Dakota Johnson Spotted Leaving a Studio and a Late-Night Hotspot with a New Man — Photos

The "Fifty Shades of Grey" actress has a musician keeping her company after dark, and the latest pictures come with enough to discuss before anyone even gets to his famous ex.

Dakota Johnson and her new reported beau were photographed together in Los Angeles on October 23, 2026, and people wasted no time picking apart how he behaved around her.

But the comments weren't the only development worth a raised eyebrow, because one of their famous exes has reportedly reacted to the rumored romance, too.

Friday's Photos Gave Everyone Something to Inspect

She was spotted with Machine Gun Kelly! And apparently, seeing each other once on Friday wasn't quite enough. Dakota and MGK were photographed leaving a music studio that morning, then appeared together again outside Chateau Marmont at approximately 11:30 p.m.

The photos caught them at both stops, giving the romance-watchers a daytime appearance and a late-night follow-up to work with. And in a car near the hotel, MGK supplied a particularly expressive contribution.

That enormous grin was doing him absolutely no favors in the playing-it-cool department. Whatever remained unsaid about their relationship, he certainly looked pleased with his company.

Dakota wore a long black coat over a gray sweater and blue jeans, while MGK paired a white tank top with a denim jacket. Their clothes were casual enough, but some spectators were far more interested in how the two moved together.

On Instagram, one commenter wrote, "The way he’s always walking in front of her.... Red flag." Another asked, "Why is he walking ahead of her? Show of disrespect!"

A simple walk had acquired a very opinionated audience. Over on Facebook, someone made the same complaint, writing, "Well, he's walking in front of her so that says alot! [sic]"

MGK's hair received its own unsolicited consultation. One Instagram commenter wrote, "Need to know who’s telling him to do his hair this way [sic]." Another asked, "Whats wrong with his hair [sic]."

Elsewhere, the attention returned to Dakota's apparent taste in men. One Facebook commenter observed, "She has a type..." Another expanded on that thought, writing, "She has a type... A rockstar any day for her [sic]."

Given her romantic history, the musician connection was always going to get noticed. But this particular pairing has a backstory worth rewinding for, because the route to Friday's photographs involved a borrowed celebrity apartment and, later, a much more private address.

A Timeline of Their Time Together

Before the dating chatter, Dakota and MGK already had overlapping celebrity circles. Both attended Vogue World: Hollywood at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles in October 2025, although that shared appearance was not reported as a date.

They were also guests at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding in July 2026, where they reportedly crossed paths. A wedding full of famous guests is quite a setting for an introduction, even if the more intriguing photographs would have to wait.

By September, Dakota's love life had already undergone a change. Her nearly eight-year relationship with Chris Martin ended in 2025, and she had subsequently been linked to singer Role Model.

Those rumors began in December 2025, with Dakota and Role Model last seen together during an April night out in Los Angeles. In August 2026, a source told People that their relationship had ended some time before the news became public.

So when Dakota appeared beside another musician in New York, there was plenty of reason for people to pay attention.

In its September 13 report, Page Six described Dakota and MGK's Friday-night arrival at Taylor's Tribeca apartment. The two emerged from a black SUV, went into the property, and later headed to Estela for dinner.

Dakota wore black pants and a sheer black tank top. MGK went with a white tank, a skeleton-design jacket, sunglasses, and a hat, making their first reported outing together rather difficult to miss. But the apartment visit came with a delicious little complication. Their very famous hostess apparently wasn't actually home.

According to TMZ, the singer was away while Travis prepared for his first home football game in Kansas City, Missouri, that Monday night. That left a rather obvious question hanging over the visit to her property.

The surrounding weekend offered other celebrity sightings, too. Dakota attended the Kering Foundation Caring for Women Dinner on Thursday alongside Salma Hayek and Pamela Anderson, while MGK was photographed leaving the Greenwich Hotel on Friday morning and attending the US Open on Saturday.

Those were separate appearances, but the Tribeca arrival and dinner had put the two together in a much more interesting context. And two days after the first report, an insider offered an explanation for the apartment stop.

September 15 Supplied the Explanation Behind That Tribeca Stop

According to a September 15 report from Page Six, Taylor's apartment offered something valuable to two celebrities getting acquainted. A source explained, "Taylor has let friends use her NYC properties before, and Dakota and Colson wanted privacy, so they headed to her apartment."

Colson Baker is MGK's real name, and the insider's description of his evening suggested he wasn't simply being polite over dinner. The source said, "Colson had a really nice time with Dakota. He thinks she's really cool and obviously he's attracted to her."

The attraction apparently had some personality behind it, too. The insider added, "He likes that she's funny and doesn't take herself too seriously." But for all the attention surrounding that borrowed address, the source presented the evening itself as relaxed and spontaneous.

"It wasn't some big planned-out romantic night, or anything like that," the insider insisted. Dinner gave them a chance to talk without treating the outing as a grand announcement.

Still, MGK reportedly had every intention of arranging another encounter. The source continued, "It's new and they're just getting to know each other, but there was definitely something there, and he would like to see her again."

As for whether anyone should start assigning relationship titles, the insider urged patience. "He's not putting a label on anything or getting ahead of himself," the source said. Then October brought a report that made that early, tentative description feel considerably more interesting.

October's Next Report Involved Dakota's Own Front Door

Earlier this October 2026, Page Six reported that MGK had spent the night at Dakota's Los Angeles home after finishing a studio session. The address had changed from a mutual friend's apartment to Dakota's home.

For anyone following their connection since New York, that was a rather juicy development. By October 23, the two were again being photographed around a studio, followed by their appearance at the Los Angeles hotel later that evening. Their time together was continuing beyond the first dinner that had prompted all those questions.

And with MGK spending more time with Dakota, a report about Megan Fox's reaction added some fresh gossip to the mix. A source had something rather pointed to say about how she felt seeing her former fiancé with someone new.

Megan and MGK split in 2024 while she was pregnant with their daughter, Saga Blade, who arrived in March 2025. MGK also shares 17-year-old daughter Casie with former girlfriend Emma Cannon.

But sharing a child with Megan hardly meant she was holding out for a reunion. According to an insider, his budding romance with Dakota suited her for a very particular reason.

Megan's Reported Reaction Came With a Very Clear Boundary

In its October 23 report, Page Six quoted a source who said, "Megan isn't just unbothered by MGK dating Dakota — she's actually relieved he's moving on."

The insider continued, "She genuinely wants him to find happiness with someone else because she's totally done with that chapter of her life. She doesn't want him back, and she doesn't want to keep revisiting their relationship."

The report followed TMZ's Thursday account that the 40-year-old actress had no desire to involve herself in her former fiancé's budding romance with Dakota, 37.

There was also a reason his attention to someone new reportedly suited her. Following their split, MGK, 36, had continued leaving flirtatious comments on Megan's Instagram.

In March, after she returned to the platform and posted a series of revealing photographs, he wrote, "Stoked i have your phone number [sic]." The insider suggested those public overtures had become tiresome from Megan's perspective.

That gives the Dakota developments a rather different significance for his ex. Still, the source described Megan and MGK as having a good co-parenting relationship, with a firm limit on what she wanted beyond it.

As for Dakota herself, the insider said, "Megan genuinely hopes things work out between them because she wants MGK to be happy. She just doesn't want to be the person he's trying to have a romantic relationship with anymore."

For now, Dakota and MGK have supplied something much easier to inspect than a relationship announcement: photos of their time together. What do you think about their relationship?