Dakota Johnson’s Dating History Before Role Model: Every Relationship Explored

Dakota Johnson is single again, and it has fans revisiting a dating history that spans nearly two decades.

News broke on August 19, 2026, that Johnson and musician Tucker Pillsbury, known professionally as Role Model, had ended their relationship. A source told People the pair had actually split “a while ago,” meaning the breakup had likely already happened quietly before it became public. The news arrived just weeks after Pillsbury spoke to Nylon about featuring Johnson’s voice on his song “Love I You,” calling their collaboration his way of publicly acknowledging the relationship.

The split marks the end of Johnson’s first widely reported romance since her eight-year, on-and-off relationship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin ended in 2025. It also puts her full dating history back in the spotlight, from a high school sweetheart to a string of actors and musicians. Here is a complete look at who Dakota Johnson has dated over the years, leading up to her relationship with Role Model.

Dakota Johnson’s Dating History

Noah Gersh (roughly 2006–2012): Her high school sweetheart

Before Hollywood fame changed her life, Johnson had a long-term relationship with Noah Gersh, a music composer she began dating as a teenager, around age 16 or 17. Gersh has been described as her anchor through high school and into her early adult years. The relationship reportedly wound down around 2012 as Johnson’s acting career began to take off.

Jordan Masterson (2011–2014): The actor who renovated her bathroom

Johnson’s next serious relationship was with actor Jordan Masterson, the half-brother of That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson and sister of The Walking Dead’s Alanna Masterson. The couple dated for roughly two to three years, keeping their relationship largely private.

In a March 2014 interview with Elle, Johnson spoke fondly of a gift Masterson had given her: “He gave me double sinks! He did it himself. I think double sinks are the key to any relationship.”

Their relationship reportedly came under strain after Johnson was cast as Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey. Multiple reports at the time suggested Masterson, who comes from a family involved in the Church of Scientology, was uncomfortable with the film’s explicit content and Johnson’s rising fame. The couple split in 2014.

Matthew Hitt (2014–2016): An on-and-off romance with a rocker

Not long after her split from Masterson, Johnson began seeing Matthew Hitt, the Welsh lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Drowners. Their relationship was famously on-and-off: they began dating around September 2014, split by the end of that year, reunited around April 2015, and finally called it off for good in mid-2016.

A source told E! News at the time that the split came down to conflicting schedules: “Dakota and Matthew have dated on and off for the past two years. They didn’t get a chance to see much of each other recently because their work schedules didn’t align. She’s been up in Vancouver shooting the Fifty Shades trilogy.” Despite the breakup, Johnson and Hitt reportedly remained on friendly terms.

Benedict Cumberbatch (2013): A brief dinner and dating rumors

In December 2013, Johnson and actor Benedict Cumberbatch were spotted dining together, sparking rumors of a romance. Neither party ever confirmed a relationship, and no further public sightings followed. It remains unclear whether the dinner was romantic or simply professional.

Chris Martin (2017–2025): Her longest and most high-profile relationship

Johnson’s most significant relationship was with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who had previously been married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow for a decade before their widely publicized “conscious uncoupling” in 2014. Johnson and Martin were first linked in October 2017, when they were spotted having dinner together at Sushi Park in Los Angeles.

The relationship was notably private for a couple with such a high public profile. Johnson addressed this in a 2021 interview with Elle UK: “We’ve been together for quite a while, and we go out sometimes, but we both work so much that it’s nice to be at home and be cozy and private. Most of the partying takes place inside my house.” The couple shared a Cape Cod-style home in Point Dume, Malibu.

Rumors of an engagement circulated for years, fueled in part by Johnson being spotted wearing a large emerald ring in 2020, though the couple never publicly confirmed engagement plans. Martin has two children from his marriage to Paltrow, Apple and Moses, whom Johnson reportedly helped co-parent alongside him during their relationship.

The relationship was famously on-and-off over its eight years. In June 2025, People confirmed the couple had split for good. A source described the breakup as final this time: “It feels final this time.” Another insider noted that the relationship had “often” been “hot and cold,” but that Johnson seemed “lighter and more at peace now that it’s final.”

Role Model / Tucker Pillsbury (December 2025–2026): Her most recent relationship

Following her split from Martin, sources told People that Johnson was “playing the field” and dating casually before her connection with singer-songwriter Tucker Pillsbury, who performs as Role Model, became more serious.

The two were first photographed together at a candlelit dinner in Los Angeles on December 29, 2025. Over the following months, they were spotted together multiple times: dining at Saffy’s in January 2026, reportedly spending New Year’s Eve together, and sharing a kiss and holding hands during an April 2026 outing in Los Angeles. Johnson’s mother, actress Melanie Griffith, was even asked for her opinion of Pillsbury by photographers and said simply, “I think he’s fabulous.”

By April 2026, a source told People the relationship had grown more serious: “It’s definitely more than a fling, or just a flirt.” The couple reportedly kept things low-key and never formally confirmed their relationship publicly, though the sightings and Johnson’s mother’s comments made it something of an open secret.

The relationship’s most public moment came through music. Johnson made a spoken-word cameo on Pillsbury’s song “Love I You,” from his album Chuck Timely & the Hourglass. In the track, the two can be heard in a flirtatious exchange, with Pillsbury telling her, “Hey, I think you’re perfect,” and Johnson replying, “You say that to everyone.” He later told Nylon that including her was almost accidental: “I had a lot of names to pick from for that, and then Dakota came to the studio one day, and Mason [Stoops, guitarist and producer] was like, ‘Why don’t you do it?’ I was like, ‘Stop! We’re not mixing work and relationships.’ She was like, ‘I’ll do it,’ and stood right up and got in the booth and knocked it out better than we could have imagined.”

Before Johnson, Pillsbury was in a long-term relationship with influencer Emma Chamberlain from around 2020 to 2023. He later said homesickness for his native Maine played a role in that relationship’s end.

Dakota Johnson and Role Model Split Up ‘a While Ago’ (Exclusive Source) https://t.co/q1NFq1L0wY

— People (@people) August 19, 2026

The breakup (August 2026)

News of the split broke on August 19, 2026, through multiple outlets citing a People source who said the couple had broken up “a while ago,” though the exact timing was not disclosed. Notably, the news came just weeks after Pillsbury’s Nylon interview, published August 4, in which he spoke about their song collaboration in terms that suggested the relationship was still active or at least recently ended.

Neither Johnson nor Pillsbury has publicly commented on the breakup, and representatives for both did not respond to requests for comment from multiple outlets.

Dakota Johnson’s Dating Timeline at a Glance

Why the Breakup Timing Raised Questions

Part of what made the August 2026 breakup news notable was its timing relative to Pillsbury’s own public comments. He had spoken to Nylon about the “Love I You” collaboration in a way that framed the relationship as something he was proud to acknowledge publicly, and that interview was published just two weeks before news of the split broke. Because the People source said the breakup happened “a while ago” without specifying when, it’s unclear whether the relationship had already ended by the time Pillsbury gave that interview, or whether the split happened shortly afterward.

This kind of delayed disclosure is common in celebrity breakups where neither party has publicly confirmed the relationship in the first place. Because Johnson and Pillsbury never formally announced they were together, there was no formal breakup statement to make either, leaving fans and outlets to piece the timeline together from sources and public sightings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who did Dakota Johnson date before Role Model?

Before Role Model (Tucker Pillsbury), Dakota Johnson was in a long-term, on-and-off relationship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin from 2017 to 2025. Earlier relationships included musician Matthew Hitt (2014–2016), actor Jordan Masterson (2011–2014), and her high school boyfriend, music composer Noah Gersh.

When did Dakota Johnson and Role Model break up?

The breakup was reported on August 19, 2026. A source told People the couple had actually split “a while ago,” though the exact date was not disclosed.

How long did Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin date?

Johnson and Martin were together, on and off, from October 2017 until their final split was confirmed in June 2025, a relationship spanning almost eight years. They were reportedly engaged at one point but never confirmed it publicly.

Who is Role Model, Dakota Johnson’s ex-boyfriend?

Role Model is the stage name of Tucker Pillsbury, an American singer-songwriter. He and Johnson were first linked in December 2025. Before her, he was in a relationship with influencer Emma Chamberlain from 2020 to 2023.

Did Dakota Johnson and Role Model ever confirm their relationship?

Not directly. They were photographed together on multiple occasions and Johnson made a cameo on his song “Love I You,” which he described as a way of publicly acknowledging the relationship, but neither ever issued a formal confirmation.

Was Dakota Johnson engaged to Chris Martin?

Engagement rumors circulated for years, fueled partly by Johnson being seen wearing a large emerald ring in 2020, but the couple never publicly confirmed an engagement.

Who was Dakota Johnson’s first boyfriend?

Reports indicate her first significant relationship was with Noah Gersh, a music composer she began dating as a teenager around age 16 or 17, well before her acting career took off.

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Last Updated on August 21, 2026 by 247 News Around The World