By Jessica Wedemeyer
4:54am PST, Feb 26, 2021
Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the stars who found love, suffered heartbreak or experienced some other major event in their love lives in late February 2020, starting with this potential rebound… On Feb. 18, there were conflicting reports about the nature of Jason Sudeikis's relationship with model-actress Keeley Hazell, who had a small role in his 2014 comedy "Horrible Bosses 2" and on the first season of his Apple TV+ comedy "Ted Lasso." People magazine reported that the duo "knew each other from many years ago" and recently started "casually seeing" each other, though the "Saturday Night Live" alum "isn't looking for anything serious" right now. Echoed an E! News source, "They are seeing each other. He's enjoying spending time with her, but it's casual for now. They have known each other for a while and have always been friendly. It's been nice for him while he's in London to have someone to spend time with. He's not looking for anything serious." The Sun reported that, according to a source, "Jason has always found Keeley incredibly attractive, and has told pals he's had a crush on her [since early in her modeling career]." The British tabloid reports that the actor "turned towards" Keeley for support following his 2020 split from former long-term partner Olivia Wilde. "During this time he was understandably devastated, but she was brilliant and incredibly supportive," said the insider. "Jason feels it's too soon to leap into a new relationship — he is in absolutely no rush — but it's a case of watch this space." The Sun also reported that Jason named Juno Temple's "Ted Lasso" alter ego, Keeley Jones, after his gal pal. An "Entertainment Tonight" source, however, said that Jason "is not ready to move into any relationships" so soon. According to "ET," Jason and Keeley "have known each other as platonic friends for years now" — since meeting on the "Horrible Bosses 2" set — and the British beauty "has been a great friend to him throughout this breakup."
Now keep reading for more of the week's biggest celeb love life updates…
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No one saw this coupling coming… On Feb. 21, Lucy Hale and Skeet Ulrich were snapped smooching during lunch in Los Angeles. According to an E! News source, the 51-year-old former teen heartthrob and "Scream" star and the 31-year-old "Pretty Little Liars" alum "were set up through mutual friends" and are still "pretty casual" at this point. "They know a lot of the same people in the acting circle and connected recently. It's very new. They are both really into each other and have been dating for about a month," said the source. "They spend a lot of time at each other's homes just hanging out and being low key. Lucy thinks Skeet is very charming and sweet. She likes that he is a dedicated dad." The "Riverdale" alum shares two kids with ex-wife Georgina Cates.
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On the Feb. 22 episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Shailene Woodley confirmed that she and Aaron Rodgers are engaged. "Yes, we are engaged," she said, adding that "it's not new news" for them. "It's kind of funny. Everybody right now is freaking out over it, and we're like, 'Yeah, we've been engaged for a while,'" she said. "We got engaged a while ago, and it's been… he's, first of all, just a wonderful, incredible human being. But I never thought I'd be engaged to somebody who threw balls for a living. I never thought as a little girl, like, 'Yeah, when I grow up, I'm gonna marry someone who throws balls, yeah!' But he's really just so good at it. And I'm very impressed." Joked the "Big Little Lies" star, "When I first met him, my dog, like, pulled me aside and was like, 'If you don't date this dude, I will disown you as my mother because the three feet that I run with you when you throw a ball is nothing compared to the marathon I'm able to run with him.'" She went on to say that she's "never been to a football game" before, and before she met the Green Bay Packers quarterback, she'd "never seen one football game before" because she "didn't really grow up with sports." Continued the Emmy-nominated actress, "When we met also, I knew he was a football guy, but I didn't know what kind of a football guy he was. And I'm still constantly learning. I'm still like, 'Oh, wow!' Friends are like, 'You gotta watch his YouTube greatest [moments],' and I was like, 'I don't get it. He's good. He's great! But I don't understand.' Because I don't know him as a football guy. I know him as, like, the nerd who wants to host 'Jeopardy!' That's the dude I know. He just happens to also be very good at sports."
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On Feb. 21, Clare Crawley and Dale Moss were snapped kissing on the beach in Sarasota, Florida. (See a photo here.) The PDA seemingly confirmed recent speculation that the duo — who fell for each other on season 16 of "The Bachelorette" in mid-2020 and then split in January — have reconciled. Said an Us Weekly source, "Dale has been pretty secretive with friends when they're asking if he's back with Clare, but it's obvious to everyone that they're back together. They're just figuring things out and enjoying spending time together." A second Us Weekly source explained that the California-based hairstylist was eager to reconcile with the male model: "Her love for Dale didn't just disappear overnight. She still has strong feelings for him. Once she falls in love, she falls hard. … [She] took the engagement very seriously and was extremely upset when they split. … She is someone who wants to get married and have kids like tomorrow. She's not gonna give up on love." An E! News source said that while Clare and Dale "are not officially back together" yet, they're "working on their relationship." Explained the source, "There's a lot of resentment but Clare can't ignore her feelings towards him. Clare has forgiven Dale for his actions and the messy split and wants to move forward. She has expressed she's still in love with him and wants to make it work." Dale is reportedly "very receptive" to a reconciliation. "He regrets how the split happened," said the insider, adding that the pair are "spending time together right now to see if it can work." A second E! source echoed that they're "spending this time enjoying each other's company and are figuring out where their relationship stands, whatever that may be."
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On Feb. 21, Khloe Kardashian sparked rumors (again) that she and Tristan Thompson had gotten engaged when she shared a steamy shot of herself rocking a bikini and what appeared to be a massive engagement ring. But according to a Page Six source, the basketball star didn't propose — or give her the headline-making bling.
On Feb. 20, Ricki Lake took to Instagram to announce that she and her new boyfriend, Ross Burningham, are engaged. "Friends, I'm so so so excited to share some good news! I'm engaged! This is Ross. He is my person. He is wonderful. I love him very much and I am so grateful I get to love and be loved so deeply by this stellar human. Our next chapter is sure to be a good one. #heartopen #lifeisbeautiful #ibelieveinlove #thisis52 #selflove #nofilter #justhappy," she captioned a selfie with her beau. The bride-to-be later told People magazine of her engagement, "Ross and I literally pinch ourselves that we have found each other at this time in our lives. Both of us, newly empty-nesters, we feel as if we are kids again. We are filled with gratitude and joy for what is to come." On the Feb. 23 episode of "Watch What Happens Live," Ricky told Andy Cohen that she met Ross at the end of June 2020 and that "he was a booty call for a few months there." Gushed the actress, "He is wonderful. Everyone in my life who's met him just gets it — we're great together." She also revealed that "there's no ring yet" because "he was surprised too" by the proposal, which went down while she was "naked in the jacuzzi" on their first night in her new Malibu home. "It was romantic. It was very spontaneous, and I couldn't be happier," she said.
TMZ reported on Feb. 24 that Sheree Whitfield has romantically reconciled with off-and-on love Tyrone Gilliams following his release from a Kentucky prison earlier in the month. According to the webloid, the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star has been spending time with her back-on beau in Philadelphia and "helping him acclimate back into life on the outside" since he scored an early release due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. The duo first dated nearly a decade ago but split when his troubles with the law kicked off. (In 2013, he was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for his part in a wire fraud scheme.) They reconnected in 2016 — she even visited him in prison — but split again when he lost an appeal in 2018. TMZ notes that Tyrone has said he can see them eventually tying the knot, though he doesn't currently have plans to propose to Sheree.
"RuPaul's Drag Race" judge Ross Mathews — who shot to fame as "Ross the Intern" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" — announced on Instagram on Feb. 23 that he proposed to his boyfriend of about a year, Dr. Wellington García. "Fiancé, you stay! I am so proud to announce that after over a year together — navigating a pandemic, quarantine and opposite coasts — the smartest, funniest and kindest man I've ever met said, 'Yes!' Dr. García, I love you. A lifetime of adventure awaits," he captioned a photo of himself and his beau. Ross also opened up about the engagement on "The Drew Barrymore Show," on which he regularly appears: "About a year ago, I met somebody who just changed my life totally," he said. "He is an educator and he's hilarious and he's the smartest person I ever met. And, you know, Beyonce says, 'If you like it then you should've put a ring on it.' Well, I did. I did! … I can't even believe it, but yes, I am the happiest man. I met somebody so extraordinary." He added that they "started dating right before the pandemic" and got to know each other "through quarantine, making those Zoom dates and then eventually traveling and being together and making it work."
During a Feb. 19 Instagram Live, Megan Thee Stallion confirmed recent speculation that rapper Pardison Fontaine is her boyfriend. "I really like him," she said. "I never said hot girls couldn't have boyfriends. … Yeah, he my boyfriend."
On Feb. 18, singer-songwriter Cyn announced on Instagram that she welcomed a son with Jaime King's estranged husband, Kyle Newman. The duo started seeing each other in 2020 but managed to keep their burgeoning romance mostly under wraps. "A pandemic hit and I met my soulmate!" Cyn wrote in a Valentine's Day tribute to the filmmaker on Instagram. The duo also spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with the two sons Kyle shares with Jaime. "Missing my darlings this morning. Throwback to summertime @kyle_newman … counting down the seconds till you are home!" Cyn captioned a February Instagram post showing herself, Kyle and his two boys in swimwear. Amid Cyn and Kyle's baby news, there were conflicting reports about how much Jaime knew about the relationship. According to one E! News source, the "Sin City" actress was "very blindsided" by the news. "Jaime was not told about Kyle's relationship or the pregnancy until right before the holidays," said the source. A second E! insider painted a slightly different picture of the dynamic between the former couple, claiming that Jaime shared her "kind congratulations" with Kyle on his new addition and "visited" with Cyn on Christmas. Said an Us Weekly source, "[Jaime's] been trying to move on and get [their] divorce over with and Kyle continues to hold it up. He's been making it difficult for her. She had no idea he even had this secret girlfriend or even that Cyn was pregnant. It was a big shock for her." A second Us Weekly source, meanwhile, said that Jaime "was definitely not happy when she found out about the pregnancy," though she knew Kyle and Cyn "were together for a while."
In a nearly 10-minute Feb. 19 YouTube video addressing mid-2020 sexual misconduct allegations against him, Chris D'Elia fessed up to cheating on his fiancée, Kristin Taylor. "I cheated on most of the girls that I've been with. I cheated on my fiancée now — and this is my dream girl. This is the girl that I want to be with for the rest of my life," he said while describing how sex "controlled" his life. He went on to apologize for lying to her — and for other transgressions — and said he's currently on a "path of recovery." Chris and Kristin, who's been described as a stop-motion animator, have been an item since at least mid-2018. They welcomed a baby boy in 2020. Aside from that, little is known about their relationship.
On the Feb. 22 episode of Howard Stern's eponymous radio show, Drew Barrymore shared her excitement for her ex-husband, Will Kopelman, on his recent engagement to Vogue editor Alexandra Michler. "I'm in it with him and his family. I'm happy to say he just got engaged to this wonderful woman named Allie who I am probably president of her fan club," gushed the actress and daytime talk show host, who shares two daughters with her ex. "The 'hashtag no evil stepmother' is the greatest blessing I could have ever hoped for. She is just so wonderful. I want him to be happy." Said Drew of her failed marriage to Will, "I swore [it] was gonna work. … It couldn't and it didn't — and we turned every stone over and we did everything two humans can do [to make it work]. And there was a lot of dignity and grace. But we just have the north star of our kids, and we're in such a good place. It took a long time to get there, but we never lost sight of what was important, and we never stopped having this togetherness." She went on to say that it took her "five years to even consider" dating again following their breakup. "No one else can tell you when that time is. It's like this natural progression, and I finally feel — finally, just now — free," she said, adding that she's "been on some dates" with men she met via dating apps, though she "fought" using a dating app "for the longest time." Drew also dished on what went wrong in her marriage to Tom Green: "We just were young and kind of idiots," she said. "I didn't know how to manage myself. I've always said I was a woman in the boardroom and a child in the bedroom. … I could go into a studio and pitch … but I didn't know how to handle things in my personal life." They reconnected on an episode of her talk show last summer. The reunion didn't come sooner because "Tom needed some time," she said, explaining that following their breakup, "his coping mechanism was to build a little bit of a wall" — which she respected. "It just couldn't have been sweeter," she said of their headline-making September 2020 chat. "He's very different. We're both very different. We met based on respect and we've come full circle right back to that respect."
Speaking of supportive exes… On Feb. 18, Shanna Moakler shot down rumors she doesn't approve of Travis Barker's new relationship with Kourtney Kardashian, telling paparazzi outside LAX Airport in Los Angeles, "He's my friend and co-parent, and I want him to be happy, and if being with her makes him happy, and she's happy, I'm happy for both of them, honestly." The former beauty queen, who's in the midst of an off-and-on romance with 28-year-old male model Matthew Rondeau, then added of her ex-husband, "He can handle that Kardashian drama." According to Page Six, the 45-year-old former reality star and her much younger beau are currently "doing great."
Azealia Banks announced on Instagram on Feb. 21 that she and artist Ryder Ripps are engaged. "I said yes!!! [Ryder] and I are engaged," the rapper wrote across a photo of her hand adorned with a gold ring featuring a menorah. It's unclear when they started seeing each other, though the music star first started posting about her beau on social media earlier this year.
According to Page Six, Xzibit's wife of six years, Krista Joiner, filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court on Feb. 22. The duo reportedly met in 2001 and tied the knot in November 2014.
On Feb. 19 — after Kodak Black hinted on his Instagram Story that he and rapper Mellow Rackz had gotten engaged — his attorney confirmed the news to Complex, saying, "Kodak is engaged and very happy. He is in a great place and is enjoying the time he has been spending with friends and family." The rapper (real name: Bill K. Kapri) popped the question by chartering a plane to fly a banner reading, "Might as well marry me Melody. I love you." (Melody is Mellow's real first name.) On Feb. 18, the bride-to-be showed off her massive engagement bling on Instagram, captioning a slideshow of photos of herself and Kodak, "Mrs. Kapri. I said yes."
Wait, what?! On Feb. 24, singer Haley Stevens — the woman Jed Wyatt was secretly dating when he competed for Hannah Brown's heart on season 15 of "The Bachelorette" — made her relationship with Patrick Brown, Hannah's little brother, Instagram official. "Here's to laughing 'til our bellies hurt, my happiest birthday, and You," she captioned a slideshow of photos. A few days earlier, Patrick shared a selfie with Haley on his Instagram Story and wrote that he was "ready to celebrate" her special day.
In other Bachelor Nation love news… Us Weekly reported on Feb. 19 that Amanda Stanton's new boyfriend, Michael Fogel, has already met her two daughters. "Amanda is excited to see where this relationship can go. It's still new, so they're taking things slow and just enjoying their time together," said a source. "They've been dating for a few months but have known each other and have been friends for a couple of years. … Her friends think he's a good match for her." The insider added that Michael is "a really nice guy" and noted that the reality star is "not in any rush to get married."
According to TMZ, Talib Kweli's wife of more than a decade, DJ Eque, filed for divorce in Los Angeles on Feb. 19. The duo reportedly tied the knot in May 2009. In recent years, there have been rumors that the Black Star rapper was unfaithful.
On Feb. 19, Tori Brixx took to her Instagram Story to accuse her fiancé of a year, Rich The Kid, of cheating on her with rapper Dream Doll. Rich initially denied her claims but later wrote on his Instagram Story that he'd previously "left" the relationship. The following day, Dream Doll chimed in, tweeting, "What we not gonna do is sit here [and] 'TRY' to sabotage my character. I have NEVER OR WILL NEVER [mess] WITH NO MAN THAT IS IN A RELATIONSHIP!"
"General Hospital" star Chad Duell and "The Bold and the Beautiful" alum Courtney Hope announced on Instagram on Feb. 15 that they're engaged. "Yesterday was a good day. … Forever with this man is a dream come true @duelly #umHellYes," the bride-to-be captioned a slideshow of photos with her future hubby. Chad, meanwhile, captioned a slideshow of similar shots, "I'm one lucky dude. #shesaidyes #engaged."
