They didn’t make a spectacular entrance. At a Janelle Monáe concert in October 2023, they simply stood side by side—familiar, warm, but without a publicist-approved handhold. Their body language was strikingly intimate, yet almost purposely nondescript.
Joshua Jackson and Lupita Nyong’o had already started dating, if only temporarily, by the time rumors became news. They didn’t declare it, but the evidence slowly mounted up: shared dinners, overlapping trips, and a comfort that suggested more than friendship.
Both have ended long-term partnerships in recent months. Nyong’o had parted ways with Selema Masekela, while Jackson had finalized his divorce from Jodie Turner-Smith. Instead than running away from their pasts, the couple appeared to accept them—two somewhat worn hearts leaning into something natural.
In March 2024, the two were sighted in Mexico celebrating Lupita’s birthday. Those candid vacation photographs tell a narrative more effectively than any caption. He shielded her face from the sun at a restaurant by the sea; she grinned in the middle of a sentence, carefree and at ease.
| Person | Details |
|---|---|
| Lupita Nyong’o | Kenyan-Mexican actress; Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave. Known for Us, Black Panther, The 355. Born March 1, 1983. |
| Joshua Jackson | Canadian-American actor; rose to fame in Dawson’s Creek, acclaimed for The Affair, Dr. Death. Born June 11, 1978. |
| Relationship | Began dating in late 2023 after respective breakups. Split confirmed by Lupita in October 2024. |
| Source | People.com – Relationship Timeline |
The event resonated—not because it was unique, but because it seemed true. They weren’t performing. They were merely being. That subtlety made their connection feel very honest.
Then, without interruption or scandal, things vanished. By early summer, sightings ceased. Neither unfollowed the other on social media. No spectacular declarations were issued. The connection dissolved as casually as it had began.
In October, Lupita featured in Harper’s Bazaar UK with clarity that hinted at the transition. “If I’m lucky enough to love again,” she continued gently, “I’ll know better what to ask for.” Her comments weren’t bitter—just introspective, purposefully prepared.
What stands out in hindsight is how therapeutic the friendship looked. It was more of an emotional release than a headline romance.
Both had experienced highly publicized and occasionally politically charged relationships in the past. Jodie Turner-Smith once mentioned how her autonomy had been challenged by her red carpet pregnancy announcement. “It took something from me,” she said in a late-2024 interview, “something I wasn’t ready to give.”
That sentiment reflected in how Lupita and Joshua walked through public space—visibly together, but never putting their affection on stage. It was their attempt to protect something sacred, possibly even temporary.
By November 2024, Jackson had been seen on discreet outings with another actress. In the meantime, Lupita had returned to her creative rhythm, sharing poetry, advocating for African literature, and finding happiness in non-romantic pursuits.
Remarkably successful in its short, their connection may not have been meant to persist, but it certainly mattered.
They reminded us that some relationships come to us to help us reconcile with the past rather than to create futures.
In private areas, there’s a form of love that’s less about destination and more about healing. What Nyong’o and Jackson shared felt eerily comparable to that—a lull between storms, not a new weather system.
Even Turner-Smith showed grace when asked about them, saying: “If they’re happy, I’m happy. Life is too brief to harbor anger. Her words weren’t performative. They conveyed the kind of maturity that rarely trends.
That’s perhaps the enduring note of this short chapter—it was handled with emotional generosity on all sides.
It’s easy to discount something quick as trivial. However, some of the most instructive partnerships are short-lived. They instruct us, redirect us, help us listen more attentively to ourselves.
Through deliberate stillness, they kept something lovely.
It didn’t need to finish with fury to be real. It didn’t need to be forever to be important.
Not all love needs to crescendo. Some simply must be experienced.
