Justin Trudeau's Japan Outing With Katy Perry Is A Middle Finger To Ex Sophie Grégoire

Though the divorce between Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire settled in 2023, there are still hints that the two know how to hurt each other. The details of the Trudeau-Grégoire split are more tragic than many realized, and now that the former Prime Minister of Canada has publicly begun dating pop superstar Katy Perry, things have only begun to get messier. In what could be perceived as a slight against Grégoire, it appears as if Trudeau is comfortable enough with Perry to bring her to important events and trot her out in front of world leaders. This was made crystal clear by a December 3 post on X, formerly Twitter, from former Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, showing off a cozy Christmas gathering.

カナダのトルドー前首相(@JustinTrudeau)がパートナーと来日され、私たち夫妻と昼食をご一緒しました。

総理時代には首相同士何度もお会いし、カナダ訪問時には「日加アクションプラン」の策定など、二国間関係強化に共に汗をかいた仲です。

こうして交友を続けられていることを嬉しく思います。 pic.twitter.com/t9RkbMyip5

— 岸田文雄 (@kishida230) December 4, 2025

In the post, Trudeau and Perry pose alongside Kishida and his wife, Yuko Kishida. Though it could be the fault of the Japanese-to-English translation, in the caption, Kishida did refer to Perry as Trudeau's "partner." Quite the step up in title from girlfriend, especially when considering all the red flags in the relationship between Perry and Trudeau.

Showing off his new girlfriend on a global scale is quite the difference from earlier in the year, when Trudeau seemed intent on keeping his privacy, so much so that the couple briefly broke up. While this just might catch the eye, and ire, of Grégoire — an accomplished woman in her own right who was well-suited to be folded into global politics during her time on Trudeau's arm — others online also took note of this bold step for the couple.

For many outside of the loop of either global politics or pop culture know-how, it was a shock to see Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau standing next to each other in such an official capacity. One X user summed it up thusly, writing, "What is Katy Perry doing there?" While it can be hard to parse out sarcasm and genuine intent online, the comment managed to nail the feeling of both. Indicating that Trudeau might have been right to want to avoid any social media mishaps during the early portion of dating Perry.

Another commenter poked fun at the somewhat unserious nature of Perry being surrounded by world leaders, writing, "When [you're] just there for the pic and called partner." As if to suggest that Perry, in her short skirt and strained smile, might not have felt the most comfortable in the setting. Being elevated from a summer fling that started at a concert to using the word "partner" does feel like quite the escalation, one that Sophie Grégoire might take personally. Considering how hard it was for Grégoire to see the smooches Perry and Trudeau had during a getaway, she also might be having some big feelings around seeing the "Roar" singer so quickly elevated in relationship status.