Since her split from Brad Pitt after two years of marriage and 12 years together, Angelina Jolie has kept her dating life out of the public eye. That’s why when Angelina was seen with author, activist and rapper Akala, fans were quick to jump to the assumption that the pair are dating. Angelina and Akala, who is known for the tracks Shakespeare and Carried Away, were spotted leaving a hotel together at the Venice Film Festival.
Before they could even alight from their water taxi, they were being hailed as Hollywood’s most unexpected new couple.
Last week, The Sun even suggested that they had spent two ‘romantic’ nights at The Corinthia hotel before the premiere of Jolie’s film Maria at the London Film Festival. They were then pictured on the red carpet at said premiere, albeit separately.
Are Angelina Jolie and Akala dating?
We're here to confirm that the rumours are only rumours. Despite the chatter, a source stressed to People in late August that Jolie and Akala ‘are not dating’. In fact, they said, Jolie is friends with Akala’s long-term partner Chanelle Newman, ‘who was also there’ with them in Venice.
It seems like fans conveniently forgot that Akala is currently in a relationship with music producer Chanelle Newman!.
As such, a source tells Grazia that Angelina is not dignifying the rumours with a response. Instead, she is busy promoting her Oscar-tipped turn in the forthcoming Maria, the Maria Callas biopic. ‘She is just doing her thing with Akala by her side and enjoying their time together immensely.’
Where did the Angelina Jolie and Akala dating rumours come from?
After being spotted together in Venice, the dating rumours were compounded by a source telling In Touch that the Maleficent actress had started casually dating Akala over the past year. They mistakenly claimed, ‘Angelina has been seeing two different men over the past year or so. They’re totally different men, but she’s falling for both of them.
The men were said to be Akala - who apparently met up with her abroad on more than one occasion - while the other was Broadway composer Justin Levine, with whom she worked alongside on the Outsiders musical in NYC.
They have certainly been spending a fair amount of time together, taking trips to Venice, Milan, Jamaica, New York and London. They are ‘similarly minded’, which has been a firm base for their friendship, says Grazia’s source, with their shared passion for activism and the arts bringing them closer together. If a report in the Daily Mail is to be believed, Akala, best known for his writings about race, class and the British Empire, has even been educating Jolie on Britain’s colonial past and the country’s most prominent Black figures.
Has Akala met Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's kids?
Yes, Akala was seen hugging Angelina's son Pax, 20, at the US premiere of Maria in New York last month. Jolie's son Maddox, 23, and daughter Zahara, 19, were also at the event.
However, romance rumours first started swirling when Akala - who, fun fact, is the brother of the Ms Dynamite - joined Angelina and Zahara and Shiloh at the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica in May 2023. An eyewitness shared at the time that Akala was 'very protective of them as he shepherded them around'.
A source told PEOPLE. ‘They share the same passion when it comes to social and humanitarian causes. They did several collabs over the years that focus on global issues like human rights. Angie speaks very highly of him.’
Is Brad Pitt still dating Ines De Ramon?
Brad, meanwhile, has very publicly moved on with girlfriend Ines De Ramon, 34, who accompanied him to the Venice Film Festival.
The couple were first seen together at a Bono concert in Los Angeles in November 2022. A source told People at the time that the two had been secretly dating for months. The Venice Film Festival marked their red carpet debut as they attended the premiere of Wolfs together and also went on a double date with friends George and Amal Clooney.
Meanwhile, Angelina hasn’t been seriously linked to anyone in recent years.
In 2021, the internet became convinced that she was dating The Weeknd when the pair were spotted having dinner together in LA. Then, in 2023, the 49 year old was linked to the man of the moment Paul Mescal after the pair enjoyed a coffee date in London. It was later revealed however, that the pair had met up after the actor has seen the Normal People star on the West End in A Streetcar Named Desire with her daughter Shiloh – who was, it’s worth noting, also on the ‘date’. Doesn’t sound like a date to us!
Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer at Grazia