Channing Tatum is reportedly looking for love on Raya, the exclusive dating app for the rich and famous that accepts 8% of applicants. Here's what you should know about how it works.
- Newly single Channing Tatum is reportedly on Raya, along with other celebrities and creatives.
- Raya is known as the celebrity dating app for the rich and famous, but it also bills itself as a networking app.
- Getting into Raya involves having your application approved by an anonymous committee - it helps if you're successful, attractive, and know people.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Channing Tatum is single again, and he's already reportedly swiping for love.
But you won't find him on Tinder, Hinge, or any other common dating apps; like many other single celebrities, Tatum is reportedly on dating app Raya, several media publications reported over the weekend.
Now, you might be wondering: What is Raya? Launched in February 2015, Raya is a private, elite, members-only app for "dating, networking, and making new friends," according to its website.
But it's unofficially known as the celebrity dating app for the rich and famous. Cara Delevigne, Drew Barrymore, Amy Schumer, Ben Affleck, John Mayer, Kelly Osbourne, Joe Jonas, and Trevor Noah have all reportedly been spotted on it.
Vogue writer Karley Sciortino called Raya "the Soho House" and "the you can't sit with us" of dating apps. "The consensus seems to be: Why go to a party that lets everyone in, when you could go to the party that accepts only a select few?" she wrote.
How to get into Raya
As with most exclusive services, getting on Raya is hard - and that's because it's supposed to be hard. Most articles say you need to have it all: success, money, good looks, thousands of Instagram followers, and the right connections.
But Raya founder Daniel Gendelman told Kevin Roose of The New York Times that you don't need to be an attractive Instagram star and that flaunting wealth is a "red flag." Raya aims to "curate digital dinner parties" full of interesting and passionate people, he said, adding that he envisions it as a meeting place for influential people to create projects.
An algorithm and an anonymous global committee of 500 people determines members based on their application, which requires referrals. To win over the committee, you need to stand out as a creative; be known for or be an expert in something; and share a common bond with the Raya community, according to Raya's website.
You also need to be kinda, sorta special: The committee looks "for that hard to describe 'something extra,' - NASA scientists, cancer researchers, poets, painters," the website reads. Having a lens on the world that "would make the Raya conversation more interesting" is important, and this can often be assessed through one's Instagram, blogs, or websites.
Only 8% of applicants are approved, and there are 100,000 people on the waiting list to get into Raya's community of 10,000 members, reported Roose. The website doesn't reveal numbers or much detail about the company outside of its values and application process, which is all conveyed in a lofty, mysterious tone.
How to use Raya
If accepted into Raya, things look a little different than your common dating apps.
Instead of showing local users in your area, Raya shows you global users across the world. It also displays profiles as slideshows of images against a soundtrack of your choice. Unlike most dating apps, you also need to pay: Membership is $7.99 a month, but that's barely pocket change for most members.
And don't even think about screenshotting a convo or profile to send to your bestie - Raya prohibits that behavior, according to Ginny Hogan, who wrote about her Raya experience for Elite Daily. If you take one, Raya knows, and sends a warning message.
"To go on Raya is to enter a strange and alluring world filled with thirsty elites, a place where fame is measured in Instagram followers and humble-bragging is a high art," wrote Roose.
Whether or not that's a good thing depends on who you are. A female member told Roose that Raya members were "better behaved and more classy" than on other common dating apps. But a male member, a filmmaker, told Sciortino that Raya "attracts the wrong people" and is a "social-climbing app;" he said some of his flirtations turned out to be people just looking for work.