Let’s call a spade a spade: Paul Mescal is the internet’s boyfriend.
So much so, that Sally Rooney’s Normal People had us all in a chokehold during Mescal’s initial rise to stardom in 2020. But just because Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan split doesn’t mean fans have stopped thirsting over him any less. Real talk, folks continue not to shy away from the days of Mescal’s breakout role trauma-bonding titles.
However, the real tea isn’t said televised affairs in performances like Aftersun, All of us Strangers, and Gladiator II, but in his active pursuits. While often referred to as notoriously low-profile among his A-list-adjacents, there’s a world to Mescal unbeknownst to most.
Without further ado, here is Mescal’s complete dating timeline—and spoiler alert: No, Daisy-Edgar Jones will not be featured, despite our longing fictional desires.
Paul Mescal & Phoebe Bridgers: 2020-2022
Following musician Phoebe Bridgers’ and Mescal’s initial May 2020 Tweet exchange on Normal People, rumors started swirling. Bridgers kicked off the now-deleted banter with “finished normal people and now I’m sad and horny oh wait” where Mescal replied with “I’m officially dead.” prompting his “nooo don’t die your so talented aha” response—almost immediately becoming a viral meme.
(Reportedly, this string of flirty messages struck up a private exchange, where Bridgers later noted in an interview with Wonderland that when the cute boy—Paul—from the show followed her on IG, she was met with a pitter-patter sensation in her chest.)
Fans from both standoms locked in on this quip exchange until the duo confirmed their relationship status in November 2021 after attending the LACMA Art + Film Gala together. Shortly after, Bridgers posted an Instagram snapshot of the two together and by 2022’s Met Gala: In America, An Anthology of Fashion, Mescal sported a custom Valentino tux with Bridgers dressed to the nines in Jonathan Skimkhai.
Whispers of a potential engagement buzzed through Hollywood. But by 2023, although a split was never publicly confirmed, Bridgers was spotted with comedian Bo Burnham, and Mescal shut down negative speculation in an interview with Harper’s BAZAAR surrounding the duo’s current status.
Paul Mescal & Sophie Wilde: March 2024
Fast forward past the mystery of Mescal’s park sightings with unidentifiable women, and by March 2024, fellow industry name Sophie Wilde appeared to be Mescal’s latest object of affection. Having known one another prior through industry connections, a source spoke to The Mirror to share their friendship turned romantic insights following the B awards, where they were spotted smooching at a Chiltern Firehouse after-party. For reasons that remain unclear to the public, the tension between the two fizzled.
Paul Mescal & Gracie Abrams: October 2023(ish)-Present
First reported by none other than modern-day Gossip Girl DuexMoi in 2023, Mescal and musician Gracie Abrams are spotted and allegedly caught together. Cut to 2024, and TMZ has published photos of the stars walking hand in hand outside of Michelin-starred restaurant, Brat, in Shoreditch, London, with rumors of the duo shopping on Bond St. in London. Fall 2024 entails more hand-holding and a kiss following Abrams‘ October 2024 performance at Radio City Music Hall. In November 2024, Mescal’s Gladiator II premieres, and Abrams is spotted nearby on TikTok, papped holding hands after Abrams‘ Saturday Night Live Performance.
By February 2025, their relationship is all but confirmed via a Cosmopolitan cover story in which Abrams speaks about it, despite the lack of a name-drop; instead, she mentions how love should feel like home and that her standards set a high bar to clear.
Lo and behold… Abrams makes things Instagram-official with a video of herself on Mescal’s shoulders, June 2025 at Glastonbury Music Festival, belting The Cure’s Friday I’m In Love.
Most recently, Abrams has celebrated Mescal’s Hamnet success online with another saying, “I love him, surprise.” Just yesterday, Abrams posted a celebratory happy birthday message for the Aquarius, expressing her wholehearted love for the actor.
All this to say, Mescal’s relationship history is both nothing short of sweet and a timeline of true warmth.
