I’ve been behind the camera since 2001 and shot more than 2,000 scenes, and the one thing nobody can fake on set is body language. You can script a kiss. You can’t script which way somebody’s knees point when she sits on a curb. On Thursday, Dakota Johnson’s pointed straight at MGK.
Dakota Johnson and MGK finally did something in daylight. On Thursday, Oct. 29, Dakota Johnson, 37, and MGK (Colson Baker, 36) were photographed sitting side by side on a West Hollywood sidewalk with coffee drinks, the Daily Mail reports. No studio door, no Maserati, no parking lot at night: just the two of them on the curb in the middle of the day. Brazil’s Gshow places it on Melrose and calls the mood “intimate.” It’s the first time the rumored couple has been pictured simply hanging out, two days after her third studio visit in 12 days.
Here’s the twist that makes it fun. Twenty-six days earlier, Dakota stood on the Saturday Night Live stage and told America she’d had “two very public, very lame breakups with two very awesome musicians,” then added: “Looking for a third,” Variety reported. Below: what the new photos show, everything she has actually said out loud, and what’s still only a source talking.
What happened on Thursday
The Daily Mail’s photos show Dakota in a white long-sleeve Bode T-shirt printed with Queen of Hearts playing-card graphics, black trousers and leather flats. Gshow adds sunglasses. MGK wore a light brown suede jacket over a ribbed tank top, blue jeans (baggy and distressed, per Gshow) and black leather boots.
The detail the Daily Mail’s writer zoomed in on: “Johnson’s body was completely turned toward MGK’s, but he opted to manspread and look forward.” In Touch picked up the photos the same day, noting the outing came three days after TMZ photographed MGK walking into a Hollywood recording studio. Neither star has commented, and neither rep has said a word, so this is still a rumored romance.
See it: the posts from the outlets that showed it
The Daily Mail published the sidewalk photos on Thursday, Oct. 29, and posted them on X. NBC’s official SNL account posted Dakota’s Oct. 3 monologue, the one where she joked about dating musicians. These are the posts themselves, embedded from the accounts that published them, so you can see the pictures without us re-hosting them.
Dakota, you told the whole country on SNL that some musicians “are terrible in bed” and that you were “looking for a third.” Twenty-six days later you’re on a West Hollywood curb with a rocker from Cleveland, knees turned his way, coffee in hand. I’m not saying the casting call is closed. I’m saying the callback looks good.
MGK, the manspread and the straight-ahead stare are a cute cover. But four studio nights and a daytime coffee is not “just friends” energy.
My bet: Halloween weekend settles it. Until one of you says it on the record, it’s rumored, and her best love scenes are still the ones she shot on purpose. Watch them on her hub →
— Nico
The sidewalk photos are fully clothed. Her Scandal Planet hub is not: the red room and the bathtub from all three “Fifty Shades” films, the “Verity” fantasy scenes with Anne Hathaway, “Suspiria,” “Am I OK?” and her SNL monologue, scene by scene on one page.
What Dakota has actually said about dating musicians
Dakota hasn’t said one word on the record about MGK. But she has said plenty about musicians in general, on camera and in print, and fans are reading every line of it differently now.
- On SNL, Oct. 3 (her own monologue, per Variety): after the “looking for a third” line, she called her new movie Verity a “psychosexual erotic thriller” and said: “So is dating musicians. Some of them don’t wear shoes, some of them are terrible in bed, but all of them are in my DMs.” And: “Some people leave concerts with merch, and I leave concerts with a two-and-a-half-year relationship.”
- Same night, with Taylor Swift beside her: she said dating musicians is “a public service” that saves women “a lot of money on Zoloft. So you’re welcome, America. And also England. And parts of Ireland. And Cleveland.” Swift added: “Allegedly.” Variety read Cleveland as a nod to Swift’s husband, Travis Kelce. The Daily Mail reads it as a wink at MGK, who calls Cleveland home. Nobody on stage explained it, which is exactly why it’s still being argued about. Us Weekly has the full exchange.
- To Vogue, in September (as quoted by the Daily Mail): “They like me. I don’t know what to say. And I like them.” Asked what’s not to like, she said: “A lot! A lot. Tricky motherf—ers.”
How we got here: every photographed outing
Only things somebody actually photographed or filmed, with the outlet that showed it. Anonymous claims are in the next section.
- July: they connect at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding, according to People and Page Six (reported, not photographed).
- Sept. 12, New York: the first photos of them together, per People.
- Sept. 22, Milan: Dakota sits front row as MGK performs at Vogue World.
- Oct. 3, New York: the SNL monologue above. On her own birthday weekend, she jokes she’s “looking for a third.”
- Oct. 14, Hollywood: seen together at the speakeasy Say Yes, per Us Weekly, as we reported at the time.
- Oct. 15, his studio (No. 1): Page Six gets photos of her waiting outside and leaving in his Maserati, and says his car was outside her house the next morning.
- Oct. 23, his studio (No. 2) and the Chateau Marmont: per TMZ and Page Six.
- Oct. 27, his studio (No. 3): Daily Mail, Page Six and Just Jared photos, which we covered here.
- Oct. 29, West Hollywood sidewalk: the first daytime hangout, per the Daily Mail.
Confirmed vs. what sources say
Confirmed: the outings above, in photos. Dakota’s SNL and Vogue lines about musicians in general. That’s the whole list. No joint post, no red carpet, no rep comment, and no word from either of them about the other.
Sources only: a source told the Daily Mail on Oct. 17 that Dakota has been telling friends it’s “the best sex she has ever had” and calls it “fireworks,” that she thinks he is “hot,” and that her mother, Melanie Griffith, has met him and “approves.” A People source on Oct. 28 said there’s “a lot of chemistry.” Another People source, quoted by Just Jared, said they “haven’t put a label on their relationship yet.” All anonymous. The Daily Mail said it asked both stars for comment.
Even Vogue can’t resist: its writer published an opinion piece wishing them “the best, whatever they’re up to.” That’s the honest summary of where this stands.
Photos: Dakota Johnson and MGK on the red carpet
Where to watch her right now: Verity
The “psychosexual erotic thriller” she plugged on SNL is already at home. Verity, the Colleen Hoover adaptation with Dakota as ghostwriter Lowen Ashleigh opposite Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett, came to digital on Oct. 27: $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home, Decider reports. No free streaming date yet. The fantasy scenes everyone talks about are on her hub.
What to watch next
Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31. A joint costume, a party photo or a first post on either Instagram would be the first time they’ve chosen to be seen together instead of being caught. Also watch for a rep comment, MGK posting studio content with her in it, or Dakota being asked about him on a press stop. We’ll update this page if either of them goes on the record.
FAQ
Are Dakota Johnson and MGK dating?
Neither has confirmed it. They’ve been photographed together repeatedly since Sept. 12, most recently on a West Hollywood sidewalk on Oct. 29. A source told People on Oct. 28 there’s “a lot of chemistry,” and another People source said they haven’t put a label on it.
What did Dakota Johnson say about musicians on SNL?
Hosting SNL on Oct. 3, she said she’d had “two very public, very lame breakups with two very awesome musicians” and was “looking for a third,” and joked that some musicians “are terrible in bed, but all of them are in my DMs,” Variety reported.
Where were Dakota Johnson and MGK seen on Oct. 29?
Sitting side by side on a sidewalk in West Hollywood with coffee drinks, in photos published by the Daily Mail. Gshow places it on Melrose.
Has Dakota Johnson talked about MGK?
Not on the record. Her only public comments are general jokes about dating musicians on SNL and to Vogue. Everything about their relationship comes from anonymous sources.
Where can I watch Verity?
Verity has been available to rent ($19.99) or buy ($24.99) on Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home since Oct. 27, Decider reports.
— Nico. The curb shot is the B-roll; the red carpet is the scene. When they finally film that one, you’ll read it here first. Until then, Dakota’s hub has the takes she meant.
Fact-check: Scandal Planet Desk
Follow Nico on X @NicoGrey_XO for my takes before they hit the site.
What do you think? Sidewalk coffee in daylight: is this Dakota and MGK going public, or just a coffee? Tell us on X @celeb124.
Photos: Dakota Johnson, 2025 (card and cover) by Quejaytee, CC BY 4.0; MGK, 2023 (card and cover) by Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons). Archive photos, not from the events described. Scene stills are frames from the clips on her Scandal Planet hub.
Sources
- Daily Mail: Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly take romance to the sidewalk for lowkey date (Oct. 29, 2026)
- In Touch: MGK enjoys outing with Dakota Johnson days after recording-studio visit (Oct. 29, 2026)
- Gshow: Dakota Johnson e Machine Gun Kelly são vistos juntos em Los Angeles (Oct. 29, 2026)
- Variety: Taylor Swift crashes Dakota Johnson’s SNL monologue (Oct. 3, 2026)
- Us Weekly: Taylor Swift pokes fun at Dakota Johnson’s breakups on SNL (Oct. 2026)
- Daily Mail: Dakota Johnson’s friends on her romance with MGK (Oct. 17, 2026)
- People: Dakota Johnson has ‘a lot of chemistry’ with MGK (Oct. 28, 2026)
- Just Jared: Dakota Johnson & Machine Gun Kelly meet up amid romance rumors (Oct. 28, 2026)
- Page Six: MGK spends the night at Dakota Johnson’s house (Oct. 16, 2026)
- TMZ: Dakota Johnson & MGK spend all day and night together (Oct. 24, 2026)
- Vogue: I wish Dakota Johnson and Machine Gun Kelly the best (Oct. 2026)
- Decider: Verity comes to digital (Oct. 26, 2026)
