A Look At Gwyneth Paltrow's Unlikely Friendship With Dakota Johnson
Gwyneth Paltrow's Instagram is filled with selfies of her cheek-to-cheek with famous friends. If you're a celeb-spotter, you'll recognize Kate Hudson, Stella McCartney, Demi Moore, and Cameron Diaz among the faces. If you were quick, you also saw one photo in her Insta stories that may have surprised you — a snap of her holding hands with Dakota Johnson.
You may be thinking its because the two ladies have famous parents and their paths have crossed in Hollywood, but there's another explanation that's a little more unusual: Johnson is the girlfriend of Paltrow's ex-husband, musician Chris Martin. Paltrow and Martin were married in 2003 and (famously) consciously uncoupled in 2014, officially divorcing in 2016. Johnson and Martin started dating in 2017, and have been going strong ever since.
Paltrow and Martin share two kids, Apple and Moses, and are active co-parents. The Oscar winner has frequently shared her continuing affection for the Coldplay singer, even after her romance and marriage to Brad Falchuk in 2018. It appears as if she's extended that fondness to her former husband's lady love.
The ex-wife adores the new girlfriend
Active on social media, Gwyneth Paltrow has a regular feature in her Instagram stories, "Ask me a question," where she allows fans to do just that. In October 2023, one person queried, "What is your relationship like with Dakota Johnson." Smiling and happy, the actor responded to the question about ex-husband Chris Martin's girlfriend, "We're actually very good friends," People reported. "I love her so much. She's an adorable, wonderful person."
Seemingly in need of proof, in November 2023, another fan posed a demand instead of a question, "photo with Dakota." Paltrow happily obliged, sharing an image of her and Johnson on a wintery walk, wearing jeans, hats, with matching smiles and holding hands. It's not the first time the actor has posted about her ex's girlfriend either. When Johnson celebrated a milestone birthday in October 2019, the "Sliding Doors" star posted a photo of her with the caption, "Happy 30th birthday to this absolute gem," followed by a heart emoji.
During an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Paltrow explained her easy acceptance of Johnson and their friendship. "I can see how it would seem weird because it's sort of unconventional," she acknowledged. "But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her. I always start to think of the ampersand sign — what else can you bring in, instead of being resistant to or being made insecure by? There's so much juice in leaning in to something like that."
Paltrow and Johnson hang out together
While Gwyneth Paltrow has certainly thought about her kids when it comes to playing nice with ex-husband Chris Martin's girlfriend Dakota Johnson, Moses and Apple don't seem to be the only reason the two get along. It's not just cordial politeness — they genuinely seem to like each other and have been spotted hanging out together, even without the kids.
During a dinner with writer and fashion aficionado Derek Blasberg, the two women looked comfortable and cozy, with Paltrow's arm wrapped around Johnson's shoulder. The duo have also been spotted with their respective partners, Falchuk and Martin, hanging out at the beach together, and everyone was in attendance at Johnson's 30th birthday party. There was also a family trip to Aspen, and reports of Sunday dinners with the whole gang.
Johnson believes being raised by her not-together parents, actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, had an impact on how she handles her relationship with her boyfriend and his ex-wife. The "Fifty Shades of Grey" star admitted to Vanity Fair, "We were all cool, [but] there were times where it was not cool. I experienced that, so I don't want that in my life. I don't want any kids to experience anything like that. It's better to be kind." She also noted that her affection for Paltrow helps with that. "It's also really nice that everybody actually really loves each other and has each other's backs."