Celebs Who Flirted With Other Celebs Publicly

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Asking someone out can be intimidating, but some celebs, who are used to the spotlight, make the bold decision to declare their feelings for someone in public!
Here are 15 celebs who shot their shot with another famous person in front of the entire world:
In 2023, Travis Kelce attended Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour when she performed at Arrowhead Stadium (where his NFL team plays) with a sweet plan to meet her, but it didn't work out. On his podcast New Heights, he explained, "I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings. So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her... If you're up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my [phone] number on it... She doesn't meet anybody — or at least she didn't want to meet me, so I took it personal."
Of course, Travis's comments caught Taylor's attention, and they've now been dating for two years. She told TIME, "This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell. We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I'm grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."
In 2025, Taylor made her New Heights debut. She said, "This podcast has done a lot for me. I owe a lot to this podcast. This podcast got me a boyfriend ever since Travis decided to use it as his personal dating app about two years ago... It was such a wild, romantic gesture to just be like, 'I WANNA DATE YOU!' At first, when I looked at it, I was like, 'This dude didn't get a meet-and-greet, and he's making it everyone's problem.' That's what I thought at first, and then... He realized he didn't even reach out to our management. When this podcast came out, I was like, 'Did he ever reach out to be, like, in the tents, or did we know he was in the building?' He came with Pat, and he thought that 'cause he knows the elevator lady, that he could talk her to her about just getting down in my dressing room."
Travis added, "And I got denied." Taylor joked, "That's how it works in 1973! He really was just like, 'I know a guy. I can figure this out.'"
She explained that she's not on the internet very much and doesn't even look at her DMs. She continued, "This kind of felt more like I was in an '80s John Hughes movie, and he was, like, standing outside of my window with a boombox being like, 'I WANNA DATE YOU! DO YOU WANNA GO ON A DATE WITH ME? I MADE YOU FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS? DO YOU WANNA DATE ME?' I was like, 'If this guy isn't crazy, which is a big if, this is sort of what I've been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager."
However, that's not the first time someone's made a public declaration of their interest in Taylor Swift! When she released Speak Now in 2010, Adam Young (aka Owl City) — along with many other fans — theorized that she'd written "Enchanted" about meeting him because the liner notes included the secret code "Adam." So, on Valentine's Day 2011, he released his own cover of the song, changing some of the words to address her directly. Some of his lyric changes included, "Oh, Taylor, I was so enchanted to meet you too" and "Taylor, I'll spend my whole life wondering if you knew."
However, the biggest change he made was the outro: "I was never in love with someone else / I never had somebody waiting on me / 'Cause you were all of my dreams come true / And I just wish you knew / Taylor, I was so in love with you."
In a Tumblr post titled "Dear Taylor," he wrote, "One blustery evening last October, I waited impatiently until the clock tolled midnight and then promptly bought Taylor Swift's new record on iTunes. I played it in the kitchen, I played it in the car, I played it at the studio, I played it on flights to Japan and back; I just couldn't keep away from it. Speak Now was the indisputable leader of my 'top 5' record list of 2010, which is slightly ironic because the other four albums were abstract experimental/post-rock/ambient works."
He continued, "I always love decoding the sneaky secret messages hidden in Taylor's written lyrics, so naturally the day Speak Now came out, I played the whole thing from top to bottom as I added up the capital letters per each song's set of lyrics. As track 8 came to a close and the album switched over to track 9 (a breathtaking song called Enchanted and one of my favorites on the entire record), something began to feel curiously 'familiar.' I couldn't put my finger on it. Why did the song feel so personal? Why was it ringing a bell? Perhaps it was merely the word 'wonderstruck' that indeed struck a sweet chord, but before the second chorus hit, I'd already added up the letters: A-D-A..."
"And then it hit me like a freight train. I didn't even need to find that last letter 'M.' A colorful swirl of memories flashed before my eyes as it all added up. My jaw hit the floor. The track is absolutely gorgeous and I'm so tremendously honored that Taylor would write such an elegant song and thereby offer a gracious nod in my direction. Needless to say, I was lost for words and utterly smitten. I couldn't stop smiling. I figured such an eloquent gesture should be reciprocated by the most polite, heartfelt and respectful response I could possibly muster. It's no secret that I'm a bit shy, so naturally music was the most articulate way of attempting such a sincere endeavor. How does one respond to such a personal outpouring of emotion and sentiment? I tossed and turned over that one. They say 'timing is everything' and that brings us to now. Today is Valentine's Day. And thus, here is my reply," he wrote.
Alongside the song, Adam wrote Taylor a letter.
Taylor never responded to him publicly. In 2015, he told Rappler, "I haven't heard back yet, but it was fun and was kind of an AB piece that went together."
In 2015, Zara Larsson tweeted two shirtless pictures of model Brian H. Whittaker with a very thirsty caption: "Who are you where do you live how old are you why are you so fine how do you like your eggs cooked in the morning?" And a few months later, she posted another shirtless picture of him on Instagram, captioning it, "slice me with that jawline."
In June 2017, Zara tweeted, "Hello everyone I just wanted to tell y'all [that] I'm in love so the next album will probably be cheesy." Around that time, various social media pictures she shared revealed that her new love was none other than Brian. Posting a picture with him on Instagram, she said, "He likes his eggs scrambled."
In 2018, she told Z100 that "it did" play out on social media. She said, "It definitely happened on Twitter. I saw him, and I was like, 'He's so hot!' I was like [thirsting over him] on the feed, and then it went down in the DM. And he was like, 'We should meet.' And we met."
She revealed that, the first time they were supposed to meet up, she accidentally slept through their plans because of jetlag. He gave her another chance, but it "wasn't a great first date." However, when they met up again a year later, "it was different." They went on to be in a relationship for two years.
When Drake presented Rihanna with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 VMAs, he used his speech to declare his love for her.
Then, after she gave her speech, he seemingly went in for a kiss, but she dodged, letting him kiss her cheek instead.
Here's the clip:
Rihanna seemingly wasn't impressed. Two years later, she told Vogue, "The VMAs is such a fan-focused awards show, so having that energy around me, and knowing the people who had received the award in the past, made it feel like a big deal. Waiting through that speech was probably the most uncomfortable part. I don't like too many compliments; I don't like to be put on blast... We don't have a friendship now, but we're not enemies either. It is what it is."
In 2022, Jack Harlow teased a song about his admiration for Dua Lipa, aptly titled "Dua Lipa." In the chorus, the lyrics are, "Dua Lipa, I'm tryna do more with her than do a feature."
However, the song didn't come out without Dua's knowledge. Jack told the Breakfast Club, "I wanted to get her blessing, so I FaceTimed her and played it for her 'cause I didn't want her to be blindsided by that or feel, like, creeped out or anything. If she had said, 'Yo, I hate it. I don't want it to come out,' it wouldn't have came out. But she was like, 'Oh, I mean, it's not my song. I suppose it's OK.' She was just kinda thrown off, and she just let it go."
When one of the hosts asked if Dua was a woman he "fancied," Jack responded, "I admire her." He also said conversations with her are "less awkward" after the song. He added, "I think we're good. We'll see how the record does. I think when the song comes out, she'll grow to appreciate it even more."
Several months later, Jack and Dua were rumored to be dating, with Page Six reporting that the two were actually a thing. Insiders alleged that he wanted to "strongly pursue" her and traveled to NYC to meet up with her after her performance. However, neither singer ever confirmed anything, and if there was anything between them, it didn't last.
When Jennifer Love Hewitt appeared on Ellen in 2012, she revealed her crush on Adam Levine.
However, when Adam appeared on Ellen a few weeks later, he said, "I heard about that. That was aggressive. It was really sweet and flattering. Beautiful life, you know, when a beautiful woman says nice things about you."
Afterwards, Jennifer tweeted, "The moment when you make a comment about something or someone and the world makes you feel like a total fool. #keepcrushesquiet...Am I dating? Am I crushing? No! I'm directing The Client List season finale! ;)...Thank you to @adamlevine for being so gracious on Ellen about my crush heard round the world. I've learned a lesson. #Sssh."
In 2020, Phoebe Bridgers tweeted, "Finished Normal People and now I'm sad and horny oh wait." Lead actor Paul Mescal replied, "I'm officially dead." She replied, "Nooo don't die your so talented aha." He answered, "Too late... Dead." Soon after, the two met for the first time live on Instagram for Wonderland magazine.
You can watch their first meeting below:
A few months later, Phoebe flew to Ireland to hang out with Paul. Their relationship blossomed from there, and two years later, they were reportedly engaged, though neither Paul nor Phoebe ever confirmed it.
But a month later, they reportedly broke up. Paul later told Esquire that his All of Us Strangers costar Andrew Scott gave him some pretty sage post-breakup advice: "the only thing you're left with after love is grief." Paul added, "Which is, like, a bleak thing, but I think it's just a fact."
When boy band Union J appeared on Friday Download in 2013, the show had a surprise for member George Shelley — a video message from Selena Gomez.
On air, George said, "Hi Selena! I'm gutted I missed you. You're amazing. Hopefully get to meet you soon."
However, a few months later, Selena told Capital FM, "Well, since I'm here, I'm actually very offended that George didn't call me from Union J. Yeah, I'm offended. I'm actually offended."
When Wells Adams competed on The Bachelorette Season 12, Sarah Hyland tuned in. In 2017, she told E! News, "I was. I was rooting for him. I was like, 'Kiss the girl!' I started singing it like Sebastian." She also tweeted about him several times.
Then, when Wells landed a gig as the bartender on Bachelor in Paradise, no one was more excited than Sarah.
And finally, Wells replied!
Sarah kept up the exchange...
And he seemed very excited!
In 2018, Sarah told Jimmy Kimmel Live how Wells made the next move. She said, "Have you seen those memes of 'Slide Into the DMs?' That. He slid into my DMs."
Of course, happily ever after wasn't far behind! Sarah and Wells got engaged in 2019. After having to push their wedding back twice because of the pandemic, they got married in 2022. Her Modern Family costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson officiated.
In since-deleted tweets dating back to 2012-2014, Halsey thirsted over American Horror Story actor Evan Peters.
Then, in 2019, Halsey and Evan were spotted at Six Flags together, which is when fans resurfaced her old tweets about him. Soon after, a source told E! News, "Halsey has always been a huge fan of Evan's. A friend connected them, and they had also been chatting over social media before deciding to hang out. It's still very new, but they are both interested in dating each other and hanging out." Their relationship lasted for six months.
In 2011, Justin Bieber and Rihanna sat next to each other courtside at an NBA All-Stars game. He reportedly asked for her phone number, but she declined.
In 2015, he shared a picture of the moment on Instagram, captioning it, "'Can I have your number please -Justin 'Nah' -Rihanna."
That wasn't the last time Justin Bieber publicly made his move on his celebrity crush! Playing a game of "To Bae Or Not To Bae" with Capital FM in 2015, he expressed his attraction to Jennifer Lawrence.
However, when a caller brought up Justin's crush to Jennifer herself on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, she swiftly shut it down.
In 2015, Tyrese Gibson posted a picture of Janelle Monáe on his Instagram for "woman crush Wednesday." He captioned it, "I'm in my grown man feelings tonight! I hope you get the message. I'm a sucker for a naturally beautiful, God fearing woman who's smart and authentic who's strong and self sufficient."
He continued, "Most guys out here will run fast and be intimidated with the idea of all the things I just mentioned about you... tonight I showed up to celebrate and and to be apart of one of the most special nights of my life as a singer Stevie Wonder turned 65 and I asked to sit in Janelle Monae section she blessed me and said of course and was I reminded of a feeling I've had before a few times before.... I often wonder what I can protect you from.... What I can help you with, what insight of information can I give to help further your goal and life's intentions - is there anything I can do or say to support you and just just help you get ahead - I often wonder - sweet dreams - (((( I know a few girls who would feel like they deserve this post - )) I'm sure I'm gonna catch some heat for this post - I'm so sure ha! But I won't delete it - cause I speak my truth..... And my truth won't change....... [sic]."
Three days later, Janelle responded on Twitter, writing, "Always positive and endearing to see a man show admiration for an Electric Lady. I am Honored. Thank you @Tyrese! :-)."
Tyrese replied, "love and light always...." However, things seemingly didn't work out the way he hoped, as they've never been romantically linked.
In 2013, Niall Horan jokingly tweeted, "I love you @katyperry! Thank you! Ps . Will u marry me?" A few days later, he posted an Instagram picture with Katy, captioned, "She said yes ! It's happening! Haha."
He also posted an Instagram picture with her and the rest of One Direction, which he captioned, "Me and my groomsmen and my lovely wife hahahaha."
Soon after, Katy told BBC Radio 1, "I could babysit him. I keep telling him, 'Don't get interested in girls that wear Spanx. Yet. Later.'" Then, in 2017, she told Nova 96.9FM's Fitzy & Wippa breakfast show, "I see [Niall] around all the time — he's always trying to, like, get my number, to maybe, like, flirt with me, but I'm, like, 'I can babysit you!' I'm like your mum."
In response, on The Project, he said, "Katy, please stop being mean to me. She's just finding any excuse now to just patronize me and go around spreading rumors about me. I just want to be your friend!"
And finally, in 2013, DJ Khaled proposed to Nicki Minaj — whom he was not in a relationship with — on MTV.
However, Nicki let the world know that it was just a PR stunt to promote their song "Take It to the Head." She told Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex, "I was shocked just like the rest of the world. I was cracking up laughing with the rest of the world 'cause Khaled is a master at what he does... It was just another way for him to kinda give the world a glimpse on the feeling of this record. Nobody in my real life took it seriously. Everybody just hit me like, 'LOL. Yo, Khaled is crazy.' ... He was kidding. He's not attracted to me, he doesn't like me. We're brother and sister."
Likewise, DJ Khaled told Hollywood Life, "I was just having fun with it and just show love. Bring some excitement for my fans and connect with the record. I just wanted to tap into the emotion of the record and really spread a message. I was joking with it and having fun. We be so busy making these big hits, and I wanted to come with a dope plan to present the next smash single besides just giving it out."
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Here's the full video of DJ Khaled's fake proposal:
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