The Kendall Jenner Jacob Elordi pairing has become the standout romance of 2026’s bumper crop of new celebrity couples, with the pair clocking up Hawaii holidays, double dates and low-key LA outings as the year rolls on. They’re not alone. From footballers to TV stars to long-separated exes finding their way back, 2026 has delivered a full roster of fresh relationships worth tracking.
Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi: from Coachella rumours to Kauaʻi breakfasts
It started with a Deuxmoi tip-off. A source claimed Kendall and Jacob were ‘all over each other’ at an April 11 party during the first Coachella weekend. A People insider then said the two had ‘been hanging out and getting to know each other the last couple months.’ Low-key, nothing confirmed, but the momentum was building.
By May, the pair were photographed on a trip to Hawaii, and days later they were out in Los Angeles alongside Kendall’s sister Kylie and her partner Timothée Chalamet, according to Elle. That is a fairly pointed double-date for a couple supposedly still in the ‘just hanging out’ phase.
June brought another step up. On 22 June 2026, Kendall and Jacob joined Hailey and Justin Bieber on a couples’ holiday, per Harper’s Bazaar. Then, on 24 July, the same source reports they attended a concert together and were photographed getting breakfast at Nourish Hanalei in Kauaʻi during another Hawaiian trip. Neither has made any formal confirmation, but at some point the calendar of activity speaks for itself.
The rest of 2026’s new couples: a full roundup
Kendall and Jacob are the headline act, but they’ve got company. Here’s who else has stepped out this year.
Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez (June onwards) is the comeback story of the year. Fans first clocked that something was brewing when Ariana began changing the lyric referencing Ricky during the Eternal Sunshine Tour in June. A People source confirmed the reunion by July, and by August they were Instagram official and sporting matching tattoos.
Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton kicked off February with a bang. A source for The Sun claimed the pair ‘enjoyed an intimate dinner and a couples massage as part of a romantic weekend getaway in the country’ on 1 February. A Daily Mail insider countered they were ‘friends with benefits’ and ‘not dating exclusively,’ but their Super Bowl appearance together shifted public opinion, and the relationship has only progressed since.
Andy Cohen and Kevin Sobieski were first photographed together back in April, but fans only identified Sobieski in June after the pair were spotted kissing in New York’s West Village. Cohen later confirmed Sobieski as his boyfriend and they went Instagram official shortly after.
Dakota Johnson and Role Model (aka Tucker Pillsbury) were first spotted together in late December 2025, but it was a 15 January outing in LA that got tongues wagging. A hand-holding sighting a week later added fuel. Eight months on, neither has made an explicit confirmation, but they’re still going strong and have reportedly been collaborating on music.
Kylian Mbappé and Ester Expósito have been running a slow-burn will-they-won’t-they since March, when Expósito was spotted at one of the footballer’s matches. A yacht trip in Sardinia followed in May. Mbappé appeared to hard-launch Expósito on Instagram in July, then deleted the post. Make of that what you will.
Hannah Waddingham and Nick Beresford-Cleary debuted in March at a Cheltenham horse racing event. The Ted Lasso star and her spine surgeon partner have since appeared on multiple red carpets together. Safe to call that one confirmed.
Emily Ratajkowski and Romain Gavras had been linked since November 2025, when the Daily Mail published photos of the two holding hands and kissing in New York. Ratajkowski made it official in February with a series of loved-up Instagram posts, following up with a trip to Mexico before going fully public.
Katie Holmes and Jason Bard Yarmosky rounded out the summer, with Holmes first spotted holding hands with the artist in July. The pair have since made their first red carpet appearance together.
Back where the biggest story sits: with another rumoured Hawaii trip logged and a Bieber double date already on the books, the Kendall Jenner Jacob Elordi chapter looks far from over. Check the full running timeline at Cosmopolitan for the latest.