Less than a month after her divorce from Orlando Bloom was confirmed, Katy Perry is knee deep in a new batch of viral relationship rumours. Why? Because she was spotted having dinner with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal.
The singer-cum-space enthusiast and the politician make such an unlikely pairing that journalists have been blowing up the restaurant's phone for more details.
According to a staff member at Le Violin, Perry and Trudeau spent two hours at the fine dining restaurant. 'We kind of got the vibe that they were a little more chill,' said an onlooker, adding there were 'no visual signs of PDA or anything'.
Nevertheless, footage obtained by TMZ shows the pair embroiled in 'animated conversation', all of which is enough to send the internet into a tailspin. As one X posts reads: 'What is happening in Hollywood? Why are the most random pairing of people dating? Wdym Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas, Danny Ramirez and Jessica Alba, Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson, KATY PERRY AND JUSTIN TRUDEAU???'
A former prime minister would certainly be an iconic rebound for Perry, who confirmed her split from Bloom on 4 July after weeks of speculation. The couple had been together since 2016 and share a four-year-old daughter called Daisy. In a joint statement their representatives said they 'have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting' and 'will continue to be seen together as a family' as their priority is 'raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect'.
Trudeau is also newly single – both romantically and professionally. In 2023, he separated from his wife-of-18 years Sophie Grégoire, with whom he shares three children. And in January, he announced he was resigning from his post as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party.
As for what Perry and Trudeau might have been talking about as they tucked into their beef tartare, they have more in common than you might think. Neither, as it happens, is a stranger to controversy.
Throughout his time in office, the 'woke'-presenting Trudeau was involved in a number of scandals that slowly tarnished his reputation. During his first term, the first indigenous woman to serve as justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, quit over alleged 'veiled threats' from top government officials seeking a legal favour for a firm facing a corruption trial. Then when Trudeau campaigned for a second term, images resurfaced of him in brown face on at least three different occasions, prompting widespread backlash from the world's media.
Controversy landed on his desk again in 2020 when he faced another ethics scandal regarding a government contract for a youth charity that had worked with his relatives. By September 2024, his ratings had plummeted, with only 26% of Canadians backing him as their top pick for prime minister. He resigned in January after mounting pressure to do so from his own party.
Meanwhile Perry has become a somewhat lambasted figure in recent years too. In July 2024, she released her single 'Woman's World', which was met with widespread criticism. Not only did the lyrics about women being 'sexy, confident, so in-tell-igent' ring hollow and fail to convincingly pass as satire, but she worked with alleged abuser Dr Luke to produce the record.
Then in April, Perry found herself in the throes of backlash once more after joining Jeff Bezos' latest Blue Origin space trip where ticket prices start at $1.25m (£98k). Despite an earnest promotional campaign that billed the all-female, 11-minute trip past the Karman line as a feminist triumph, it fell flat with the public. Something that wasn't helped by fellow passenger Lauren Sanchez admitting she tested to see if her fake lashes could defy gravity before the flight. The singer later admitted she felt like a 'human Pinata' following the criticism.
All of which begs the question, could a post-divorce rendezvous between Perry and Trudeau revive their respective reputations? Are they better suited than naysayers think? Or is it just a nifty PR stunt that puts them both back in the headlines for harmless reasons?
After one meal in a French restaurant, it's too soon to tell. But a Perry and Trudeau romance was not on our 2025 bingo card.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).