Justin Trudeau and popstar Katy Perry are red carpet official. After sparking all kinds of buzz on social media with their Coachella appearance for Justin Bieber’s set, the pair was photographed dressed to the nines on the carpet of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Prior to Tribeca, the duo was partying in California’s deserts, in Switzerland at Davos and before that, and the two had a lunch meeting with Japanese politician Fumio Kishida and his wife in December. A post shared by the former prime minister of Japan referred to Perry as Trudeau’s “partner,” while Trudeau reshared the same post by saying “Katy and I” were happy to meet with Kishida.
Just two days later, Perry appeared to go Instagram official with Trudeau, sharing a series of photos that included a selfie of the pair and a video where they appear to be holding hands.
The two were first pictured in public holding hands after leaving a cabaret show in Paris back in October.
But how did we get here? Here’s a timeline of the budding romance that has taken social media by storm since this summer and has seen Trudeau and Perry travel the world together.
The separations
Aug. 2, 2023: Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire announced their separation after 18 years of marriage. In statements posted to Instagram, they said the decision came after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.”
The former couple shares three children. Trudeau became the second prime minister to announce a separation while still in office. His father, Pierre, separated from his wife Margaret in 1977.
July 3, 2025: Almost two years later, Perry and longtime partner Orlando Bloom officially confirmed that they broke up after nine years together.
This was after months of speculation and years of on-and-off romance that saw Bloom propose back on Valentine’s Day in 2019. The former couple has one daughter together.
Spotted in Montreal
July 28, 2025: Trudeau and Perry were captured by TMZ sharing a dinner at Le Violin in Montreal. This was in the middle of Perry completing her “Lifetimes Tour” through seven Canadian cities in the summer.
Hours before the two were spotted having dinner, TMZ also reported that they shared a walk in Montreal’s Mount Royal Park. They ended the evening at the Taverne Atlantic with some drinks.
July 30, 2025: Two days later, concertgoers spotted Trudeau at Perry’s show. In videos, he could be seen singing along to her songs like “Firework” and “Teenage Dream.”
Off the coast
Oct. 11, 2025: After almost two months of silence regarding the rumours surrounding Trudeau and Perry’s romance, images of the two kissing on a yacht in California went viral.
The pictures, published by the Daily Mail, were taken by a tourist who passed by Perry’s 24-metre yacht off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. Sources reportedly told the publication that Perry and Trudeau were “making out.”
Oct. 13, 2025: Days after those photos of Trudeau and Perry hit social media, his ex-wife Sophie Grégoire posted a cryptic video about “love” on Instagram.
“To hold on feels safer than to let go,” she said in the video. “Love was never about possession, it was about presence.”
Making it official?
Oct. 25, 2025: Trudeau and Perry made their first public appearance as a couple in France.
The two were celebrating Perry’s 41st birthday and were filmed by paparazzi holding hands while exiting a cabaret show at the Crazy Horse Paris, according to TMZ.
A fan gave Perry a red rose while walking out as she was sung “Happy Birthday” as they both were snapped by photographers entering a vehicle.
Dec. 2, 2025: After a month of silence after being spotted holding hands in Paris, Trudeau and Perry were seen in the popular tourist area Asakusa in Tokyo on Monday.
According to Page Six, they dined at Asakusa Sumo Cub Annex, a spot known to hold live sumo wrestling matches while providing traditional Japanese dishes.
In a photo online, Trudeau was captured wearing a black coat, denim pants and a baseball cap, holding hands with Perry, who had on a brown leather jacket, cargo pants and a mask covering her face.
Perry is set to perform two concerts in Tokyo at the Saitama Super Arena on Dec. 3 and 4 as part of her continued The Lifetimes Tour.
More jet-setting
Dec. 4, 2025: The former prime minister of Japan shared a photo on X stating that Trudeau and Perry had lunch with him and his wife, referring to the pop star as Trudeau’s “partner.”
Kishida was in office from 2021 to 2024 and in the post highlighted that the two former leaders worked together to strengthen bilateral relations, including the formation of the Japan-Canada Action Plan.
“I am happy that we can continue our friendship in this way,” the post read.
Trudeau all but seemingly confirmed the relationship, responding to Kishida’s post with his own, thanking him for his friendship and commitment to “international rules-based order.”
“Katy and I were so glad to have the chance to sit down with you and Yuko,” wrote Trudeau.
Dec. 6, 2025: Katy Perry shares a series of photos on Instagram, featuring several couple-y moments with Trudeau.
In one photo, the two appear to be hugging as they smile for a selfie. In a video, Trudeau has his arm around the back of Perry’s chair, and they smile at each other with their foreheads almost touching. In a final video, it appears as though the pair, silhouetted from behind, are holding hands as they stand shoulder-to-shoulder.
Jan. 7, 2026: Katy Perry shares an Instagram post of pictures and the caption “Holidaze” with a heart emoji, including two with Trudeau.
In one photo, the former prime minister appears swimming in a body of water under a blue sky, with the couple embracing in a selfie at a similar-looking location.
Jan. 20, 2026: Trudeau and Perry continue their international tour, this time stopping in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum.
The former prime minister delivered a speech on the value of “soft power,” drawing a small crowd of a couple hundred, while his successor, Prime Minister Mark Carney, spoke behind closed doors.
Perry was dressed in a camel outfit and donning sunglasses while many glanced and snapped photos of the music superstar.
Xav Trudeau reacts to father’s romance with Katy Perry
Xav Trudeau poked fun at his father’s high-profile romance with pop star Katy Perry during a candid appearance on Jessi Cruickshank’s podcast.
In a viral clip from the episode, the young musician is seen rapping a verse from one of his own tracks that directly references the relationship: “I move like my pops JT, got me my own KP.”
Reflecting on the surprise of learning about the two dating, Xav admitted he was caught off guard when the former prime minister first shared news of the courtship. “Honestly, I was confused. How did this happen?” he said, describing his father as a “nerd.” Xav revealed plans to recreate his father’s infamous yacht photo with his own girlfriend.
Instagram regular
Canada’s former prime minister is now a main character on Perry’s active Instagram feed.
Feb. 10, 2026: It’s to the ski hills now with Trudeau and Perry. Perry posted a photo dump captioned “let love be the revolution,” with a photo of herself and Trudeau in ski helmets and later, a black and white photo at dinner.
She ends the slide show with a picture of notes written on a crisp, white sheet of paper — with the header of the Office of the Prime Minister. The notes, unclear to the average reader, at least don’t seem to be confidential government business.
March 11, 2026: A photo dump without an occasion, Perry shares two candid moments with Trudeau and a meme that seems to describe their relationship.
Trudeau is pictured holding a star-shaped wand to his eye, with a crown peaking out over his ruffled hair at a dinner table in one. Later, he’s pictured in a low-angle selfie with Perry, who’s making a silly face. She ends the photo dump with a cartoon image of Hello Kitty with the text “patiently waiting for my bf to finish his big boy business stuff so we can call” over top.
March 27 and 30, 2026: Trudeau makes back-to-back appearances on Instagram, first in a biological age test with Perry (he got 43 and she got 33.1) and then in a photo featuring Olympic gold-medal freestyle skier Eileen Gu.
Gu shared a selfie taken by Trudeau on her own Instagram, also featuring Prince Harry. They’re all in winter gear and on a lift up a ski hill.
April 8, 2026: In another series of photos, Trudeau stares into the camera wearing an all-black suit. Perry looks at him, in her own sleek black dress, a hand slipped under his lapel, smiling big.
Bieberchella
April 11, 2026: Wearing an Alouettes de Montréal cap, Trudeau joined Perry to watch Bieber’s set list at Coachella. In the Californian desert, under red stage lights, Trudeau and Perry danced together as she sang along with the Canadian popstar. Other photos show them enjoying takeout and chicken wings, and holding hands.
Tribeca Film Festival
Each spring, the Tribeca Film Festival hits New York City. This time, love was in the air as Perry called Trudeau the “love of my life” in a Q&A after the premiere of her concert film, “Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour.”
The pair had made their red carpet debut just earlier, Trudeau dressed in a black suit and Perry in a cream dress. Their affection for each other was in plain sight of dozens of flashing cameras.
Correction — Feb. 2, 2026
A previous version of this article briefly stated that Trudeau and Perry were spotted at the Grammys on Feb. 1, 2026. However, that information was based on unconfirmed reports.
