The most unexpected celebrity couples of recent times

Grimes and Elon Musk were already as unexpected a match as we thought it could get, but after the Canadian musician's breakup from the Tesla billionaire, and on the heels of the reveal that they welcomed a second child together back in December, it's officially over between them again, and Grimes has started dating someone even more unexpected: Chelsea Manning. Manning is the former US soldier who made headlines in the early 2010s for leaking hundreds of thousands of documents to WikiLeaks—and was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted of 20 crimes, but served just seven. A source told Page Six of her involvement with Grimes: “They’re getting serious. They U-Hauled it." They added, “They’ve been living together in Austin." The pair have been leaving a trail of interactions on Twitter hinting at their involvement, though neither has publicly confirmed.

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Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers -

'Big Little Lies' actress Shailene Woodley and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers were one of many surprising couples that popped up during the pandemic. The pair announced their engagement in February of 2021, and exactly a year later, they announced their split. Fans suspected things were on the rocks when Woodley was spotted without her engagement ring, especially after Rodgers came under fire for his controversial comments on the covid-19 vaccine, while Woodley seemed to distance herself from the drama.

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Kanye "Ye" West and Julia Fox -

After New Year's Eve, Kanye "Ye" West's romance with 'Uncut Gems' actress Julia Fox dominated the headlines, what with their matching looks and unabashed PDA. But six weeks later, on Valentine's Day, and after Ye's social media rant, they called it quits. Fox wrote on her Instagram, "The media would love to paint a picture of me a sad lonely woman crying on a plane by myself but it's NOT TRUE!! Why not see me for what I am which is a #1 hustler. I came up y'all lol and not only that but Kanye and I are on good terms! I have love for him but I wasn't in love w the man Jesus Christ what do you guys think I am 12 years old?!" She added that if people want the "full tea" they'll have to buy her book.

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Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader -

They're perfectly matched as two hilarious and adored actors who are stars of the comedy scene, but even still, no one saw it coming. What's more, their relationship only became public when they'd already been dating for more than a year. In a world where it's almost impossible to keep secrets, it's safe to say that they blindsided us!

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Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson -

A few weeks after sharing a kiss on-screen for an 'SNL' skit, the two were spotted holding hands while on a rollercoaster at Knott's Scary Farm Halloween theme park. A few weeks and many headlines later, a source finally confirmed that the two are "casually dating." While the A-list couple insists it's casual, they have since gone Instagram official in March.

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Selena Gomez and Chris Evans -

Rumors have been swirling around these two for a while, with fans spotting them leaving the same studio or the same restaurant. Most recently, some hawk-eyed TikTok users thought they spotted Gomez's hair in the corner of the frame when Evans shared a video of himself playing the piano.

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Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker -

The most unexpected couple of them all was certainly Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker. Things turned romantic around the beginning of 2021, they had a summer of steamy love including tattoos, PDA, and vacations, and now they're engaged! The Blink-182 drummer reportedly popped the question on October 17 at Rosewood Miramar hotel in Montecito, California, just as the sun was setting. He brought Kourtney out to the beach where red flowers made out a heart, and a source told TMZ that Kourtney, who "had no idea" Barker was planning to propose, "teared up and couldn't stop saying, 'I love you.'" Khloe, Kim, Kris, as well as Tristan Thompson and Corey Gamble were also spotted on the scene, and after Kourtney said "yes," they all celebrated inside the hotel.

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Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker -

Little do most people know, the pair had been friends for years, and Barker even made a few appearances on 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians.'

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Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd -

The pair were spotted out for a second dinner together in LA on September 25 at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi, where they two spent two-and-a-half hours dining together, The Daily Mail reports. The actress and the singer reportedly arrived separately at the restaurant, but were spotted leaving together in the same car to The Weeknd's Bel-Air home. After they were first spotted dining together in June, sources said the A-listers had known each other for a while and bonded over their shared connection to Ethiopia, where Jolie's adopted daughter Zahara is from and where both stars are directing their humanitarian efforts.

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Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz -

Twitter had a field day when the 'High Fidelity' actress was spotted riding on the back of the 'Magic Mike' actor's bicycle. It was a surprise for most people that they were even on each other's radar, so when it surfaced that they were dating, fans couldn't believe it.

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Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz -

Many people, however, expressed that this was the relationship they didn't know they needed. Tatum and Kravitz met while working on the upcoming film 'P u s s y Island,' which is Kravitz's directorial debut. The spark caught flame as the two were spotted reportedly going on vacation together!

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Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead -

The 'Judy' actress and the HGTV star began dating in early June 2021 after meeting on the set of his new car series, the Discovery+ show 'Celebrity IOU: Joyride.' They made their first public appearance together at a gala event for Radford Motors on August 7.

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Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead -

Though they seem to be a very unlikely couple, a source told People that the pair bonded over common interests. "Sometimes two people just meet and click, and the timing is right," the source said. "Renée is creative...and often goes for guys who think out of the box. She's smart, thoughtful and always looking to expand horizons and nurture those around her."

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck -

Did anyone think Bennifer would get together 17 years ago? Not exactly, though they met on the set of 2003's 'Gigli.' But did we think they'd reunite just months after J.Lo split from Alex Rodriguez after nearly marrying the guy? Most definitely not!

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck -

It didn't take long for Bennifer to rekindle their old romance, and since then they've taken trips together, been spotted in public showing some PDA, and even their families are spending time together. Affleck has even reportedly been looking at engagement rings...

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Kanye West and Irina Shayk -

A couple months after Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West, the rapper was linked to Russian model Irina Shayk, who is also Bradley Cooper's ex, and they even reportedly vacationed together in France!

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Kanye West and Irina Shayk -

Their romance only lasted two months apparently, and multiple reports say it was never serious. Though they were a surprising match to most people, they'd actually met in 2010 when she starred in his music video for 'Power,' and she later also walked the runway for his Yeezy line.

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Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly -

The 'Transformers' actress reportedly met the 'Bad Things' rapper in 2020 while filming the crime thriller 'Midnight in the Switchgrass,' following Fox's split from her husband, Brian Austin Green. Official reports of their relationship arose in May 2020, after Fox appeared in his music video for 'Bloody Valentine.'

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Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly -

Since then, the pair has made quite the visual splash on red carpets, at UFC matches, and even on stage at his shows. They have publicly proclaimed their love for each other, even going so far as to say they're soulmates!

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Minka Kelly and Trevor Noah -

Things got pretty serious between the 'Daily Show' host and the 'Friday Night Lights' alumna over the pandemic. They were first linked back in August 2020, with a source telling People that they had been quietly seeing each other for “several months.” They even moved in together!

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Minka Kelly and Trevor Noah -

The on-and-off couple reportedly broke up in May 2021, however, and Kelly moved out. But soon after they went on vacation together and looked happy walking in New York City again. Apparently they're just taking things slow.

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John Mulaney and Olivia Munn -

In May 2021, the comedian and his wife Annamarie Tendler announced their separation. Soon after, People reported that he and actress Olivia Munn had started dating after they “met at church in Los Angeles.” Though they've only been spotted on one lunch in LA since then, they have been friends on social media for a while, with Munn tweeting her support for Mulaney entering rehab in December 2020.

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Zendaya and Tom Holland -

This one was largely a surprise because for years the 'Spider-Man' co-stars worked hard to debunk rumors that they were dating, publicly ridiculing headlines that suspected a romance between them. The big reveal came in July 2021 with paparazzi photos circulating of the two kissing in Holland's car.

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Zendaya and Tom Holland -

Their relationship makes total sense since the two spent a lot of time together and they're both extremely talented and goofy (remember their lip sync battle?), and for years they've described each other as “best friends.”

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Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles -

In a truly surprising twist, actress/director Olivia Wilde and singer Harry Styles, who share a 10-year age gap, kicked off an unlikely romance of their own. The two reportedly became close after Wilde cast Styles for her film 'Don't Worry Darling' in September 2020. Soon after, news arose of Wilde's split from partner Jason Sudeikis.

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Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles -

They were first spotted holding hands at Styles' agent's wedding in January 2021, and several sightings followed in which they looked smitten with each other. Since then, the couple has been spotted showing some PDA in both Los Angeles and London, and partying on a yacht in Monte Argentario.

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Zach Braff and Florence Pugh -

There seems to be absolutely zero connection between the 'Scrubs' alum and the 'Black Widow' star, but they reportedly started dating in April 2019. When they went Instagram-official, people criticized the couple's 21-year age difference, but Pugh has defended it on multiple occasions.

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Zach Braff and Florence Pugh -

The pair quarantined together throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and even have a dog together. The suspected way they met was when Pugh starred in Braff's short film 'In the Time It Takes to Get There.'

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Rita Ora and Taika Waititi -

The UK singer and the Oscar-winning director first sparked romance rumors in April 2021, after the 'Let You Love Me' singer shared a photo of the pair hugging on Instagram. They were subsequently spotted in Sydney, Australia, sharing some PDA on numerous occasions—once with Tessa Thompson, too.

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Rita Ora and Taika Waititi -

Fans suspect the pair met while Waititi was in Sydney filming 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' and while Ora was appearing as a judge on the new season of 'The Voice Australia.' The couple made their first red carpet appearance hand-in-hand at the August premiere of 'The S u i c i d e Squad' in Los Angeles.

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Grace Gummer and Mark Ronson -

Famed DJ and record producer Mark Ronson and 'Mr. Robot' actress Grace Gummer—Meryl Streep's daughter—kept their romance far from prying eyes. That is, of course, until he proposed to her with an estimated US$100,000 ring and announced it on his podcast.

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Grace Gummer and Mark Ronson -

On the podcast, Ronson shared that they had their first kiss while listening to Tame Impala's debut album 'InnerSpeaker.' It isn't clear how or when the pair met, but they started dating in 2020, after Gummer divorced Tay Strathairn.

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Kate Beckinsale and Pete Davidson - The 'Underworld' actress and the 'SNL' comedian seemed to be worlds apart, even outside of their 20-year age gap. But in January 2020, they reportedly started seeing each other, and soon showed off some PDA. Their relationship only lasted four months, however.

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Phoebe Dynevor and Pete Davidson -

Pete Davidson's next girlfriend was equally surprising, as no one quite imagined him with 'Bridgerton' actress Phoebe Dynevor. They reportedly hit it off after meeting at a gathering in NYC, and Davidson said in April 2021 that he was currently with his “celebrity crush.” They split shortly afterwards and he has now moved on to Kim Kardashian!

Sources: (People) (PopSugar) (E! News) (The Hollywood Reporter)

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The most unexpected celebrity couples of recent times

Jason Momoa is reportedly dating Eiza González following Lisa Bonet breakup

16/05/22 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Relationships

There's been a change in the wind in Hollywood, and celebrities we thought we had figured out are now crossing aesthetics, genres, interests, and generations to surprise us with A-list combinations that sound like they were randomly plucked out of a hat.

The latest gossip is around Jason Momoa and Eiza González, as sources told People that the 'Aquaman' star has been dating the Mexican actress. "They're dating. He cares about her. He's in a great place, working on Fast X," one insider said. "They're both busy with work but are having fun together. It's nothing serious yet," another added.

Momoa was previously seen attending the premiere of Gonzalez's movie 'Ambulance' in April, though they didn't walk the red carpet together. The report comes around four months after Momoa and his wife Lisa Bonet announced they were splitting up, and just two months after Momoa shot down rumors that he and Kate Beckinsale were dating which surfaced after he lent the actress his jacket at Vanity Fair's 2022 Academy Awards afterparty. "It was cray. Everyone is like, 'Are you dating?' No, no, it was chivalry, the woman was cold," he told Extra. "She is very nice, I was being very nice, just being a gentleman. Now, I am not giving my coat to anyone."

Some of these unlikely celebrity romances might be a reflection of the completely unpredictable times we're living in, where life and death situations have become fearfully closer, and thus where people are no longer wasting time with preconceived notions and anything other than what makes them feel good.

These celebrities are embracing love where they find it, whether that means taking a romantic chance on an old best friend or going on a date with someone completely out of their normal sphere. Who could we be talking about? Click through to see the most unexpected relationships of the past couple years.