Actress Dakota Johnson and musician Machine Gun Kelly were photographed together outside a restaurant in Calabasas, California, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, adding to months of public speculation regarding their relationship status. According to E! Online, the 37-year-old actress and the 36-year-old musician, whose real name is Colson Baker, were seen smiling and talking while waiting at the valet stand following an evening dinner. Despite a string of recent public sightings across New York, Milan, and Los Angeles, neither star has publicly confirmed a romantic relationship.
The Tuesday evening outing took place at the Mediterranean restaurant Casaléna, according to Harper's BAZAAR and Just Jared. Photographs captured outside the venue show the pair wearing coordinating black leather outerwear as they waited for their vehicle. While multiple entertainment outlets have framed the dinner as a date night, the visual documentation only confirms their shared attendance at the Los Angeles County venue.
Details From the Calabasas Outing
During the November 3 appearance, both Johnson and Kelly opted for casual, layered outfits suited for the autumn evening. Harper's BAZAAR reported that the Materialists and Verity actress wore a $1,850 black leather jacket with a tan shearling collar by the brand Dôen, paired with ripped blue jeans, black ballet flats, and a vintage leopard-print pony-hair Prada tote. She styled her dark hair in a loose updo secured with a red claw clip.
Kelly wore a textured, studded black leather biker jacket by Spider Worldwide (Sp5der) layered over a dark hoodie, alongside wide-leg sweatpants and white Vans sneakers. According to People, the 6-foot-4-inch musician partially concealed his face with his hood and a knit hat while standing near the valet area. TMZ noted that the two appeared animated and laughed together before departing the property.
A Timeline of Recent Sightings
The dinner at Casaléna follows several documented appearances involving the actress and the musician over the past four months. While the exact timeline of when their connection began remains unverified by the principals, entertainment publications offer slightly differing accounts of their initial outings. According to People and ELLE, an unnamed source close to Kelly stated that the pair already knew one another but "hit it off" while attending Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 3, 2026.
Meanwhile, E! Online identifies their first widely noted public sighting together as occurring more than two months later, on September 12, 2026, when they were photographed exiting the same SUV and entering Swift's Tribeca apartment in New York. Ten days later, on September 22, both Johnson and Kelly traveled to Italy for Milan Fashion Week, where they attended the same industry event and Johnson watched Kelly walk the runway.
By mid-October, the sightings shifted to Southern California. People reported that the two were seen together in Los Angeles on October 15, with an anonymous insider claiming they were spending time together more frequently. On October 19, another source cited by People characterized them as being in an early "dating phase," noting they had not placed an official label on their dynamic. Days later, on October 23, ELLE noted that the pair were photographed leaving a Los Angeles recording studio in Kelly's red Maserati before later being spotted departing the Chateau Marmont.
Public Statements and Relationship History
While anonymous insiders have described the pair to various outlets as "smitten" and bonding over a shared "dry and dark sense of humor," Johnson herself has pushed back on the public scrutiny surrounding her personal life. During a September 25 appearance on Vogue's The Run-Through podcast, as cited by ELLE, Johnson addressed the constant media speculation regarding her outings without mentioning Kelly by name.
"Even if I go to dinner with my manager or my lawyer, it's like, 'Seen with mystery man,'" Johnson said on the podcast. "I also don't care." When asked if she ever feels the need to correct public misconceptions, the Suspiria star called the effort "futile," adding, "People are gonna believe what they wanna believe, and I don't have the energy to fight for that. I would much rather focus on other things in my life. Every day, there's something on the internet that's ridiculous and true or not true, and I don't care."
In a separate September 18 interview with Vogue referenced by E! Online, Johnson joked about her history of being linked to recording artists. When the interviewer observed that she knows many musicians, Johnson remarked, "They like me. I don't know what to say," before playfully calling musicians "tricky."
Prior to the recent sightings with Kelly, Johnson was in a high-profile, on-and-off relationship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. People dates her relationship with Martin as running from October 2017 until June 2025, while E! Online broadly summarizes the span as 2017 to 2025. Following her split from Martin, Johnson was briefly linked to musician Role Model (Tucker Pillsbury), a relationship that People reported had ended by August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have Dakota Johnson or Machine Gun Kelly confirmed they are dating?
No. Neither Johnson, Kelly, nor their official representatives have publicly confirmed a romantic relationship. All characterizations of their dynamic as a romance stem from unnamed sources speaking to entertainment publications.
Are the recent sightings confirmed as romantic dates?
The descriptions of their outings as dates are based on paparazzi photographs and accounts from anonymous insiders. While photographs verify that Johnson and Kelly attended dinner at Casaléna on November 3 and visited a recording studio in October, the exact nature of their meetings—whether social, professional, or romantic—remains unconfirmed by the two stars.
What is established about how and when they first connected?
According to source accounts published by People and ELLE, the two stars knew each other previously and reconnected at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's July 3, 2026 wedding in New York City. Their first photographed public outing together occurred on September 12, 2026, in Tribeca.
Sources
- E! Online - Dakota Johnson, Machine Gun Kelly Hit a High Note With L.A. Dinner Date
- ELLE - Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly Are ‘Growing Closer’—Get to Know Their History
- Harper's BAZAAR - Dakota Johnson and MGK Are Already Coordinating Outfits for Date Night
- TMZ - Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly Seen Laughing After Romantic Dinner Date
- Just Jared - Dakota Johnson & Machine Gun Kelly Get Animated After Dinner Date in Los Angeles
- People - Dakota Johnson and MGK Spotted Together in California