- Adele has been dating sports agent Rich Paul since early 2021.
- The couple had met years before at a mutual friend's party, but Adele said she "just didn't see him."
Adele is famously private about her personal life, but she can't help gushing about her boyfriend Rich Paul.
The Grammy winner and sports agent stepped out for the first time in July 2021, sitting courtside together at the NBA Finals. Three months later, Adele confirmed their relationship during a Vogue interview to promote her newest album, "30."
"I didn't mean to go public with it. I just wanted to go to the game," she said. "I just love being around him. I just love it."
Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
2018: Adele ended her marriage with Simon Konecki
Adele had been with Konecki, a charity entrepreneur, since 2011. The pair welcomed a son, Angelo, in 2012.
They officially tied the knot in 2018 but according to Adele, they split shortly after.
"I was just going through the motions and I wasn't happy," she later told Vogue. "Neither of us did anything wrong. Neither of us hurt each other or anything like that. It was just: I want my son to see me really love, and be loved. It's really important to me."
Adele kept the breakup quiet for a while before it made headlines. She officially filed for divorce in 2019.
"I've been on my journey to find my true happiness ever since," she told Vogue.
October 2020: Adele confirmed she was single amid rumors she was dating Skepta
In the fall of 2020, multiple outlets reported that the "Someone Like You" singer and the British rapper had been dating for months.
However, Adele shut down speculation when she referred to herself as "single" on Instagram.
After hosting "Saturday Night Live," she shared a post thanking everyone who worked on the show, and wrote, "I'm going back to my cave now to be the (single) cat lady that I am! Peace out til next year."
Later, she did tell Vogue that she dated other people post-divorce, but clarified that "99.9 percent of the stories that have been written about me are absolutely made up."
"I did date before Rich, but they hated it," Adele also told British Vogue. "They'd find it stressful being out or seen with me, which meant that I guarded all of it beyond. It never evolved because we were never experiencing things together. Whereas he's not frazzled by it at all."
Early 2021: Adele and Paul began dating after being friends for a few years
Adele told Vogue she met Paul at a mutual friend's party, several years before their romance began.
"He was always there, I just didn't see him," she said.
She also said she was tipsy during their first interaction.
"I said: 'Do you want to sign me? I'm an athlete now,'" she said, adding, "He was dancing. All the other guys were just sitting around. He was just dancing away."
July 2021: They made their first public appearance
Adele and Paul attended the NBA finals together at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
As Insider reported at the time, their flirty interactions "sent fans into a frenzy."
After the Bucks beat the Suns, ESPN's Brian Windhorst referred to Adele as Paul's girlfriend while recapping the game on "The Lowe Podcast."
September 2021: The couple became Instagram official
After months of speculation, the "Hello" singer posted a slideshow on Instagram, which included a cozy photo with Paul.
Many fans took this to be confirmation of their relationship.
October 2021: Adele explicitly confirmed their relationship
For her Vogue cover story, published on October 7, 2021, Adele opened up about her relationship with Paul.
"I don't feel anxious or nervous or frazzled. It's quite the opposite. It's wild," she said. "I'm a 33-year-old divorced mother of a son, who's actually in charge. The last thing I need is someone who doesn't know where they're at, or what they want. I know what I want. And I really know what I don't want."
November 2021: Adele continued to gush about Paul during interviews
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey for a CBS "One Night Only" special, Adele discussed her experience getting to know Paul since they began dating.
"He's just hilarious. Oh, he's so funny, he's hilarious and very smart. He's very, very smart. It's quite incredible watching him do what he does," she said, adding, "It's just been very smooth."
Adele told Oprah this is the first time she's ever loved herself and been "open to loving and being loved by someone else."
"It's just timing," she said, continuing, "But it'd be interesting to see what my reaction is like in general to anything that hurts me now that I feel so secure in myself, and I'm talking outside of romance as well."
She also told Rolling Stone that dating Paul is "incredible, openhearted," and the "easiest" relationship she's ever been in.
November 19, 2021: Adele released her album '30,' which contains details about her pre-Paul love life
Adele told fans her fourth album is simply about "divorce, babe, divorce." But the 12-song tracklist includes an array of intimate confessions about motherhood, dating, depression, and loneliness.
Songs like "Easy On Me," "My Little Love," and "Cry Your Heart Out" explore Adele's feelings of guilt and anxiety after ending her marriage to Konecki — while others like "All Night Parking," "Woman Like Me," and "I Drink Wine" were inspired by dating as a single mother in Los Angeles.
February 2022: Adele sparked engagement rumors
Fans wondered if Adele and Paul were engaged after she walked the red carpet at the 2022 BRIT Awards, wearing a pear-shaped diamond ring on her left hand.
She also posed with her left hand propped on her hip, making the ring highly visible.
However, neither Adele nor Paul responded to the online speculation. It's still unclear whether the pair are engaged.
February 2023: They attended the Grammy Awards together
Paul was on hand to support Adele at the 2023 Grammys, where she was nominated for a slew of major awards, including album of the year.
She went on to win best pop solo performance for "Easy On Me." Before heading up to accept the award, she gave Paul a quick kiss.
"I just want to dedicate this to my son Angelo," she said on stage while tearing up. "Oh God, Rich! He said, 'Don't cry. If you win anything tonight, don't cry.' And here I am, crying."
August 2023: Adele said she plans to have another child 'soon'
During one of her residency shows in Las Vegas, Adele paused her performance to help a pregnant fan pick out a baby name.
In a viral TikTok that captured the interaction, Adele told the concertgoer, "I really want to be a mom again soon so I've actually been writing a list. Every time I see a name that I like I write it down in my phone."
She also revealed that she has discussed baby names with Paul, implying they're planning to become parents together.