Lupita Nyong'o's Dating Life Isn't Like Her Black Panther Character

Lupita Nyong’o plays the lover of the late T’Challa in the Black Panther films, but in real life, you’ll probably never find out who her lover is. Nyong’o is currently single — at least as far as the public knows. The Oscar winner keeps her dating life private, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t faced her fair share of dating rumors.

Since coming to fame, she’s only had one confirmed public relationship. Nyong’o reportedly started dating Keinan Abdi Warsame, more popularly known as rapper and poet K’naan, in September 2013 after meeting in New York. The two went public with their relationship in May 2014 and even attended Glamour’s Women of the Year awards together that year. However, the two privately split at the end of 2014 after a year of dating.

In 2014, as Nyong’o was promoting 12 Years a Slave during awards season, she grew close to Jared Leto and sparked dating rumors. Leto even called her his “future ex-wife” while accepting his Independent Spirit Award, adding, “I’m thinking about you.” The two won their Oscars on the same night, and while they didn’t officially date, they still share a close friendship to this day.

In March 2019, Nyong’o told Net-a-Porter that she shared a special “intimacy” with Leto, despite never going beyond friendship. “Jared Leto, he’s still on speed dial, because we were on that journey together and he’s so embracing of me,” she explained. “There was an intimacy that grew from that, that goes beyond the dating rumors, beyond all that.” More recently, the duo reunited at Spotify’s Beach event at the Cannes Lion festival in June 2022, sharing a sweet hug and posing for photographers.

Speaking to British Vogue in December 2019, Nyong’o explained that she values her privacy at home when she’s not on set filming, which is why she keeps her dating life quiet. “Privacy is a commodity that is hard to come by,” she said. “Filming is so time-consuming. And intense. With Black Panther, a lot of us were single. On Little Monsters, nobody was single. Everyone, when they’re done with their day’s work, wants to go home to their families, which makes a whole lot of sense. When you don’t have that, it’s very isolating.” Clearly, if she is dating somebody, fans won’t hear it from her.