Inside Phoebe Bridgers' Relationship With Paul Mescal
If you've ever been in your feels, then there's a strong chance you've probably listened to Phoebe Bridgers. The 27-year-old songstress made her debut in 2014 after releasing her first EP "Killer." The next thing we know, she's releasing "Strangers in the Alps," and we're crying in our cars at 4 am, screaming the lyrics to "Motion Sickness." Just us? Never mind, the point is Bridgers established her unique sound that just happens to be heartbreaking.
While she's breaking our hearts, it turns out that Ms. Bridgers might be in one of the cutest relationships ever; seriously, she and her boyfriend are absolutely adorable. The boyfriend in question is actor Paul Mescal, known for his role in the Hulu original show "Normal People." Their relationship timeline is filled with moments fan fiction readers could only dream of. Meet cutes, and passionate kisses on the street, like they have everything we want. Let us give you a rundown on the pair's relationship.
Twitter meet cute
It all began with a single tweet in 2020. Phoebe had just finished watching Paul's show "Normal People" and figured she'd tweet her opinion about it. "Finished "Normal People," and now I'm sad and horny," she said.
It's a normal thing to put a tweet like that out into the universe, but when you're a celebrity, there's a strong chance someone will notice, and that's exactly what happened. Paul responded to her tweet, saying, "I'm officially dead."
Now, if this was us, we'd be absolutely mortified. Imagine saying a show made you horny only to have the actor respond a few hours later. We'd probably have to delete all our social media accounts out of pure shame. Phoebe, however, simply responded, "Nooo, don't die, you're so talented aha," (via Twitter). She's not wrong; he is super talented. We don't know if they knew back then, but this was the start of a really cute relationship.
Instagram live for Wonderland Magazine
Perhaps Wonderland magazine had the inside scoop on Phoebe and Paul's cute interaction, or they were future tellers, but they decided to have the pair do an Instagram live. This was the first time Phoebe and Paul had ever talked face to face, even though it was virtually. They were both so awkward that it almost felt like watching grade school kids talk to their crush. Paul introduced her to his plant, and Phoebe introduced him to a poster on her wall and her dead plant; like, who does that?
Phoebe was there to interview Paul, but he felt like it should've been the other way around. "I feel like I should be interviewing you because I think it's well documented that I like your music." Is Paul fangirling a little bit? Yeah, but on the bright side, he made Phoebe blush, and the two couldn't stop smiling.
Phoebe mentions Paul in an interview
A month later, Phoebe would appear on the cover of NME to talk about her new album "Punisher." The interview mentioned how, at the time of the interview, she'd just begun watching "Normal People." It was then that Phoebe exposed herself and her potential crush. "She says that 'the cute boy,' star Paul Mescal, follows her on Instagram and adds: "I got a little pitter-patter in my heart when I saw," NME notes.
A little pitter-patter in her heart and calling him "the cute boy" — Phoebe was in no way being subtle, and this was right before her tweet declaring her love for the show. Phoebe also admitted she sent him her new album before its release. Something about that feels like a musician's way of flirting, especially since Paul made it clear he was a big fan of her work. It seemed like things were starting to heat up, and boy, oh boy, did fans want to know what would come next!
Rumor has it they're together
A month after Phoebe's interview with NME is when rumors started swirling that the two might be more than friends. These rumors came after a story that claimed Paul was on the exclusive celebrity dating app Raya (via Cosmopolitan). Why would Paul even need the app? Like Phoebe's right there, sir, shoot your shot! It seemed like he did after a café in Ireland tweeted that the pair had gone there for brunch.
"Fan-Tas-Tic day thanks to @mescal_paul and @phoebe_bridgers for calling to our café this morning for breakfast," the Lemon Tree cafe wrote. "Such amazing talented young people #Celebrities #musicaltalent #Staycation2020 #breakfast #voiceofageneration," (via Cosmopolitan). We'll forgive them for the excessive hashtags since they gave us a juicy update on the pair's whereabouts.
The best part? It seemed like Phoebe flew to Ireland solely to see Paul (via Metro). Where can we find someone that will casually fly to a different country to get brunch with a potential partner?
Paul talks about mystery girlfriend with GQ
A few months after the pair's brunch sighting, Paul would be on the cover of GQ. For the most part, he discussed what it was like to blow up overnight, but then it got interesting when he mentioned he had a girlfriend. A girlfriend, you say? (Insert wide-eyed emoji here).
He conveniently happened not to say her name during the interview, but he did call her a "lifesaver." He gushed about his girlfriend, saying, "To have someone to lean on through such a mad, mad time has been invaluable. Really, I don't know where I'd be without her" (via GQ).
That's rather high praise, and fans couldn't help but speculate if he was talking about Phoebe. There's like a 99.9% chance he was, but unfortunately, we can't time travel and tell everyone that. Paul was really trying to keep things under wraps, but when you're constantly spotted with someone or even start working with them, it's not that hard to put two and two together.
Paul is in Phoebe's music video
Remember how we just mentioned he was working with Phoebe? Well, this is what we meant. In December 2020, Phoebe's label Dead Oceans posted a tweet announcing the release of Phoebe's new music video for her song "Savior Complex" off her new album. "The music video for "Savior Complex" by @phoebe_bridgers is here. Directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, starring @mescal_paul & Charlotte," they said (via Twitter).
Now, we couldn't help but notice that one: Paul Mescal would be starring in one Phoebe Bridgers music video. You can try and say it's because the two are friends, and Phoebe's mentioned in the past how talented she thinks Paul is, but we'll have to tell you that you're in denial because you are. There's absolutely no way this was a coincidence or casting that happened through auditions, and fans knew that. At this point, everyone was just waiting for the two to come out and say they were an item.
Finally, a red carpet debut
It only took about a little over a year, but Phoebe and Paul finally made their red carpet debut after much speculation. This is celebrity code for "We're actually a couple, guys." We'd pretend to be shocked, but was it really a surprise?
The two attended the 2021 LACMA Art + Film Gala, really solidifying the rumors were true. Let's face it, it's very rare that someone brings just a friend to a red carpet event, well, in this case, a blue carpet, but you get what we're trying to say.
This event came after photos that showcased the pair had done matching costumes for Halloween. Not only did they do a couple's costume, but their outfit was an actual couple. The two dressed up as none other than Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly (via W Magazine). Like, what more proof could you possibly need?
Phoebe made them IG-official
Well, if their red carpet debut wasn't enough, Phoebe took the liberty of making their relationship IG-official. Let's face it; there's no turning back once it's on Instagram. Then again, they look so happy together, so why wouldn't she post a photo?
Fans were pretty conflicted with how they felt in regards to the photo, one saying, "I'm so happy for u but sad for me," which seemed to be a common theme, which we understand because it's very relatable (via Today). Another fan posted an excellent question, "If u r happy, how will u make sad music?"
To be honest, it's a pretty valid question. Then again, not all of her music is sad relationship songs, so we have a feeling her music won't suffer in the slightest. Besides, we'll still have all the greatest hits if we really want to be in our feelings for some reason.
The pair attended the Met Gala together
The couple also attended the Met Gala together and looked stunning while doing it. This was their first time attending the event, so it must have been nice to go on that journey together.
Phoebe was pretty scared she'd trip and fall. In a talk with Interview Magazine, she said, "This is the first time in — I'm not kidding you — five years that I've worn high heels. So yeah, I'm nervous about those steps. I keep telling myself that if I fall, it'll be infamous at the very least."
Ironically, Paul was also scared of falling down the Met stairs. "The Met Gala is the most alien thing I've ever done or been to. I'm excited to get the red carpet out the way successfully and not fall up those steps," he said in an interview with GQ. This makes us wonder, were they arm and arm because it made for cute pictures or because neither wanted to fall?