi Nicole Te'o
Jovi Nicole Te'o Instagram
Manti Te'o has found love again.
The former NFL player married Jovi Nicole Te'o (née Engbino) in August 2020. The couple first began dating in 2015, a few years after Manti made headlines when he fell victim to a catfishing scandal.
Over the years, Jovi has been Manti's biggest cheerleader, supporting both his professional football career and his decision to tell his story through the Netflix documentary Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist. Though Jovi hasn't publicly spoken out about the scandal directly, she did drop a heartfelt comment on Manti's Instagram post promoting the documentary. "Proud of you hunny❤️🙏🏽" she wrote.
Since tying the knot, Manti and Jovi have also welcomed two kids: daughter Hiro and son Kyro, born in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
So, who is Manti Te'o's wife? Keep reading for everything there is to know about Jovi Nicole Te'o.
She and Manti got engaged in February 2020
Jovi Nicole Instagram
After five years of dating, Manti popped the question while playing a game called The Whisper Challenge with friends in February 2020. In a video shared to Jovi's Instagram, Manti asks Jovi "Will you marry me?" as she tries (and hilariously fails) to guess what he's saying while wearing headphones.
After correctly guessing the word "will," Manti gets down on one knee. Jovi immediately shouts the full phrase, as Manti pulls a ring from his pocket and asks her again.
"We're ENGAGED ❤️," Jovi captioned the video. The pair first went public with their romance on social media in 2015.
She and Manti got married in August 2020
Jovi Nicole Te'o Instagram
After a short engagement, Manti and Jovi got married in August 2020 during an intimate oceanside ceremony in La Jolla, California. Manti announced the happy news on Instagram alongside a series of wedding photos. "I couldn't give you the world but I think I did better ... I gave you my last name and it looks good on you Mrs. Te'o," he penned.
In a post of her own, Jovi elaborated on their plans for a future post-COVID celebration with friends and family. "✨ Yesterday I got to marry my best friend and the love of my life in an intimate beach ceremony❤️ Although this was not how we envisioned our ceremony, it was perfect. We will be having our reception and celebration when Temples and venues open back up so we can share this special occasion with our families and I couldn't be more excited," she wrote, adding their couple nickname "#joviteo."
She's a mom of two
Jovi Nicole Te'o Instagram
The couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Hiromi "Hiro" Te'o, on Aug. 12, 2021. Manti shared the news on Instagram, posting a sweet photo of him and Jovi meeting their newborn. "Forever grateful for my wife. Thank you for bringing our little girl into this world. You are my hero. I love you," Manti wrote. "Hiro, Daddy loves you, and I'm so grateful and excited to be your dad. I love you my baby girl."
In August 2022, just days after celebrating Hiro's first birthday, Manti announced on CBS Mornings that they were expecting a son. Jovi confirmed the news on Instagram sharing a clip of Manti's interview with a blue heart and baby emoji. Their son, Kyro Aumua Te'o, was born on Jan. 16, 2023.
"Welcome my little King. We've all been waiting for you!" she captioned her and Manti's first photo with Kryo. In the comments section, Manti wrote to Jovi: "Love you babe!! Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!"
She graduated nursing school in January 2023
Jovi Nicole Te'o Instagram
From May 2021 to January 2023, Jovi completed an accelerated nursing program, during which she gave birth to her and Manti's two children. She documented the journey on Instagram, from giving birth to their daughter the day before finals to finishing her last clinical rotation while pregnant with their son. Upon graduation, Jovi reflected on her time as a full-time mom and full-time nursing student in a celebratory post on Instagram.
"The past 20 months have been crazy to say the least," she wrote alongside a slideshow of graduation photos. "We moved from San Diego to Utah, where I immediately started an accelerated RN program while pregnant with our first-born, Hiromi. I took second semester finals in the hospital the day after I gave birth. I've spent hundreds of hours in zoom classes, clinicals and labs. Met some amazing friends along the way. Sacrificed lots of vacations and family time to study for exams and pass-offs. Gave birth to my second child Kyro a week before graduation. What a wild ride! 🤪"
She thanked Manti for "pushing me to finish even when I felt like giving up," and Hiromi for her ability to lull to sleep "right before an exam so mama could focus."
Manti celebrated his wife's milestone on Instagram as well, writing alongside a photo of her: "She officially passed nursing school!! So proud of you @jovi.nicole you're one step closer to your goal." The dad of two revealed that Jovi's dream is to open her own med spa, but until then, he said, "it's nice to have an RN in our home."
She's an esthetician
Jovi Nicole Te'o Instagram
At the start of 2023, Jovi shared via Instagram that she joined Salt Lake City's LUXX Medical Spa & Wellness team as a cosmetic injector. She learned of the exciting job news just three weeks before graduating from nursing school. The career milestone marks Jovi's professional debut in the beauty cosmetic world.
"It's official! I am excited to announce that I have joined LUXX Medical Spa & Wellness as the newest Cosmetic Injector!" she captioned the post. "I have worked super hard to get through nursing school and train in the Aesthetic field, and I look forward to making women (and men!) feel more confident and enhance their natural beauty!"
