Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson have been together for three years. Did you know that? I didn’t. They really are a pretty lowkey couple, although I might think that simply because I don’t pay too much attention to them. In December, Dakota was photographed wearing an emerald ring on her left hand ring finger, and there was speculation that perhaps Chris had proposed. We never really got a confirmation or denial either way. Then, a week ago or so, the NY Post ran this story about how Dakota and Chris are “secretly living together” in his fancy $12.5 million Malibu home. Chris bought that Malibu property last year, and I guess he bought it for himself and Dakota to build a home together. Now People Mag is confirming the Post’s story with an added bonus of “dinners with Gwyneth Paltrow.”
After three years of dating, Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson are — literally! — closer than ever. The low-key couple have been living together in the Coldplay frontman’s sprawling $12.5 million mansion in Malibu since he purchased it in October, a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.
“Chris was always a big fan of Malibu,” the source says of Martin, 43, who moved to the oceanfront town after his divorce from Gwyneth Paltrow in 2016. “He loves the beach and often goes surfing and running.”
While the source says the actress — who still owns her home in the Hollywood Hills — “seemed like more of a city girl” before she met Martin and started dating him in 2017, she has grown to love her new laid-back lifestyle.
“She seems to enjoy it as much as Chris does,” the source says. “They both love the outdoors and often take beach strolls. They also support local restaurants.”
Though they’ve mostly hunkered down in Malibu during the coronavirus pandemic, the couple — who have sparked engagement buzz as Johnson, 31, has stepped out recently wearing a dazzling emerald ring on that finger — often head to L.A. for Sunday dinner with Paltrow, 48, her husband, Brad Falchuk, 49, and her and Martin’s kids, Apple, 16, and Moses, 14. (Falchuk also has daughter Isabella and son Brody from his marriage to ex-wife Suzanne Bukinik.)
“It’s obvious that everyone still gets along great,” says the source.
Last January, Paltrow also talked about how much she loves having Johnson in her life. “I just adore her,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I always start to think of the ampersand sign — what else can you bring in, instead of being resistant to or being made insecure by? There’s so much juice in leaning in to something like that.”
I used to think this whole situation was kind of toxic and I felt sorry for Dakota and I thought Gwyneth Paltrow was probably still super-involved in Chris’s life and that Gwyneth probably inserted herself into his relationship with Dakota. But after three years… I don’t know, maybe Dakota just waited her out? Or maybe Chris quietly began putting up some boundaries. Plus, I think Dakota is part of a dynastic Hollywood family, even more so than Gwyneth. Which means Gwyneth “approves.” In any case, I bet they are engaged and they’ll probably announce it once the pandemic is over.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Wow Apple is so tall now, she’s beautiful!
And in theory that picture is at least a year old given that no one even in the background is masked.
That photo of Dakota and Apple was taken around Christmas, not this winter the one previous in Aspen. If not this lock-down is warping my brain. It can’t have been more than two years already. No! Nooo!
Honestly I think she’s one of the more naturally beautiful celebrity offspring, she’s really striking.
More beautiful than her mother who was already gorgeous and still is. They made beautiful children’s together.
But dont’ tell goopi goop she’s gonna fart of pleasure and make another candle
Goop had help with a nose job and going blonder. She was less striking when she was starting out.
I can’t help but think Goop is a controlling freak who wants everyone to worship at her vagina/alter. Notice the weekly meals are never at dad Chris’s on the beach. What kid would skip a chance to spend time there at least once in a while, esp during lockdown? Makes me think something’s wonky about them all. Suppose Goop’s got boundary issues, a hold on a faction of Brad’s family also?
I seriously doubt Dakota and Chris are the hosting kind. It would probably be an imposition on them to have to put together the meals every damn week. That stuff is completely Gwen’s wheel house so it makes perfect sense that it would be at her house. Anyway, Gwen’s annoying white lady energy pisses me off BUT people love to nitpick her even over things she’s done right. A weekly 3 hour breaking of bread with your divorced parents and their spouses is a very good thing, people. And considering his disposition, I bet the kids come and go from Chris’ house as they please. Just not on family night.
I agree on this. It’s really very nice that she is still on good terms with her ex and can be social with his girlfriend. Much better in the long term for the kids to have two parents who are amiable with each other.
Because Dakota can’t cook.
More interesting…Chris Martin has $12 M to splurge on a house?
He actually has a lot of fans of his music who spend on albums an concerts. In short, he’s rich
I don’t know exactly in US but in Europe, Coldplay is extremely famous, people buy their music and pay expensive places to go to their concert
Apparently he is worth around $100 million or more.
@Elizabeth
And there you have it why Goop stays on good terms with Chris because her pseudoscience shilling isn’t going to last forever and she knows it.
A quick Google search shows that she’s worth roughly the same.
Coldplay is literally one of the best selling artists of all time. A Rush of Blood To The Head, X & Y, and Viva La Vida were massive albums. Even their last album which i totally forgot existed until they got nominated for a Grammy did ok and pre-COVID times they were consistently selling out stadiums around the world; they’re probably one of the biggest touring acts in the world.
I’m laughing so hard here that most of the responses are like “you guys, Coldplay *has* fans.” 🤣🤣🤣
I can’t stand Coldplay but they are one of the best selling groups of recent years. He has made way more money than Paltrow.
In Hollywood terms Dakota is above Gwyneth and they both know it, though I assume Gwyneth likes to pretend they are equals.
Can you explain what you mean by ‘above’. Is it because Dakota is younger or has THREE famous parents ?
Because she comes from a true Hollywood Dynastie, her grandmother is Tippi Hedren. In their world having a Hitchcock muse as an ancestor means more then Gwyneths bought Oscar. It’s pretty much like new versus old money and Dakota is definitely old Hollywood.
Guessing the fame level of Dakota’s parents – Melanie Griffith (whose mother is Tippi Hedren?) and Don Johnson, plus stepfather Antonio Banderas, seems to rank higher than that of Gwyneth — Blythe Danner and late TV producer Bruce Paltrow, tho if you factor in Steven Spielberg as godparent, does it start to even out? LOL
By the time I typed this out A said it better.
Having Steven Spielberg as godfather definitely tips the scales but Dakota is 3rd generation Hollywood on her mother’s side and 2nd generation on her father’s side, while Gwyneth is 2nd generation on both, so that puts Dakota “above” Gwyneth so to speak.
Totally this.
Dakota strikes me as a Smart Cookie who knows what she’s doing and doesn’t back down – to wit, Ellen. So I guess she knows what she’s doing in this case. I don’t find Chris Martin to be a particular prize at all.
I kinda wonder if Chris Martin is appealing by Hollywood standards because he’s got the money and fame but isn’t a lothario. He’s needy and emotionally dependent or so I imagine him.
God it feels like they’ve been together for way longer than 3 years
Same, they’re so boring I thought they were together for 5. She dodged a bullet when she got Grey because before she was dating Danny Masterson’s youngest brother and had one foot into Scientology. And she’s only 31? She’s so young I kinda hope she moves on from Chris. His ex moved on to Chris Pine.
So at these Sunday dinners, do they all fall asleep at the table by boring each other to death? They’re all a snooze fest.
I totally didnt realize they were dating. Last time i remember hearing anything about Chris’ personal life he was dating JLaw. Kinda weird pairing but it seems to work for them so.
I read that as Jude Law, and I was like WHAT?! But then I realized who you meant. 🙂
Dakota’s more on the level of Carrie Fisher as far as having old Hollywood Royalty lineage (both WAY above Goop). I find her fascinating for that reason. She seems very together. Her mother really struggled and was an addict. I don’t know if she still is. We know Fisher’s issues. This one seems very together. I think that makes her very interesting indeed.
I would also love to see the dynamics of how the insufferable Goop treated someone like JLaw when Martin was with her, vs how she treats Dakota, who she frankly cannot touch. And she knows that.
She’s not a good actress tho. she purses her lips and speaks quietly and that’s it.
my comment isn’t relevant but I saw her face and just had to say this lol
Purple Prankster, I totally agree with you. Dakota cannot act to save her life. She has the charisma of a wet dish rag. She’s another hideous product of nepotism.
Oh she’s not terrible. I thought she was a believable Ana in FSoG – at least, she was leagues above Jamie Dornan in the believability department.
Funny, I picture them all living in New York. Anyways I love the point that Dakota’s fam out dynasties Goop’s fam. That’s probably the only time Goop is ever humbled.
But Goop can act. The starlets are always pretending that nepotism didn’t get them to where they are but, in Goop’s case, I think she could actually make an argument that most of her fame is due to her talent and skills. She’s proper A list. Dakota is beautiful but does anyone think she’s a great actor? And Goop has success in the snake-oil field. I mean… I literally hate her but I don’t think nepotism played a part in that. She has actually pushed beyond the fame of her parents and given the family an added level of prestige. Much as I dislike her awful fake Covid cures and vagasteroids or whatever, I think she outranks the girl from the porn book series.
Dakota is one of the worst actresses that ever lived.
Interesting. I guess I don’t think of either of them as actresses. Maybe I need to revisit Goop’s 90s work but I largely think of her as a lifestyle guru who recites lines in Avengers movies. But Dakota Johnson, LOL. I was just being generous. She has illustrious family roots.
Goop is a horrible, talentless actor. She‘s half smiling all of the time. She only worked when her Dad was alive and could secure jobs through his pull. But now, even with Spielberg and all of her other connections, she gets squat. If she could act, she‘d be acting. Honestly, that’s sad. If you’re as connected as she is and still can’t get a part, uh-oh. She went goop, because no one would hire her, save for a small, devoted group who felt like they had to give her little gigs- thank you Robert Downey Jr.
Goop’s “ampersand” quote…so pretentious.
Suppose she has called all of Chris’s girlfriends that as a nickname?
Hello, can someone tell me what ampersand mean?
&. = an ampersand
it’s the &
Thank goodness I’m not the only one who had to look up ampersand. That was annoying
SO pretentious!
Totally. If she had only stopped after “I just adore her.” Warm, relatable. I was actually liking her for a second but then continued reading. She says something seemingly warm and relatable which in actuality is just the opening salvo of a condescending/patronizing remark.
She has a complex, because I think she barely graduated from high school. It was one of those private schools where money will pull you through graduation. It‘s a real sore spot. She wants to sound educated, but she‘s not. I think she has a tutor who teaches her “big” words, summed-up philosophical ideas, and helps her with book titles to insert into interviews to give off a certain well-read, scholarly impression. The acting classes paid off in terms of preparing/memorizing these tidbits for interviews.
ITA. Gwyneth speaks like there is a hangup or insecurity about her education. She tries way too hard
Dakota comes across as someone who tolerates no BS, so she can probably handle Goop. And she must have a lot of beans to spill.
Dakota is the grand daughter of Tippi Hadren, and the daughter of Goldie Hawn I bet Goop is nothing but adorable with her.
You mean Melanie Griffith 😉
Yeah, THAT nepo is Kate Hudson
Dinner at Goop must be a real hoot with all the diets she’s constantly on.
You just know she probably sits there watching the others eating, mentally counting all the calories they’re putting away.
Or blathering on about bowel movements and vagina conditions like other people talk of the weather. .
I assume that “dinner” involves eating normally while GP glares at you and sips from a shot glass of organic, sodium-free bone broth.
I can picture that. Goop seems unbearably arrogant and conceited.
I saw her interviewed and then on some game show about eight years ago, and was struck by how dull, smug and humorless she seemed. I mean, she’s a good actress so I figured she must have some personal spark, but no. She’s really dreadful.
I really like them together for some odd reason. She seems like she would be a cool step mom to his kids and I’m sort of surprised they have been together this long. Good for them. I kind of think she may want to have a baby at some point and wonder if he is ready to hit the reset button and have babies around again. Or maybe she is cool with being a fun step mom figure which also seems fun.
Dakota is just the younger version of GOOP, it’s just that people aren’t sick of her yet.
Their personalities don’t seem remotely similar…
I agree, Dakota seems low-key.
Hmm. I don’t think it’s necessarily that Goopy approves of Dakota Johnson. I think Dakota Johnson just doesn’t give a flying fuck what Gwyneth thinks of her or her relationship, period. She knows she’s perfectly happy to do whatever she wants with or without Chris Martin, and if Gwyneth annoys her too much, she can just cut her losses and go. She is not relying on this man for her sense of self-worth by any means, and that is the key here I think. She doesn’t need him, and definitely doesn’t need Gwyneth’s approval for anything in her life, and that’s probably why she’s lasted this long.
Does this story almost seem like it came from Gwyneth’s publicist, or is this just a case of People trying to insert as many celebrities as possible into one story? Either way, it’s strange to mention GP so many times in an update on Chris and Dakota.
Also, I agree with other commenters about there being a few reasons that Gwyneth “adores” Dakota: Dakota is not going to put up with any shit or lay down for any ex-wife to walk over, and, wheter you like Dakota’s acting or not, she/her family is Old School Hollywood and her parents/grandmother are pretty damn iconic as well as respectable. There’s not much ol’ Gynnie can rub in Dakota’s face (which I’m sure driver her crazy privately).
For some reason I didn’t know that Chris Martin is only 43 – I thought he was in his late forties.
If I were Dakota, I would be real tired of Gwyneth’s shadow always someplace in my life