Bradley Cooper had two new movies come out toward the tail end of 2021 riiiight in time for awards season (Nightmare Alley and Licorice Pizza—the latter of which has me craving both licorice *and* pizza), which means he spent the last few months of the year posing on various red carpets. And for those of you wondering, Bradley walked said red carpets solo, which is noteworthy only because the last time Bradley was in the throws of Oscar buzz, it was when the world collectively decided he and Lady Gaga were dating (they weren’t) even though he was with Irina Shayk. Which brings us to Bradley’s relationship history, a long and somewhat dramatic journey full of famous people you should probably get reacquainted with. Behold:
IRINA SHAYK (2015 TO 2019)
Irina and Bradley got together in 2015 and welcomed their adorable daughter, Lea, a couple of years later in 2017. And while they’re currently on great terms (she was with him at the Nightmare Alley premiere in NYC but they didn’t take pics on the red carpet together), their 2019 breakup went down amid a ton of (false!) rumors about Bradley Cooper having an affair with Lady Gaga thanks to their undeniable chemistry both *in* A Star Is Born and *on* the A Star Is Born press tour. Ahem:
For what it’s worth, Gaga completely denied the rumors, telling Jimmy Kimmel, “First of all, social media, quite frankly, is the toilet of the internet. And what it has done to pop culture is abysmal. Yes, people saw love and guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see. This is a love song. The movie A Star Is Born is a love story. It was so important to both of us that we were connected the entire time.…Look, I’ve had my arms wrapped around Tony Bennett for three years touring the world. When you’re singing love songs, that’s what you want people to feel. I’m an artist and I guess we did a good job…fooled ya!”
Because you’re wondering, nope, the Gaga rumors weren’t the reason Irina and Bradley split—although their breakup did come right after the rumors’ peak. As a source explained to Entertainment Tonight, “Recently, Irina decided enough is enough. She didn’t feel she was getting the level of commitment she wanted, and the endless fighting made their life unbearable. They are very different people, and once they realized it was the baby that was holding them together, it was time to call it quits.”
Note: Bradley and Irina are still close and coparent their daughter. Here they are hanging out this past summer in NYC!
They even spent Thanksgiving weekend together with Lea and were seen looking like the happiest little family during an outing with Anne Hathaway and her hubby.
SUKI WATERHOUSE (2013 TO 2015)
Bradley and Suki started dating in 2013 and kept things super low-key, with Suki explaining to Elle UK, “I don’t talk about my boyfriend because it’s boring.” She went on to add, “The truth is, if I start talking about him, I probably won’t be able to stop. And I don’t really want to talk about him, you know?”
They ended up breaking up in March 2015, with E! News confirming the split went down just one month after Bradley brought Suki as a date to the Oscars in February of that same year. Here’s a pic of their vibes at the time:
ZOE SALDANA (2011 TO 2013)
Sooo, Zoe and Bradley had a pretty tumultuous relationship. The couple first broke up after just four months of dating in March 2012, with a source telling E! News, “He dumped her; he just doesn’t want to be in a relationship at the moment….” But! They ended up getting back together in September that same year (right in time for the premiere of their movie The Words)…aaand Us Weekly confirmed they were over again in January 2013.
JENNIFER LOPEZ (2011)
TBD on if they were actually dating or not, but TMZ reports that Bradley and J.Lo were seen getting dinner in NYC together after she split from Marc Anthony and that the dinner looked “romantic.” (Psst: That pic of them ^ is from about a year before these rumors circled.)
Either way, the pair remained friends, and J.Lo even gave Bradley advice before singing “Shallow” with Lady Gaga at the Oscars, saying on Insta (via People), “He seemed a little nervous. I just whispered, I said, ‘The song is so beautiful. When they hear the first few notes, they’re going to start applauding. So don’t worry. Just deliver the song.’ He was like, ‘I got it, I got it, okay.’”
RENÉE ZELLWEGER (2009 TO 2011)
Renée and Bradley dated for about two years before splitting up in early 2011—and a source told Us Weekly that Renée was the one to call things off because Bradley was just too career focused. “If I had to pick any possible mistress, it would be Brad’s career,” a source said. “He worked really hard to get into leading man status.”
The pair appear to be on good terms and were photographed hanging at the Oscars in 2020!
JENNIFER ESPOSITO (2006 TO 2007)
Forgot Bradley was married? Literally same. But he and actor Jennifer Esposito made it official in December 2006 after a quick two-month engagement. And their marriage was even quicker, because Jennifer filed for divorce after just four months, citing irreconcilable differences.
While she hasn’t spent that much time talking about Bradley since, Jennifer did weigh in on rumors between him and Gaga, writing “ha” on THIS Insta post from David Spade.
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