As the star of comedies like “Superbad” and “21 Jump Street,” plenty of people have been entertained by Jonah Hill in the past. But for one woman, a chance encounter at a surfing retreat radically changed the trajectory of her life.
In the viral video, which has garnered 3.3 million views, @harpsurfs shared how she was on the cusp of moving to Los Angeles with her fiancé at the time. As a final hurrah, she ends up going to a surfing retreat in El Tunco, El Salvador.
She notes that it is a very small town with only one central road and beach, and mentions how, once she arrived, she heard rumors that Jonah Hill had been around.
The next day, she is paddling out with a surf guide when Jonah Hill approaches her on his board and introduces himself, along with saying hi to other people and being generally friendly. She notes how the same thing happens the next day, and shared how he made a beeline for her, complimented her smile, and said he had a dream about her.
Then She Goes To A Breath-Work Class
That night, the TikToker and her friend went to a breath-work class they signed up for. Then, Jonah Hill comes in, moves her friend’s stuff off the mat, and sits next to the TikToker, introducing himself again.
Then, the breath-work class starts. It is three hours long, and the TikToker describes it as one of the most “insane” experiences of her life. She noted how, when you breathe really deeply and rapidly, that can lead to hallucinations from a lack of or too much oxygen in the brain. Other people in the class were screaming, crying, and laughing hysterically. She herself was “sobbing” after seeing images of generational trauma from before she was born. Jonah Hill was three inches away from her.
Following the class, the group has a debrief, and the actor opens up about his therapy journey and a film he did. She ended up running into Jonah Hill a few more times, remarking that he is a “super friendly” guy.
Her Fiancé Gets Jealous
When she returned from the trip, @harpsurfs says she was excited to tell her ex about how she met Jonah Hill. But this ended up exposing cracks in her relationship. Her ex-partner, she said, never made it as an actor and was a bit of an alcoholic. According to her, he “picks” a fight about Jonah Hill before pouring himself a cup of bourbon, leaves, and doesn’t reappear for 24 hours. When he does, he has hickeys all over his neck.
This spells the demise of the relationship. Because she has already quit her job, signed the lease, and sold all her furniture, she decides to return to El Salvador. She buys a one-way ticket and ends up staying there for almost three years.
“I ended up having the greatest adventure of my entire life,” she said. She made friends, learned Spanish, and started a successful occupational therapy practise for local children.
“And I have all of that to thank to Jonah Hill,” she concluded. “So, Jonah, thank you for making a presence in my life and saving me from a very toxic relationship that ended very poorly because I met you.”
BroBible reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message.
What Did Commenters Think?
Commenters were amused by the anecdote.
“Jonah Hill just repeatedly introducing himself to you is wild,” one wrote.
“The craziest part about this is that Jonah Hill was hitting on you and you were like a day away from being able to take the opportunity,” a second pointed out.
“So how did Jonah Hill ruin your engagement?” a third asked. “Seems like he saved you from it.”
And a fourth quipped, “Kinda disappointed that the reason wasn’t because you left him for Jonah Hill .”
El Salvador Return
The TikToker then shared two follow-up videos, one detailing her return to El Salvador, and another telling the full story of her relationship breakdown.
In the first video, she shared how she initially went back to the same hostel and got a private room for the month for $350 with a kitchenette and open-air hammocks. After local surf instructors call her up to them during a walk, they flirt with her and direct her to someone called Bamba to get a surfboard. She meets Bamba, who gives her a “kooky” mid-length board, and adds that he recognizes her from the retreat. He asks her why she is there, and she breaks down crying, telling him about the split.
In response, he tells her she came to the right place and invites her to paddle out with him and another girl he is coaching. She ends up making friends with her.
On Her Breakup
In the second video, she shares how alcohol played a role in the demise of her relationship.
While she was at the retreat, her ex was partying every night. This behavior continued upon her return, and he was continuously hungover. On the weekend, she talked to her friend at the bar where she worked. He arrived at the bar, started drinking, and picked a fight. When they get home, he talks about Jonah Hill, then disappears for 24 hours.
When he returned, he had hickeys on his neck. However, he said they are from a gay man who tried to make out with him while he was sleeping at the bar. He and the TikToker then went to dinner with his family, and by the end of the dinner, she had fully processed what he had done. She kicked him out of the home, he moved to L.A. alone, and she ended up in El Salvador.
Three months later, she learns from her mother that, when she got her old engagement ring appraised along with some other valuables, the ring wasn’t real. This is made worse by the fact that he said to everyone he sourced the diamond from the Bahamas and sent it to another country to design and set it into a ring. She ends up asking her mother to mail the ring back to him. Some time later, she learns from a friend that he is selling the ring on Facebook Marketplace for $13,000, even though the appraiser said it wouldn’t be worth more than $300.
@harpsurfs Jonah Hill ended my engagement 😂 #jonahhill #toxicrelationship #failedengagment #cheater #surf
Why Was Jonah Hill At A Surfing Retreat?
In recent years, Hill has tried to step away from his comedic roots, challenging some of his past roles, reflecting on toxic masculinity, and taking something of a step back from the industry. In his pursuit of this, he has actually become quite a keen surfer, admitting that he makes time to surf every day, and sometimes even does this twice a day.
“I’m still a workaholic,” he said in a 2021 GQ interview. “I still write and direct and get all my projects in order and stuff. But then I also surf every day. I make myself surf every day. I don’t know if dropping out is kind of the accurate word, but I kind of dropped out a little bit.”
He continued, “I still love my creativity and my work. But I definitely live a very quiet lifestyle, where I surf, hang with my dog, hang with my nephews. Just keep it mellow.”
He currently lives in a small town in San Diego and raises his children with wife, Olivia Miller. BroBible reached out to WME Entertainment for comment.