Paul Mescal Addresses Phoebe Bridgers Breakup Rumors

Paul Mescal is keeping quiet when it comes to his relationship status amid speculation that he and singer Phoebe Bridgers called it quits after two years of dating. The actor, who was nominated for Best Actor at the 2023 Academy Awards for his role in Aftersun, admitted he’s tempted to speak out but doesn’t think “that’s a wise thing to do.”

“When Normal People came out, I was very forthright in interviews, and it didn’t actually serve me,” he told Vanity Fair in a new interview. “But the temptation still exists to be like, ‘Shut the f-k up. This is my life. This is what’s going on. Or this is what’s not going on.’” Mescal continued that while he does feel loved and supported by his fans, he plans to keep his personal life to himself. “As much as I can, that’s going to be my life that is private,” he explained. “That’s a difficult thing to achieve. But giving strangers an answer about my life doesn’t actually help me. It’s like a quick boost of serotonin, being like, ‘I’ve said what I need to say.’ And then it’s just Twitter fodder.”

The Normal People star, 27, first sparked romance rumors with the “Kyoto” artist in May 2020 after the two exchanged flirty messages on Twitter, and in November 2021, the two made their red carpet debut as a couple. Bridgers and Mescal attended the Met Gala together six months later in 2022, but by the end of the year, fans began to theorize the two had split due to Bridgers’ lyrics for her collaboration with SZA, “Ghost in the Machine.” “You said all of my friends are on my payroll / You’re not wrong, you’re an a-hole,” the lyrics read. “Screaming at you in the Ludlow / I was yours for free.” 

Adding to the rumors were Bridgers’ numerous public outings in December 2022 with comedian and performer Bo Burnham. Bridgers has not commented publicly on the status of her relationship with Mescal nor Burnham, but did share her advice for moving on from a breakup during a December 2022 appearance on the Chicken Shop Date YouTube series. “You just have to do it,” she said at the time. “And it’s gonna end at some point, but you can’t make it end.” Asked what she’s learned from heartbreak, Bridgers responded, “I think if I had figured that out, I wouldn’t be making music still.”