Celebrities are prone to dating each other, but sometimes it’s not always a believable match.
One user on X, @dayasgalore took to the platform on Friday to ask the Twittersphere which celeb couples live rent-free in everyone’s minds—and the thread went viral.
“That one random celeb relationship that everyone moved on from but you literally can’t forget it and think about it every day,” the user wrote.
While some of the twosomes were unlikely and obscure—like Joe Pesci and Naomi Campbell, or Nicki Minaj and Lewis Hamilton—others were more well-known and the least bit surprising, though still head-scratchers (think 50 Cent and Chelsea Handler). Some fans also mourned couples who were once together.
Joe Pesci and Naomi Campbell
While it’s somewhat unclear when Joe Pesci and Naomi Campbell dated, according to photos found on Getty, the two appear to have been romantically linked in the fall of 1998. A Getty image, taken by the New York Daily News, from Nov. 4 of that year reads, “Naomi Campbell chats with her date Joe Pesci and model Elle McPherson at party at the Bowery Bar. Campbell hosted the bash to promote the opening of photographer Sante D'Orazio's show at the Serge Sorokko Gallery.”
Rachel Bilson and Bill Hader
Rachel Bilson and Bill Hader sparked dating rumors in Nov. 2019 after being spotted together in Los Angeles. A month later, they were seen holding hands in Hader’s Tulsa, Oklahoma, hometown. Then, in Jan. 2020, they made their red carpet debut at the 2020 Golden Globes. The actors’ relationship lasted less than a year, with news of their breakup arriving in June 2020.
Janelle Monáe and Tessa Thompson
Speculation about Janelle Monáe and Tessa Thompson first began when Thompson was a backup dancer in Monáe’s 2015 music video for “Yoga.” The gossip resurfaced at the top of 2018 when the pair appeared in the singer’s “Make Me Feel” visual.
In June 2018, Thompson openly discussed the rumors, telling Porter Edit, “We love each other deeply. We're so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that's okay. It doesn't bother me."
Her comments intensified the belief that the two were dating. She later addressed that in a tweet: "I didn't say I was in a relationship. But I said lots of other things."
Nicki Minaj and Lewis Hamilton
Nicki Minaj and Lewis Hamilton were connected in 2018 when they were photographed together at New York Fashion Week. They further fueled their rumored relationship by posting photos from a trip to Dubai.
“Caribbean tingz what I on. Me & Lewis gettin paper like what ink dry on. #Versace,” the rapper captioned an image of them on ATVs—and the British F1 driver returned the favor, also posting photos of them on Instagram.
Even with the gossip, though, the pair never officially confirmed the relationship, and it’s unclear when they stopped dating.
Lil Durk and Dej Loaf
Lil Durk and Dej Loaf were first linked in Aug. 2014 after being seen together in public on several occasions. By 2015, they started working together, releasing the song “My Beyoncé” that year. Though they still hadn’t confirmed their relationship by the end of the year, the rappers shared a kiss during a Dec. 2015 taping of 106 & Party.
By the end of 2016, they broke up, with Dej Loaf telling XXL, "I'm single. I'm not sure if that's a rumor or not.” She reassured fans that she and Durk were still cool: “Yeah, [Durk] is my guy. He just hit me up."
Da Brat and Allen Iverson
Da Brat and Allen Iverson dated during the early '90s, though the relationship didn’t last due to the nature of Iverson’s job.
In 2020, shortly after coming out, the rapper spoke about her time with the NBA legend. "I used to wake up, pick his clothes out, and cook breakfast," she said on the YouTube show Speak On It. "The things he liked, I just made sure he was happy. And he spoiled me and made sure I was happy."
"I was like, 'This is amazing. This is it,'" she continued. "Then I think basketball players? Hoes. He had a baby mama and some kids. He had a lot of stuff going on. So it lasted for a good while." She then admitted that what led to the demise of their relationship was “too many bitches.”
50 Cent and Chelsea Handler
50 Cent and Chelsea Handler dated briefly in 2011, though they didn’t confirm their relationship until 2012 when a picture of them kissing surfaced. Their fling apparently didn’t last long because Fif was harboring feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Ciara.
In Jan. 2023, she told Entertainment Tonight that the rapper is her “favorite ex.”
“I love 50 Cent, he was fun. He was just a sweetheart and he was fun to be around,” she said. “My friends loved hanging out with him. I loved hanging out with him. It was a pretty short-lived romance, it was only two months. But yeah, I mean, If I saw him I’d definitely have a drink with him.”
