A more contemporary couple than Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal would be hard to find. In May of 2020, the “Kyoto” singer and the Irish actor began a whirlwind romance that began with a series of steamy tweets back and forth.
Bridgers tweeted her reaction to seeing Mescal in the romantic drama Normal People: “Finished Normal People and now I’m sad and horny oh wait.” The singer responded, “nooo don’t die your [sic] so talented aha,” to Mescal’s “I’m officially dead” the following day.
Prior to their red carpet debut in November 2021, the pair maintained an active social media presence. The couple has made a few public appearances together, but they are otherwise very private about their relationship. In a 2020 interview with GQ, Mescal all but named Bridgers and said his girlfriend was “a lifesaver” during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“Having someone to lean on through this crazy time has been priceless,” Mescal said. Honestly, I have no idea what I would do without her. Here is when and how Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal first met, dated, broke up, and reconciled.
May 12, 2020: Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal interact on Twitter
Bridgers tweeted her thoughts on the acclaimed Hulu series Normal People on May 11, 2020. The show is based on the book of the same name by Sally Rooney. She concluded, “Finished Normal People and now I’m sad and horny oh wait.” After Mescal, who played lead character Connell, told Bridgers, “I’m officially dead,” the following day, Bridgers wrote back, “nooo don’t die your so talented aha.”
May 23, 2020: Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal interview each other on Instagram Live
After appearing on different covers of Wonderland Magazine’s upcoming summer 2020 issue, Bridgers and Mescal collaborated on an Instagram Live broadcast for the magazine’s official account.
As they discussed the singer’s upcoming album Punisher and Mescal’s role in Normal People, it was clear they had great chemistry together. Mescal was feeling flirty and said to the target, “I think it’s well documented that I love your music.” Well, that makes me blush,” Bridgers said in response.
June 12, 2020: Phoebe Bridgers Talks About Paul Mescal in An Interview
Bridgers told NME she had recently started watching Normal People and called Mescal the “cute boy.” She also said, “I got a little pitter-patter in my heart when I saw” when referring to the fact that he followed her on Instagram.
According to the source, before Bridgers and Mescal’s Instagram Live interview for Wonderland, Bridgers sent Mescal her album Punisher to listen to in advance.
July 23, 2020: Phoebe Bridgers Reportedly Visits Paul Mescal in Ireland
Bridgers and Mescal were reportedly spotted together in Ireland, where Mescal is from, but they had not yet confirmed a romantic relationship. In Kinsale, Ireland, the Lemon Leaf Café tweeted that the couple had apparently eaten there earlier that day, though no photos were made public.
We had a fantastic day because @mescal Paul and @phoebe bridgers stopped by our café for breakfast. What incredibly gifted young people!
November 28, 2020: Paul Mescal Mentions his Relationship in An Interview
In an interview with GQ, Mescal mentioned his girlfriend without identifying her by name. Even though the actor claimed he wanted to protect her anonymity, he described her as “a lifesaver” during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine.
“Having someone to lean on through this crazy time has been priceless,” Mescal said. Honestly, I have no idea what I would do without her.
December 8, 2020: Paul Mescal Stars in Phoebe Bridgers’ Music Video For “Savior Complex”
Fans went wild when Phoebe Waller-Bridge (creator of Fleabag) directed the music video for the band Bridgers’ song “Savior Complex,” in which Mescal starred. The black-and-white video only shows a brief interaction between Bridgers and Mescal, but it was enough to increase fan speculation that the two were dating.
Paul Mescal and Phoebe Bridgers Seemingly Confirm Relationship on 2021 LACMA Gala Red Carpet https://t.co/bT7DS1okfk
— People (@people) November 7, 2021
November 6, 2021: Phoebe Bridgers And Paul Mescal Make Their Red Carpet Debut
Bridgers and Mescal walked the red carpet at the 2021 LACMA Art + Film Gala together, seemingly validating their relationship status. Both Bridgers and Mescal wore formal attire: she in a cream-colored lace blouse and red tartan skirt, and he in a black tuxedo.
Photos were taken of them smiling for the camera, with Mescal’s arm around Bridgers’ waist and, at one point, Bridgers resting her head on Mescal’s shoulder. That night, during the event’s dinner, Bridgers tweeted a lighthearted jibe at Mescal for using the incorrect name. She mentioned that Paul refers to Thousand Island Dressing as “Hundred Years Sauce.”
December 10, 2021: Phoebe Bridgers And Paul Mescal Make Their Relationship Instagram Official
Bridgers and Mescal’s relationship was long-rumored, but it was only confirmed on Instagram after much back-and-forth between the two. The singer posted a cute photo of the couple, with Bridgers grinning for the camera and Mescal snuggled up to her cheek.
Even though she neglected to add a caption, the photo itself served as an unmistakable declaration of their love for one another.
February 14, 2022: Phoebe Bridgers Shares a Photo of Herself And Paul Mescal on Valentine’s Day
Bridgers shared a black-and-white photo of the couple on her Instagram, and in it, Mescal’s arm is draped over Bridgers’s shoulder as they lie on the bed together. The photo was uploaded on Valentine’s Day, but the caption made no mention of the holiday (it merely credited the photographer).
May 2, 2022: Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal Appear At the Met Gala Together
At the 2022 Met Gala in New York City, Bridgers and Mescal walked the red carpet for the second time as a couple. Bridgers’ glitzy gown was designed by Jonathan Simkhai, and the two posed for photos together and with Mescal’s Normal People co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones, even though they weren’t technically there together.
June 1, 2022: Paul Mescal Makes a Cameo in Phoebe Bridgers’ “Sidelines” Music Video
In June of 2022, Mescal was featured in another music video produced by his girlfriend. The video was made for the Hulu series Conversations With Friends and featured the song “Sidelines” by Bridgers, another Sally Rooney adaptation!
It was a tour documentary with a cameo appearance by Mescal near the end. One witness at one of Bridgers’ concerts reported seeing the couple chatting and laughing backstage. Bridgers uploaded the clip to Instagram, noting that her brother was responsible for producing it.
June 24, 2022: Phoebe Bridgers Says “Sidelines” is About Paul Mescal
Bridgers revealed that the love song “Sidelines,” which she co-wrote with her drummer Marshall Vore, is partially about Mescal in an interview with The Guardian. Noting that it is very different from her typically sombre and emotional music, she said that writing it was not simple.
She said, “It’s hard to write about my relationship with only good stuff because that’s all I feel, but it makes it easy when you’re actually having those feelings, like I am with Mescal.”
July 28, 2022: Phoebe Bridgers Sings Onstage With Paul Mescal’s Little Sister
Bridgers invited Nell Mescal, Mescal’s younger sister and a rising indie singer, onstage to perform “Georgia” with her on the third night of her sold-out residency at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. “It’s just nice to have someone that you respect so much be so kind to you,” the young musician told NME about her brother’s girlfriend after they began dating.
September 1, 2022: Paul Mescal Supports Phoebe Bridgers’ New Project
In September of 2022, the pop rock band The 1975 and the “Motion Sickness” singer filmed a music video together in London for Bridgers’ upcoming project, which will be a collaboration with the band.
Mescal came to show his love for his girlfriend and ended up taking some great candid shots of the band members. Bridgers published the photos to Instagram with the simple caption, “Paul took these.” According to what frontman Matty Healy said to Music Week, Bridgers will be contributing vocals to four songs on the band’s upcoming fifth studio album.
September 22, 2022: Paul Mescal Shares That He And Phoebe Bridgers Have “the Same Taste” In Film
In an interview with PEOPLE, Mescal recalled taking Bridgers to the Telluride Film Festival to see some cutting-edge movies. Although Mescal and I share similar tastes, he added, “it’s really fun to take your partner to something which is not their world.” As one reviewer put it, “It’s cool to sit in on the Women Talking world premiere with your partner and get to experience that together and talk about it after.”
