Some couples just make sense — Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Others make some people look twice: Think Elon Musk and Grimes, Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles… and Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet, if the internet is to be believed.
Neither party has confirmed or denied any relationship; USA TODAY has reached out to the stars’ reps for comment. But many fans still express confusion about the idea a pair of Jenner, 25, and Chalamet, 27, both A-listers in their own right but from opposite ends of the Hollywood spectrum.
“Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet’s date feels like two people from your high school who never interacted dating about 6 years after graduation,” mused one Twitter user.
Why do fans find such a fascination with celebrity pairings that they think are odd couples?
“Imagine yourself in her shoes”: Why fans are obsessed with intriguing celebrity pairings
Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner has long been likened to the puppeteer who strategically pulls the strings in her children’s love lives and careers behind the scenes. “The devil works hard, but Kris Jenner works harder,” fans often joke.
Kourtney Kardashian’s relationship with Travis Barker has garnered a lot of attention, as has Kendall Jenner’s alleged romance with Bad Bunny. But perhaps nobody captivated fans more than when Pete Davidson started dating Kim Kardashian.
It was “such an odd pairing that it just piques curiosity,” Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist who specializes in celebrity mental health, told USA TODAY at the time about ways to try different experiences we see the celebrities go through , and to put ourselves in their shoes.”
If people dating seems like an unexpected fit, experts say it can allow us to expand our ideas of what type of person a compatible partner might be.
Secrecy only adds to our interest, celebrity or not
Much like in our daily lives, we are more interested when two people don’t confirm a rumored romance. We’re looking for signs of attraction between the two and are following their social media posts for sightings. That’s because mysteries only fuel our intrigues, experts say.
“The more mysterious one is, the more we bend down to learn more,” explained Amber Kelleher-Andrews, dating and relationship expert, celebrity matchmaker and CEO of Kelleher International. “We want to know what’s behind this curtain.”
But that magnifying glass can be a challenge for two people trying to calmly explore a new relationship.
And trying to keep things under wraps can cause stress and anxiety, which doesn’t exactly make for a fun or loving start.
Celebrities face unique challenges as a new relationship blossoms. “It’s very isolating,” said Rockwell, co-author of the only published peer-reviewed study on the psychology of fame and celebrity, of Exploring Spotlight on a New Relationship. “It puts a lot of pressure on the couple because not only are they trying to get to know each other, but they also have to deal with those ever-present paparazzi.”
The same is true for the rest of us—relationship experts emphasize the benefits of building a strong foundation with a partner in private, before admitting others and their opinions.
“Solid relationships are built on trust, honesty, and communication,” said Kimberly Vered Shashoua, licensed clinical social worker. “If you find your relationship faltering after the IPO, it could just mean that the partnership was better suited for an affair, not something long-term.”
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Contribution: David Oliver
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