Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly’s Full Relationship Timeline
4 min readTHE RUNDOWN
- Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly sparked dating rumors in September 2026.
- Sources say the two stars have been spending time together privately for months.
- The pair has not commented on their relationship status yet.
Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly have yet to define their relationship publicly, but the two stars have been spending plenty of time together.
The actress and musician were first linked in September 2026, when they were photographed together in New York City. Days later, a source told People that Johnson and Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, “have been hanging out and seeing each other under the radar for months now.”
The two stars had known each other before, but according to the source, they became closer after attending Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding in July.
Since then, Johnson has watched Kelly walk the runway in Milan, and sources have shared more about how their connection developed.
Below, everything we know about Johnson and Kelly’s rumored relationship so far.
July 2026
Johnson and Kelly both attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s July 3 wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The two stars already knew each other, but a source close to Kelly told People in September that they “hit it off” at the wedding.
On September 28, a source gave Entertainment Tonight similar intel, telling the outlet that Johnson and Kelly “really connected at Taylor and Travis’s wedding.”
September 2026
On September 12, Johnson and Kelly were photographed together in New York City, getting out of the same SUV and entering Swift’s Tribeca apartment.
Four days later, a source close to Kelly told People that Kelly and Johnson “have been hanging out and seeing each other under the radar for months now.”
The source explained that Johnson and Kelly “started off as friends and were texting often, but now they’re spending more time together.”
“It’s a very new start, but they’re smitten with each other right now,” the insider added. “They haven’t put a label on their relationship yet. They are just seeing where spending time together will take them.”
A second source characterized things as “super casual” at that point.
On September 22, Johnson and Kelly both traveled to Italy for Milan Fashion Week and attended the same event.
Three days later, Johnson addressed the broader attention her dating life receives during an appearance on Vogue’s The Run-Through podcast, though she never mentioned Kelly specifically.
“Even if I go to dinner with my manager or my lawyer, it’s like, ‘Seen with mystery man,’” she said. “I also don’t care.”
When asked whether she ever feels compelled to correct speculation about her personal life, Johnson explained why she prefers not to engage with it.
“I think it’s just futile. People are gonna believe what they wanna believe, and I don’t have the energy to fight for that,” she said. “I would much rather focus on other things in my life. Every day, there’s something on the internet that’s ridiculous and true or not true, and I don’t care.”
On September 28, a source shared more about Kelly and Johnson’s relationship with Entertainment Tonight: “Dakota was the one who made the first move. He’s very shy around her, but he likes her a lot. It’s still new, but they’re having fun and seeing where things go.”
The insider added, “Dakota has been a fan of his music and has always found him cute. He likes her a lot, too.”
October 2026
On October 19, a source close to Kelly told People that he and Johnson were spending more time together. “They have been out on dates that people don’t know about because there aren’t any photos.”
The insider said that they’re in the “dating phase,” and “aren’t ready to go official yet.”
“They both really like each other and have been seeing each other more frequently,” the source shared. “They haven’t put a label on their relationship yet, but they’re growing closer every time they hang out.”
In the past few months, they’ve especially connected over their “same dry and dark sense of humor,” the source said. “[They] make each other laugh.”
Days later, Kelly and Johnson were photographed out in Los Angeles on October 23. They first left a music studio together, riding off in Kelly’s red Maserati. That evening, they were seen together again, leaving the Chateau Marmont.
A source close to Johnson gave People an update on their dynamic on October 28. “She’s happy and enjoys spending time with him,” the insider said. “There’s a lot of chemistry and she’s been going to the studio with him while he works. For now, it makes her happy.”
November 2026
On November 3, Kelly and Johnson were photographed leaving a restaurant in Calabasas, California, after a dinner date. They were smiling and talking to each other in the shots.