Paul Mescal, the breakout star of Normal People, has remained in the public eye as his film career continues to grow. Since mid-2024, he’s been linked to singer Gracie Abrams , and though they were first spotted together in London, the couple has kept much of their relationship out of the spotlight.
In a September 2025 interview with Rolling Stone, Mescal explained why, saying, “Everything to do with that is deeply precious to me … I want to protect those things fundamentally.” Though they still step out publicly occasionally—including a joint appearance at the Los Angeles premiere of his film Gladiator II—the pair generally opts for privacy.
Curious about his past relationships? Here’s a look at who Mescal has been romantically linked to over the years.
Phoebe Bridgers
Before dating Abrams, Mescal was in a relationship with singer Phoebe Bridgers. The two first connected through flirtatious tweets in early 2020, and by the end of the year, Mescal hinted at having a girlfriend in an interview with GQ, describing her as a “lifesaver” during lockdown. The couple eventually parted ways in 2022.
Following their split, Mescal vowed to never publicly discuss his personal life. “Sometimes I can drown [the public prodding] out and then other times it makes me really mad and upset. People are going to write and say things because there’s a certain interest with any person who’s in the public eye in how that person lives their life, and who they’re living up with, and what they’re doing and how they’re going about doing it,” he told Vanity Fair at the time.
“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.’ But moving forward as much as I can, that’s going to be my life that is private.”
Rumored Relationships
Daisy Edgar Jones
In 2020, after starring as Connell in the Hulu series based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, fans of Normal People were eager to know if Mescal was dating his co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones. However, both Mescal and Edgar-Jones repeatedly clarified that they were just close friends. But the rumors persisted, and in 2022, a photo from the Met Gala went viral, showing Mescal gazing at Edgar-Jones from a distance while standing with his then-girlfriend, Bridgers.
Edgar-Jones later explained that the fan reaction to the photo was “kind of wild, considering the innocence behind it.” She added, “I was having an out-of-body experience at the Met Gala, so Paul had said, ‘You know, come and meet me. We can do it together,’ because we were such good friends, and it was such a cool thing to be able to go together.”
In 2024, Edgar-Jones told Variety that she and Mescal remain very close. “Paul is one of my lifetime best friends,” she shared. “He’s an incredibly grounded person, and I am, too, I think, so it’s nice to have those touchstones—those people you can laugh about things with and be lighthearted with.”
As for Edgar-Jones’ love life, she has been romantically linked to photographer Ben Seed since September 2023.
Angelina Jolie
Shortly after his split with Bridgers, Mescal was spotted grabbing coffee in London with Angelina Jolie and her 16-year-old daughter, Shiloh. The unlikely duo of Mescal and Jolie sparked romantic rumors, but nothing ever came of the speculation.
