Dakota Johnson and MGK have sparked romance rumors after they were seen arriving separately at Taylor Swift's New York City apartment over the weekend, with sources now explaining why the pair chose the pop star's home for their night out.
"Taylor has let friends use her NYC properties before, and Dakota and Colson wanted privacy, so they headed to her apartment," a source told Page Six on Tuesday. MGK, previously known as Machine Gun Kelly, was born Colson Baker. He and Johnson are both 36.
According to Deuxmoi, Johnson arrived at Swift's penthouse on her own on Friday night, about 30 minutes before MGK dropped by, joined by Swift's security detail. The pair later left together for dinner at Estela, a Michelin-starred American-Mediterranean restaurant. TMZ previously reported that Swift herself was not home during the visit.
Sources describe instant chemistry
Page Six's source said the two seemed to hit it off. "Colson had a really nice time with Dakota. He thinks she's really cool and obviously he's attracted to her," the source said. "They hit it off, and there was definitely chemistry."
The insider cautioned that the alleged romance was still "new" and that MGK and Johnson are "just getting to know each other," but added that "there was definitely something there, and he would like to see her again." MGK was "really into" the Fifty Shades of Grey actress and felt the two "were comfortable together," the source said.
MGK, who welcomed a second child with former fiancee Megan Fox last year, appreciated that Johnson has a healthy sense of humor and liked that she "doesn't take herself too seriously," according to the source. The meet-up "wasn't awkward or forced," and the two "were vibing and had fun."
A low-key night, not a planned date
The source clarified that MGK and Johnson were going for something low-key and had not planned a romantic date night. "They were hanging out, having dinner, talking and getting to know each other," the source said, adding that MGK "wasn't trying to make a big thing out of it or have everyone know they were together."
Both MGK and Johnson attended the US Open over the weekend, though separately, with MGK there on Saturday and Johnson pictured vaping in the stands with friends on Sunday. The pair are reported to have first met at Swift's recent Madison Square Garden wedding to Travis Kelce.
Johnson's split from Role Model
The apparent hangout comes about a month after Johnson was reported to have split from musician Tucker "Role Model" Pillsbury, whom she had dated for roughly eight months. Johnson, who is seven years older than Pillsbury, and the Maine-born singer "ended their relationship a while ago," People reported.
An earlier insider had described the couple as "very much on the same page," saying "it just feels easy" between them. They were first photographed dining together on December 29 in Los Angeles. Johnson also made a flirty cameo on Pillsbury's third studio album, Chuck Timely & the Hourglass, which debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200.
On the track "Love I You," Role Model is heard telling Johnson, "Hey, I think you're perfect," to which she replies, "You say that to everyone." He asks, "OK, well, is it working?" and she answers, "Yeah. But don't tell anyone."
Role Model told Rolling Stone in August that the song amounted to him "publicly admitting the relationship," even though he was hesitant at first, saying he thought "keeping those things separate is probably good." He said producer Mason Stoops eventually convinced Johnson to record the verse. "And it was amazing. Her voice was perfect on it," he said, adding that "it made the song really special to me" and that Johnson "did it in one try."
MGK and Megan Fox's history
MGK was previously in a relationship with actress Megan Fox for four and a half years. The two welcomed a daughter, Saga, in March of last year, arriving about four months after their relationship reportedly ended amid claims Fox had discovered he had been communicating with other women.
A source said late last year that Fox had been impressed by "how he's stepped up for both her and the baby," fueling speculation the former couple could reconcile. In July, Fox used Instagram to fire back at a troll who criticized one of her lingerie photoshoot posts as "so unbelievably embarrassing for a 40 year old mom" and "16 year old tumblr" behavior. Fox replied, "which one of my exes is this."
