DAKOTA JOHNSON AND MACHINE GUN KELLY REPORTEDLY ‘SMITTEN’ AFTER TAYLOR SWIFT’S WEDDING

Hollywood may have a new unexpected connection on its hands. Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly are reportedly growing increasingly close after reconnecting at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding in July. According to a source cited by People, what began as a friendship has recently taken on a more romantic tone. The pair reportedly started texting more frequently after “hitting it off” at the wedding and are now said to be “smitten” with one another. Still, neither Johnson nor MGK has publicly confirmed that they are dating, and there is no official label attached to their relationship at this point.

What makes the story particularly intriguing is that Johnson and MGK were not complete strangers before the wedding. According to the source, the two had met previously, but their reunion at the July celebration appears to have changed the dynamic between them. Rather than being a first meeting, the wedding seems to have served as a catalyst. They already knew each other, crossed paths again in a highly social setting and, according to the report, began communicating more often afterward. The source describes a connection that started as friendship and gradually developed into something more romantic. For now, however, “smitten” remains a description from an unnamed source rather than a declaration made by either star.

Their subsequent appearances together have only added fuel to the speculation. Earlier this month, Johnson and MGK were reportedly seen spending time together in New York, including at Taylor Swift’s Tribeca apartment. The two were also said to have gone to Estela, a restaurant in the city. Some entertainment reports characterized the outing as a date, although the publicly available sightings can only establish that Johnson and MGK spent time together. According to a source cited by Us Weekly, the pair wanted some privacy after “hitting it off,” and Johnson reportedly contacted Swift to ask whether they could use the apartment while the singer was away.

The story then moved across the Atlantic. On September 22, MGK appeared at Vogue World: Milano 2026, walking the runway in a striking orange Byblos look. Johnson was seated in the front row watching him. Vogue noted that the actress attended the event in a black Valentino design featuring layers of lace and sheer chiffon. Her presence at the same event where MGK was taking part in the show immediately attracted attention, particularly given the reports that the two had recently been spending more time together. Her appearance, of course, does not independently prove that they are romantically involved. But alongside the New York sightings and the account from People, it has become another piece of a developing Hollywood story.

The most important detail may be what has not happened. Neither Johnson nor MGK has publicly referred to the other as a romantic partner. They have been seen together in different settings, while a source has described their relationship as having become more romantic, but there has been no public announcement confirming that they are officially a couple. That distinction matters, particularly in celebrity coverage, where a few photographs can quickly evolve into assumptions about a relationship. At the moment, the available information points toward two people who may be exploring a romantic connection rather than an established Hollywood couple.

For Dakota Johnson, public interest in her private life is hardly new. The actress was in a long-term relationship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The pair were first romantically linked in 2017 and maintained a notably private relationship for much of their time together. They were reported to have lived together in Malibu and frequently kept their personal life away from the spotlight. In 2024, sources confirmed that Johnson and Martin were engaged after years of keeping that part of their relationship largely private. Their relationship ultimately ended in 2025, bringing an end to a romance that had lasted for nearly eight years.

Johnson and Martin’s relationship became notable precisely because neither appeared particularly interested in turning it into a public spectacle. They rarely walked red carpets together and generally avoided making their relationship part of their professional publicity. Johnson once described their life together as relatively domestic and private, while Martin occasionally acknowledged her from the stage. During a Coldplay performance in 2021, he introduced a song by saying, “This is about my universe, and she's here.” Johnson also developed a friendly relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow, Martin’s former wife. Paltrow has spoken warmly about Johnson in public and described her as someone she cares about, creating an unusually cordial dynamic within the extended family.

After her relationship with Martin ended, Johnson was linked to musician Role Model, whose real name is Tucker Pillsbury. The two began attracting attention in late 2025, with reports suggesting that their relationship had become more serious than a casual connection. Johnson even contributed spoken vocals to Pillsbury’s song “Love I You,” appearing on his album. By August 2026, however, People reported that the two had already split some time earlier. A source said that Johnson “does really like” Pillsbury but had wanted to take things slowly following her long relationship with Martin. If the latest reports surrounding MGK are accurate, the new connection therefore comes relatively soon after the end of another chapter in Johnson’s personal life.

MGK, whose real name is Colson Baker, enters the story with an equally high-profile romantic history. He was previously involved in a long and highly publicized relationship with Megan Fox. The two met while working together on Midnight in the Switchgrass in 2020, subsequently confirmed their romance and became engaged in 2022. They welcomed their daughter, Saga Blade, on March 27, 2025. Their relationship, however, went through a series of dramatic changes, particularly after they announced Fox’s pregnancy and subsequently separated in late 2024.

The arrival of Saga added another layer to the relationship between Fox and MGK, even after they were no longer publicly established as a couple. Fox also has three children with her former husband Brian Austin Green, while MGK has an older daughter, Casie, from a previous relationship. Following Saga’s birth, reports suggested that Fox and MGK continued spending time together and remained focused on co-parenting, even without publicly confirming that they had reconciled. MGK’s personal life has therefore remained closely tied to relationships that have attracted considerable public attention, particularly over the past several years.

Away from her personal life, Johnson has built a career that extends well beyond her family name. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, she grew up surrounded by Hollywood but has gradually established her own identity within the industry. Her international breakthrough came with the role of Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Greyfranchise, which turned her into a globally recognized actress. Following the commercial success of those films, Johnson pursued a diverse selection of projects, including Suspiria, The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Lost Daughter and Cha Cha Real Smooth. She has continued moving between mainstream productions and more independent projects, most recently appearing in Materialists while developing upcoming films including Verity and Three Incestuous Sisters.

Johnson has also shown an interest in creative work behind the camera. In 2020, she directed the music video for Coldplay’s “Cry Cry Cry,” a project that featured Chris Martin and the band. Johnson later explained that she was not simply handed the opportunity because of her relationship with Martin, but had developed an idea that the band responded to. Her work behind the camera reflects another side of her career that is sometimes overshadowed by the attention surrounding her relationships. Rather than being defined solely by her most commercial roles, Johnson has increasingly explored different forms of storytelling and creative production.

MGK’s career, meanwhile, has also evolved considerably since his early days in hip-hop. Colson Baker initially established himself as a rapper before gradually moving toward pop-punk and rock, developing a very different musical identity in the process. He has released multiple albums, toured extensively and expanded his work into acting, fashion and live performance. His appearance at Vogue World: Milano 2026 offered another example of that crossover. In Milan, MGK was not simply attending the fashion event; he was walking the runway, while Johnson watched from the front row. The moment brought together two of the industries that have increasingly shaped his public image.

Taylor Swift remains an unusual but recurring connection in the story. Johnson is known to be friends with Swift and was not only present at the singer’s wedding but has also appeared in Swift’s music video for “Patient Zero.” Johnson has spoken publicly about the wedding, describing it as “everything she’s dreamed of” and “completely her.” She also expressed surprise that private images from the celebration could emerge publicly. The fact that Swift appears at several points in the story surrounding Johnson and MGK has made the origins of the rumored relationship even more intriguing, although Swift herself is not part of the alleged romance.

The reported use of Swift’s Tribeca apartment adds another curious detail. If the accounts from entertainment sources are accurate, the wedding was not where Johnson and MGK first met but where they reconnected. Their subsequent increase in communication reportedly moved the relationship beyond an occasional friendship. According to People, the two have been spending time together and a source described MGK as being very enthusiastic about Johnson, but the pair are still figuring out what their relationship might become. Representatives for both stars have not publicly confirmed the romance.

The sightings in New York and Milan should therefore be viewed as pieces of a larger story rather than definitive proof of a relationship. Two people appearing together does not automatically mean they are dating. Johnson and MGK could still be friends, collaborators or simply two people whose relationship has not yet been defined. What has made the reports more significant is the combination of the public sightings and the account from People that their friendship has become more romantic. Johnson’s appearance at MGK’s runway show in Milan was particularly notable because it took place at a public event where both stars would have been aware that their interaction was likely to attract attention.

For Johnson, the current moment comes during a period of transition in both her professional and personal life. Her long relationship with Martin has ended, her subsequent relationship with Role Model has also come to a close, and she continues to focus on acting, fashion and creative projects. At the same time, MGK remains active in music, performance and fashion while navigating his role as a father following the birth of his daughter with Megan Fox. Both stars are entering this latest chapter after highly publicized relationships, but neither has confirmed that they are now beginning a new romance together.

For now, the clearest description is simply that Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly are reportedly becoming closer. They are said to have reconnected at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding, started communicating more frequently and subsequently spent time together in New York before appearing in Milan. A source described them as “smitten,” but neither star has put an official label on the relationship. If the connection eventually develops into something more serious, a statement from Johnson or MGK would provide a far clearer indication than paparazzi photographs or anonymous sources. Until then, the story remains one of two Hollywood stars reportedly exploring a new connection, with an unexpectedly international itinerary that appears to have begun at one of the most closely watched celebrity weddings of the year.