Actress Alia Shawkat has finally addressed the persistent dating rumors that linked her to Brad Pitt seven years after speculation first emerged, confirming the two share nothing more than a close friendship rooted in mutual interests.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on Sunday, August 16, Shawkat, 37, sat down alongside her The Wrong Girls costar Kristen Stewart to discuss the media frenzy that surrounded her connection to the Hollywood star. Host Andy Cohen, 58, admitted his fascination with the rumored romance, prompting Shawkat to share the origins of their friendship.
"Um, no — he's just my friend. We became friends," Shawkat told Celebrity News: Latest Celeb News & Pictures - Us Weekly, explaining how filmmaker Spike Jonze facilitated their introduction. The Arrested Development alum described Pitt, 62, as someone deeply interested in art, noting their bond developed organically through shared creative passions.
The actress offered insight into why the dating speculation gained such traction, observing that proximity to Pitt automatically generates romantic assumptions. She joked that simply standing beside him leads people to believe a relationship exists, adding that even his own mother might make such assumptions.
Shawkat recounted how her Arabic grandmother reacted to seeing her granddaughter featured on the cover of a celebrity magazine alongside Pitt. The publication had run an unflattering photograph with a headline questioning the identity of Pitt's new companion. For her grandmother, this tabloid appearance represented a pinnacle of success that decades of film work had not achieved.
"I was like 'I've been working in film for 30 years, you've never seen anything, but you love this,'" Shawkat said during the interview, noting her grandmother's pride in the magazine cover suggested she had finally "made it."
The speculation first ignited in November 2019 when Shawkat and Pitt attended the L.A. on Fire art exhibition in Los Angeles together. Sources close to the situation immediately clarified the platonic nature of their relationship, though public sightings continued to fuel rumors throughout 2020.
The pair was photographed at a Thundercat concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles and later at an In-N-Out location that March, reigniting media interest. Insiders at the time described Shawkat as a trusted confidante who provided support to Pitt following his 2016 divorce from Angelina Jolie.
One source explained in May 2020 that the two actors lived approximately ten minutes apart, making frequent meetups convenient during the coronavirus pandemic. The friendship was characterized as organic and comfortable, with Shawkat serving as a stabilizing presence during a transitional period in Pitt's life.
Shawkat first publicly denied the dating rumors in June 2020, telling Vulture the relationship was purely friendly. She later revealed in a January 2022 interview with The New Yorker that Pitt remained completely unaware of the media speculation surrounding their friendship, as he does not follow tabloid coverage.
When Shawkat informed him about the widespread belief they were romantically involved and that she was being followed by photographers, Pitt reportedly apologized and acknowledged such attention comes with spending time with him. His lack of awareness about the rumors highlighted the disconnect between celebrity reality and public perception.
The speculation ultimately subsided after Pitt began dating Ines de Ramon in late 2022. Shawkat has maintained privacy regarding her personal life throughout her career and welcomed her first child in November 2023.
During the Watch What Happens Live appearance, Stewart, 36, admitted she found the dating rumors captivating, while Cohen suggested there could be worse speculation to endure. Shawkat agreed, maintaining a lighthearted perspective on the experience while emphasizing Pitt's qualities as a friend.
"He's great, he's the coolest," Shawkat concluded, putting to rest years of unfounded romantic speculation while celebrating a friendship that has endured despite intense public scrutiny.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
