False Alarm: THIS Is Adele’s New Boyfriend

Adele was rumored to be dating the rapper Skepta, but a sporting event seem to have helped set the record straight

By Marie Solis  |  July 18, 2021 | 11:25pm
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False Alarm: THIS Is Adele’s New Boyfriend
Photo:Ross D. Franklin (AP)

It was just a week ago that it was believed that Adele was dating the rapper Skepta, with whom she was spotted on a shopping trip in San Bernadino—specifically at a discount Prada store. They’d been linked to each other since October, though Adele took great pains to dispel the rumors, claiming she was single.

Was Adele dating Skepta when they went shopping together last week? Did they ever date? We can’t know for sure, but it seems pretty clear that the singer is now in a relationship with Rich Paul, LeBron James’s agent (and the subject of a recent New Yorker profile).

The two made their first public appearance together on Saturday night, when they sat court-side at Game 5 of the NBA Finals, in Phoenix. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst later confirmed that the two are dating on his podcast.

“Rich Paul brings his girlfriend to the game to sit next to LeBron. His girlfriend is Adele,” Windhorst said. “Rich Paul is at the game with Adele. … This is the first time that they’ve come out in public together. So this will be all over the tabloids, especially in England tomorrow.”

I can’t help but laugh at “his girlfriend is Adele.” But it’s the candor we needed. Thank you, Brian, for clearing up any remaining ambiguity!

It would appear that Bella Hadid is also trying to bring back Ed Hardy: