Paul Mescal has refused to confirm his relationship status in a new interview, following his rumoured split from Phoebe Bridgers.
The couple, who were reportedly engaged, sparked split speculation in December when Phoebe was linked to American comedian Bo Burnham.
During a new interview with Vanity Fair, the Irish actor said he wants to keep his relationship status private going forward.
He said: “I definitely feel the temptation to say the status of my whatever—that will always be there. But I don’t think that’s a wise thing to do.”
“When Normal People came out, I was very forthright in interviews, and it didn’t actually serve me.”
“But the temptation still exists to be like, ‘Shut the f**k up. This is my life. This is what’s going on. Or this is what’s going on.'”
“But moving forward as much as I can, that’s going to be my life that is private. That’s a difficult thing to achieve.”
“But giving strangers an answer about my life doesn’t actually help me. It’s like a quick boost of serotonin, being like, ‘I’ve said what I need to say.’
“And then it’s just Twitter fodder,” Paul explained.
Paul and Phoebe started dating in 2020, and were rumoured to be engaged early last year.
However, the American singer sparked split speculation in December when she was spotted “flirting” with comedian Bo Burnham at Kate Berlant’s one-woman comedy show.
Phoebe Bridgers and Bo Burnham are sparking dating rumors after recent sightings amid reports that she’s split from Paul Mescal https://t.co/Y5VcdBFSWM
— JustJared.com (@JustJared) December 20, 2022
An insider at Jezebel said that the chemistry between the pair “felt flirtatious” and that Bo seemed to be “trying to impress” Phoebe.
According to the Deux U podcast, Bo and Phoebe were also spotted “making out” and “canoodling” around Los Angeles.
Prior to this, a photo of Phoebe kissing The 1975 frontman Matt Healy while Bo stood behind them went viral.
Matt posted the photo to his Instagram, and captioned it: “Gay Poets Society.”
PHOEBE BRIDGERS AND MATT HEALY KISS ?!?!?!? HUUHHH?????? pic.twitter.com/X5qjw9R5MV
— Omar (@omarfromfinance) December 13, 2022
Paul and Phoebe were first linked in the summer of 2020, when they were spotted on a brunch date in Kinsale, Co. Cork.
Months later, the pair were spotted at the exclusive Soho Farmhouse in England, and onlookers told the Mail On Sunday that they were “all over each other”.
Paul previously starred in the music video for Phoebe’s song Savior Complex, which was directed by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The video was shared on Phoebe’s official Facebook page, just days after Paul finally revealed that he had a girlfriend.
During an interview with GQ in November 2020, the actor described his girlfriend as a “lifesaver”, but refused to name the lucky lady.
One year later, they finally made their red carpet debut as a couple, and went Instagram official the following month.
The couple then sparked engagement rumours last April, when Phoebe referred to Paul as her “fiancé” at Coachella, where she was performing.
