By Jessica Wedemeyer
6:01am PDT, May 15, 2021
Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the celebrities who found love, suffered heartbreak or experienced some other major event in their love lives in mid-May 2021, starting with this news… On May 9, Porsha Williams sparked questions about the nature of her relationship with Simon Guobadia — the estranged husband of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" newbie Falynn Guobadia — when she took to Instagram to share a slideshow of photos of herself celebrating Mother's Day with him (and her ex-fiancé, Dennis McKinley!) as she rocked what appeared to be a massive engagement ring. Her ex — with whom she shares daughter Pilar Jhena — further fueled the engagement rumors when he wrote in the comments section, "Congrats P! Cheers to your next chapter!" The following day, Porsha confirmed on "Dish Nation" that she's "happy" and "in love" with her "new love." She then captioned a selfie with Simon on Instagram, "Our relationship began a month ago — yes we are crazy in love. I know it's fast but we are living life each day to its fullest. … He makes me so happy and to me, that is what matters most. For all of you that need facts, I get the optics but Simon filed for divorce from a previous marriage in January. I had nothing to do with their divorce filing. That's between the two of them. Falynn and I are not friends, and Simon's divorce has been settled. Our relationship is a positive, loving step forward in everybody's lives. Simon and Dennis are committed to being respectful and supportive of my happiness in this situation, as well as being the best co-parents they can be to baby PJ. … It's truly a beautiful moment in my life & we cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together." Simon, meanwhile, confirmed they're engaged while captioning a slideshow of photos with Porsha on Instagram, "Getting married again was never a question in my mind, but when. Did not expect to be blessed with a mate so soon. … Porsha and I, with the support of our loved ones, have chosen to travel together as one. … We travel this road not lightly considering we have [been] in relationships that have [taught] us to want and do better for ourselves. I asked her to marry me because we checked ALL of each other's boxes, and then some. We have done the individual work to sustain a healthy relationship, and I stand next to her, proud that we found each other. What we have is what we wish [for] every single one of you out there — happiness. So when I asked… she said yes. That is ALL that mattered." In the wake of the news, Falynn released a statement saying, "At this time, I am focusing on finalizing my divorce and healing. Sending positivity to all of you." (Curiously, back in March, Falynn said that she and Porsha "clicked" after they met through Simon and Dennis, who run in the same social circles.)
Now keep reading for more of the week's biggest celeb love life updates…
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Did Olivia Munn break up John Mulaney's marriage? That's the question everyone's asking after People magazine reported on May 13 that they're already an item in the wake of his recent split from his wife of six years, Anna Marie Tendler. "This is very new, they're taking it slowly," said a source, noting that the new couple "met at church in Los Angeles." Just three days earlier, Page Six broke the news that John asked his artist wife for a divorce about three months ago — around the time he completed a 60-day stint at a Pennsylvania rehab center, where he sought treatment for alcohol and cocaine addiction. His rep confirmed the breakup news, which Anna Marie also addressed in a statement to the New York Post's gossip column: "I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage. I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery," she said.
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On May 11, People magazine broke the news that Armie Hammer is dating a local dental hygienist in the Cayman Islands, where he's been living amid his sexual abuse scandal. "They seem happy and comfortable with each other," said a source. "They seem to have lots of friends and she introduces him to any friends who haven't met him before when they are out. … They were recently on a 'staycation' out east [on] the other side of the island from where they live." Two days later, DailyMail.com identified Armie's new real-life leading lady as Lisa Perejma. According to a source, he's "happier and healthier" than he's seemed "in a long time" thanks to the Canadian beauty, who's "really helped turn [his] life around." Said the source, "He's even introduced her to his father and stepmother — it won't be long until she meets his kids. … Lisa is a super-nice girl and has a great reputation on the island. She's so good for him." The insider went on to say that the only "obstacle" in the new relationship is the embattled actor's estranged wife, Elizabeth Chambers, who's "made his life a living hell" amid their breakup. Alleged a Page Six source, "Elizabeth was sending [Lisa] horrible messages from a fake Instagram account. … I was shocked with her behavior." Earlier this year, it was Elizabeth who was said to be "in shock" over the allegations against her husband.
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On May 13, Us Weekly officially confirmed that the rumors from late last month were true: According to Katie Holmes' rep, the actress and her boyfriend of several months, Emilio Vitolo Jr., "parted ways amicably but remain friends." Said another Us Weekly insider, "Their relationship fizzled. They figured out they're better off as friends. There's no drama that went down with the breakup, and in fact, they're still friends. … Katie and Emilio really enjoyed their time together — it just simply didn't work out. She's focusing on being a mom and her upcoming projects." They reportedly parted ways "about two weeks ago" after taking some time apart and coming to the mutual conclusion that their "different schedules and different commitments" don't mesh. "He works in New York in the restaurant business and she's obviously a busy actress who just was away for some time filming," added the source. Echoed a People magazine source of the breakup, "There was no drama. … It was amazing while it lasted, but they are at very different places in life. Emilio has no hard feelings. His life is in NYC. Katie can't wait to get back to work and to travel again."
Us Weekly reported on May 6 that, according to a source, Liam Hemsworth is "ready to be husband" again and is thinking long-term with his girlfriend of more than a year, Gabriella Brooks. "[They] have been getting serious. They're not ones to make it known to the public, but their friends and family sure are in the know about how close they are and how an engagement can be right around the corner," said the source, noting that the Australian actor "went through a lot with his breakup" from ex-wife Miley Cyrus. "Liam looks up to his brothers [who are both married] and would love to one day also have that long-lasting marriage with a partner. He's ready to be a husband — he just wants to be super-confident in his relationship with Gabriella before he gets down on one knee!" Liam reportedly "loves" that Gabriella is averse to the spotlight. "She doesn't crave attention and she's down to earth. She's a private person just like Liam," said the source. "They 100% support each other's careers and are accepting when one has to leave for work duties. He's been predominantly spending time in Australia during the pandemic to be with her."
In late April and early May, multiple media outlets reported that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were spending time together again but keeping things platonic. Soon, however, things between them took a turn. On May 8, the duo were snapped driving in an SUV while visiting a luxury ski resort in Montana for what's been characterized as a romantic getaway. Later that day, they were photographed purportedly holding hands as they deplaned from a private jet in Los Angeles. (See photos here.) According to TMZ, they shared a ride back to J.Lo's L.A. home after they left the airport. On May 10, E! News reported that, according to a source, the erstwhile Bennifer spent a week vacationing in Montana "alone … just the two of them." According to a second E! News source, the pair "have been in touch here and there throughout the years" but reconnected in April after she returned from shooting the upcoming action flick "Shotgun Wedding" in the Dominican Republic. "Ben reached out to her to see how she was doing and they had dinner together a few times within this last month. It's natural between them and the chemistry is unreal. They picked up where they last left off and are enjoying each other's company right now," said the second source. Echoed a People magazine source, "[Jennifer] had a great time with Ben [in Montana]. She is happy with him and enjoys spending time with him." Added a second People magazine source, "They have a strong connection. It's all been quick and intense, but Jennifer is happy." According to yet another E! News insider the hangouts between the Oscar winner and the singer-actress are shaping up to be more than a fling: "[J.Lo] wants to give it a shot with Ben. They never really had closure and she has always wondered what could have been. The timing was never right and they were in different places until now," said the source. "She finally has had the opportunity to spend time with him and see where this could lead. They are very comfortable together and it's easy. She wants to keep seeing him and is very happy." Keep reading for more on Bennifer…
On May 11, TMZ shed some light on how exactly Jennifer Lopez and her ex-fiancé, Ben Affleck, reconnected earlier this year. According to the webloid, he "started flooding her with emails" while she was shooting "Shotgun Wedding" in the Dominican Republic in February … shortly after her then-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, was first accused of cheating on her with "Southern Charm" star Madison LeCroy. TMZ notes that "the tone of [Ben's] emails wasn't just friendly … but more loving and longing for Jen." He reportedly emailed to say she looked beautiful and that he wished he could visit her on set, while she emailed to compliment his writing skills, noting that he could "own her heart" with his pen. They exchanged emails until she returned from the Dominican Republic in April.
Meanwhile, E! News reported on May 10 that, according to a source, Jennifer Lopez's ex-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, is "shocked," "saddened" and "upset" that the singer-actress has "moved on" so quickly with Ben Affleck. "He truly thought they would be able to make it work and reconnect. He has been reaching out to J.Lo trying to meet with her and she has been very short with him." According to the insider, "she's not interested in rekindling anything with A-Rod" and is "done" with their relationship. The former professional baseball player may not be on board with J.Lo's new romance, but another A-lister definitely is: Ben's BFF Matt Damon said of Bennifer on the May 11 episode of the "Today" show, "I love them both. I hope [the rumors are] true. That would be awesome."
Us Weekly reported on May 12 that, according to a source, Jennifer Garner and her back-on beau, John Miller, are "determined to make it work" after reconnecting "a couple of weeks ago." The duo reportedly "remained friendly [after] their [2020] breakup" and "eventually realized there was [still] a spark between them."
On May 11, Bachelor Nation couple Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick took to Instagram to announce they're engaged. "Choosing your forever is the most important decision in the world, @kaitlynbristowe you made that decision so easy! Love you to death and forever," Jason captioned a slideshow of photos featuring the former star of "The Bachelorette" with her new engagement ring on full display. The bride-to-be, meanwhile, captioned her own slideshow of photos, "Don't pinch me." The reigning "Dancing With the Stars" champ, who was first linked to Jason in January 2019, later told "Entertainment Tonight" of the proposal, "It was everything I could have asked for. The words that came out of his mouth were insanely beautiful. We've never locked eyes like that in our lives. We were holding hands, so intense, and I was listening to his every word, but still blacked out."
In other "Housewives" news… On the second part of the "Real Housewives of Dallas" reunion special, which aired on May 11, Brandi Redmond finally addressed the viral video of her husband, Bryan Redmond, kissing another woman. "I'm disappointed that I'm aware of when that happened," she said. "It was in Las Vegas during a dual bachelor [and] bachelorette party for my sister and brother-in-law [in 2018]. … But, yeah, I'm extremely disappointed." The mother of four went on to suggest that someone leaked the three-year-old clip to intentionally cause her harm. She also described the past year as her "craziest year" and "darkest hour" and revealed that she and Bryan — her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly two decades — are trying to work through their issues. "That man was there for me and is there for me, so I feel like I would be really a piece of s*** if I didn't, you know, be there for him because he's hurting too right now," she said.
Carrie Ann Inaba took to her Instagram Story on May 12 to announce that her relationship with Fabien Viteri recently came to an end. "I am single. Again," she wrote. "I am also… grateful for what was. Confused. Uncertain of the future. Sad. Hopeful. Trying to allow the emotions. Trying to be strong. Allowing myself space to cry. And I will grow. And I will evolve. And I will survive this too. And I will honor the gift that it was." She then shared several photos of herself and her ex in happier times. The "Dancing With the Stars" judge continued, "Sometimes the things you thought were forever end up only being temporary. Finding the strength to accept that it's over is enormously painful. Losing your friend … losing the hopes and dreams … your partner … the person you shared everything with .. your person … your love. It's hard. [I'm] not going to fake that I am OK. I celebrate my emotions. Because [they tell] me that I'm alive and that my heart loves deeply. It was real. True love. And I'm so sad it's over. But I'm grateful it happened. So very grateful." Carrie Ann and Fabien started dating in the summer of 2020.
On May 7, Aubrey Plaza casually revealed on Instagram that she'd secretly married her love of a decade, Jeff Baena. While announcing their new collaboration "Spin Me Round" — he co-wrote and intends to direct the indie comedy, while she's set to star — she referred to him as her "darling husband." Her rep later confirmed to People magazine that the duo did, in fact, tie the knot, though it's unclear when exactly they exchanged vows.
Apparently Torrey DeVitto's quarantine romance with "Blue Bloods" star Will Estes has come to an end. On May 8, she took to Instagram to reveal she has a new boyfriend: Chicago Cubs manager David Ross, who came in second on season 24 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017. "Love him madly," the "Chicago Med" star captioned a sweet shot of herself pecking the former professional baseball player on the cheek. It's unclear when Torrey and Will called it quits. In early 2020, David confirmed he'd finalized his divorce from high school sweetheart Hyla Ross, with whom he shares three children.
On May 6, Brides magazine revealed that "You" actress Elizabeth Lail married pediatric dentist Nieku Manshadi in front of just 22 guests at Hasbrouck House in Stone Ridge, New York, on April 24, 2021. The uber-private pair got engaged in August 2020.
During an interview with The U.S. Sun that debuted online on May 10, Mike Esterman said that his relationship of a few months with Wendy Williams cooled due to his busy work schedule. "It's a busy time of the year for [my work]. I don't know if I can give her what she wants," he said. "Nobody called it a day, there's just no time to meet up. We talk when we can. I can't hold her back from meeting someone who can give her more. She's allowed to meet others, we're not in that type of relationship. She will find someone." He went on to call himself "a workaholic" and noted that he and the talk show host could eventually see each other again somewhere down the line. He later told Page Six that Wendy "deserves to be with someone who may have more time" for her, though he also claimed they were "never an item" and only went on three dates. "I had placed all work-related tasks aside to get to know her on a personal level, no angles or hidden agendas," he said. "I can only wish her the best as we both continue the search at our own paces and remain friends in the process. I have enjoyed our times together and felt great to be able to make her laugh." Wendy was less than thrilled when she caught wind of Mike's comments in the press. On her eponymous talk show, she griped, "We were never boyfriend and girlfriend, so it wasn't a thing!"
The May 9 episode of "90 Day: The Single Life" showed that the rumors from late 2020 were true: Colt Johnson proposed to longtime pal Vanessa Guerra in November after just a month of dating. (Colt cheated on his last girlfriend, Jess Caroline, with Vanessa, and his ex-wife, Larissa Dos Santos Lima, has speculated that he also cheated on her with Vanessa.) After the episode aired, Colt indicated on Instagram that he and Vanessa are still going strong, captioning a photo of them together, "The cat is out of the bag. I'm very happy to announce Vanessa [is] my fiancée. I can't wait to see what happens next." The pair later told Us Weekly that they're currently sharing a home with Colt's mother and that if it were up to him, they'd get married "tomorrow." They also teased that more about their future together will be revealed on the upcoming "90 Day: The Single Life" tell-all special.
"Bachelor in Paradise" alum Lauren Iaconetti took to Instagram on May 6 to announce that she and Hunter McFadden are engaged. "From 13 years old to 30… there's always been an invisible string tying you to me," she captioned a slideshow of photos depicting the proposal and showing off her new engagement bling. The real estate agent, meanwhile, captioned his own slideshow of photos with the hairstylist and younger sister of Bachelor Nation's Ashley Iaconetti, "17 years in the making. Excited to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life."
Country music singer-songwriter Drew Baldridge married model and dental treatment coordinator Katherine Kraus at Saddle Woods Farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on May 7. According to People magazine, the groom's cousin, who's a pastor, officiated the ceremony — during which the bride went barefoot. The duo met back in 2014 and developed a friendship but didn't take their relationship to the next level until a year and a half later.
During an interview with People magazine that debuted online on May 12, Travis Barker's ex-wife, Shanna Moakler, insisted that although she's "very much over" the rocker and has "no ill will" toward him and his new love, Kourtney Kardashian, she thinks "some of the PDA that he's doing with her is weird." Said the former beauty queen, who shares three children with the blink-182 drummer, "The movie 'True Romance' that I feel like they've been bonding over was the theme of our wedding. Our daughter [Alabama is] named after the character in the movie. Flying banners overhead like we did on [our reality show] 'Meet the Barkers.' Stuff like that… I just think it's weird," she said. "[But] I'm really, genuinely happy for him. I want the father of my kids to be happy and to have a partner that makes him happy … and [be] a better father. As long as she's good to my children, that's truly all I really care about. … My kids seem to really like her and her family, so that's key." She added that her social media posts with boyfriend Matthew Rondeau spoofing Kourtney and Travis were not meant as an "attack" on the couple. "It was more to annoy her fan base because at some point you have to make a joke out of it," she claimed. As for what went wrong during her romance with Travis, "We had a lot of money and fame and power, and we didn't know how to navigate through life well together. It took us many years to learn how to co-parent and how to separate our personal lives and our memories and feelings towards one another," she said. "It wasn't something that happened overnight. I think my children deserve to have a relationship with their mother … and their father. The children deserve the opportunity to meet their parents' significant others in a good, positive way." Shanna and Matthew, meanwhile, are still going strong after briefly pressing pause on their relationship earlier this year. "When we were on our break, I think we both realized how much we just missed each other and how much we meant to one another," she said.
Last month, Vanessa Hudgens revealed that she met her boyfriend of several months, Cole Tucker, during "a Zoom meditation group." But that wasn't the full story. On the May 7 episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," she revealed that she also made the first move by tracking him down after he caught her attention: "I get on the Zoom, and I'm like, 'Who is that?'" she recalled. "I found him, and we started talking. It's wild that we found each other over Zoom. … If I want something or someone, I'm going after 'em. I fully just slid into his DMs and was like, 'Hey, it was nice to meet you.' So I think there is no shame in making the first move. If you want it, why wait for someone else to give you what you want?"
