Minka Kelly and Dan Reynolds began their romance over the phone — and the rest is history.
Reynolds shared that he was introduced to Kelly by a mutual friend in 2022 following his divorce from Aja Volkman. The twosome spoke over the phone for a while eventually agreeing to send each other what they were working on. Kelly was in the midst of writing her Tell Me Everything memoir while Reynolds, who is the frontman of rock band Imagine Dragons, was busy with his Loom album.
“She’s like, ‘Well, if you’re going to share your art, I can share something with you, but it’s very vulnerable for me,’” Reynolds recalled to People in July 2024. “‘Do you want to do this or not?’”
Reynolds explained that they ended up sharing their work with each other, which “ended up being a really beautiful thing and brought [them] a lot closer.”
Searching for The One. Minka Kelly has had a series of high-profile relationships throughout the course of her career. As she got her start on Friday Night Lights in 2006, the actress began a secret romance with her costar Taylor Kitsch. In her 2023 memoir, Tell Me Everything, Kelly recalled her relationship with her on-screen […]
The couple were spotted in public for the first time in November 2022 at an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.
“These are obviously early days for Minka and Dan but it’s going great and they’re both incredibly happy,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2022.
More than two years later, Reynolds and Kelly are still going strong with Reynolds even making a cameo in Kelly’s Netflix series Ransom Canyon.
“He came to visit and everyone, all the producers and writers, just naturally fell in love with him, like you do. It’s easy to love Dan,” she gushed to People in April 2025, noting that he was “such a good sport” about the cameo and “down to play.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Kelly and Reynolds’ relationship:
2022
Reynolds explained that he began talking to Kelly on the phone after being introduced by a mutual friend. The twosome agreed to exchange each other’s work as Kelly was working on her Tell me Everything memoir and Reynolds was preparing music for his Loom album.
“I think it helped us both kind of understand each other on a deeper level quickly,” he shared with People in July 2024. “It was a really strange and awesome way to meet someone because I was hearing all her life stories from youth to now, and she had a really hard, colorful, beautiful life. Getting to read it all before you even meet somebody … I’ve never had that kind of introduction to someone.”
Dan Reynolds’ estranged wife, Aja Volkman, has officially filed for divorce from the Imagine Dragons singer, Us Weekly can confirm. The Nico Vega frontwoman, 43, filed for dissolution of marriage against Reynolds, 35, on Tuesday, April 18, according to legal documents obtained by Us. The “Radioactive” singer and Volkman tied the knot in March 2011. […]
November 2022
Kelly and Reynolds were photographed for the first time together at an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles where they spent more than five hours enjoying each other’s company, according to Page Six.
December 2022
A source told Us that Kelly and Reynolds were in the “early days” of dating, but things are “going great and they’re both incredibly happy.”
“Being back on the singles’ scene after long relationships has been a challenging adjustment for each of them, so they’re taking their time and easing into it as opposed to running before they can walk, so to speak,” the insider explained. “But so far, so good, and they’re having fun, getting along great.”
June 2023
The couple were seen packing on the PDA in Los Angeles, per photos obtained by the Daily Mail. That same month, a source told Us that Kelly and Reynolds were “so in love.”
“Things are going amazing for them both,” the source shared, adding that their relationship “started out slowly,” but they have “gotten much more serious” over the past couple of months.
“He and Minka spend as much of their free time together as possible,” the insider noted. “When they can’t be together, oftentimes they’re texting, FaceTiming and calling each other.”
February 2024
The pair were spotted at the Los Angeles Galaxy versus Inter Miami soccer game and at Super Bowl LVII.
September 2024
Kelly shared the first photo of the couple on social media with their backs towards the camera in an Instagram carousel.
“Thankyouthankyouthankyouiloveyou 💫,” she captioned the post.
October 2024
Reynolds and Kelly attended a special screening of Gladiator II in Los Angeles.
March 2025
The lovebirds were seen cuddling up with each other while stepping out for a coffee run in Los Angeles, per Just Jared.
April 2025
Reynolds made a surprise cameo on Kelly’s Netflix show, Ransom Canyon. Kelly later revealed that Reynolds really helped her prepare for the role by teaching her piano.
“He helped me a lot,” she said on an episode of Today with Jenna & Friends at the time. “Because at home he’d help me translate — I can’t read music — so he would show me how it’s done.”
July 2025
Kelly shared a sweet Instagram tribute to Reynolds for his birthday.
“This beautiful man has healed wounds in me he did not inflict — simply by being himself,” she wrote alongside a selfie of the couple. “By embodying true masculinity. The kind that is vulnerable, honest and loving. I thought I knew kindness. Love. Patience. Generosity. Care. I thought I knew how to be gentle. And then I met him.”
The Ransom Canyon actress went on to say how much she loves “watching him father and love his babies” and “honoring and respecting their beautiful mother.” (Reynolds shares four children with ex-wife Aja Volkman.)
Dan Reynolds’ estranged wife, Aja Volkman, has officially filed for divorce from the Imagine Dragons singer, Us Weekly can confirm. The Nico Vega frontwoman, 43, filed for dissolution of marriage against Reynolds, 35, on Tuesday, April 18, according to legal documents obtained by Us. The “Radioactive” singer and Volkman tied the knot in March 2011. […]
“Doing everything everyone needs from him. Finding ways every day to light up the lives of the ones so lucky enough to be loved by him,” she gushed. “His benevolence, his priorities, his values, and his honesty are all rooted in love. And as a result, we all feel safe and at ease in his orbit.”
Kelly thanked the Imagine Dragons singer for “loving” her and “blessing” her “life in ways [she] never thought possible — but always dreamed of.”
“I love you, Dan. Happiest birthday to you. Now let’s dance!” she concluded her post.
November 2025
Kelly detailed her meet-cute with Reynolds during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
“I accidentally just said, ‘What a crazy day today, I just turned in my final pages of my book,’” Kelly recalled of one of her first texts with Reynolds. “And he was like, ‘I wanna read it.’ So I was like, ‘Well, OK, well, here you go. You’ll either be terrified and run for the hills, or you’ll see the beauty in all of it.’ He fortunately was the latter, and it just made us closer.”
Days earlier, however, Kelly was hesitant to address her relationship during an interview on Today.
“Speaking about the holidays and love in this rom-com, you have a very big love in your life right now,” Jenna Bush Hager said, referring to Kelly’s Champagne Problems. “Talk about your relationship if you feel comfortable.”
Kelly seemed to struggle to find the right words, briefly noting that she was “very lucky” in her love life.
“He’s a really good guy,” she added.
June 2026
Dan Reynolds and Minka Kelly Kelly Lee Barrett / Cinespia
Kelly and Reynolds enjoyed a rare public date night when they attended Cinespia’s screening of Fast Times Ridgemont High at Hollywood Forever Cemetery presented by Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video.
July 2026
Kelly celebrated Reynolds’ birthday with a glowing social media tribute.
“Thank you for making ordinary days feel extraordinary, for making me laugh until I can’t breathe, and for loving so deeply and so freely,” Kelly wrote via Instagram. “Celebrating you is one of my favorite things to do. I love you, Dan. Happy birthday ♥️.”
