Minka Kelly and Dan Reynolds Are "On Top of the World" in Their Relationship

We first met Minka Kelly as the girl on the phone in Puddle of Mudd’s “She Hates Me,” and now she’s dating legendary Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds. While both have had long histories before meeting one another, once they got to know each other, the sparks flew instantly.

As they got to know each other, their relationship deepened. In July 2024, Dan gave some insider information about their relationship — how they met and how that strengthened their bond. Through photos captured by the paparazzi and adoring fans, we’ve put together a definitive relationship timeline for Minka Kelly and Dan Reynolds.

A big part of Minka and Dan’s relationship was actually the fact that both were recovering from prior relationships. Dan was famously in an on-and-off relationship with his now ex-wife Aja Volkman. The two share four children together — daughter Arrow, twins Coco and Gia, and their youngest son, Valentine, who was born in 2019 after they split in 2018 and reunited before his birth.

But Aja and Dan officially separated in Sept. 2022 after “many beautiful years” together, according to one of Dan’s tweets. Minka, on the other hand, was famously in a “toxic relationship” (according to her 2023 memoir, Tell Me Everything) with her Friday Night Lights co-star, Taylor Kitsch. Then in 2020, she started dating former Daily Show host Trevor Noah, although their relationship ended by mid-2022.

A month before meeting in person, a mutual friend introduced Minka and Dan virtually. Dan opened up to People about how the couple first started talking. She was working on her memoir while he was working on a new album, and he shared a new song with her. “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. Do you want to do this or not?’” Dan shared.

“She was very scared for me to read the book because we hadn’t met, just as much as I was scared for her to hear a song that I’d written," he continued. "But we shared it and then it ended up being a really beautiful thing and brought us a lot closer. I think it helped us both kind of understand each other on a deeper level quite quickly.”

The couple first stepped into the spotlight together in November 2022, just a couple of months after Dan had announced his split from Aja. But friends were extremely supportive of the pair. A source told Life & Style that they were “in the very early stages” and that Minka “may have finally found The One.” They were first seen enjoying lunch together at a Los Angeles Italian restaurant before leaving together with a hint of PDA.

Just seven months after they were first spotted together, friends of the pair told Us Weekly that they’re “so in love … He and Minka spend as much of their free time together as possible,” the source said. “When they can’t be together, oftentimes they’re texting, FaceTiming, and calling each other.”

Others added that they have “an amazing connection” and that “they’re both incredibly happy.” Minka and Dan were then seen exchanging some PDA in front of the Ole Henriksen Face/Body Spa in Los Angeles on June 23, 2023.

Although Dan and Aja separated in Sept. 2022, the divorce wasn’t finalized until March 2024. Perhaps to celebrate, or maybe just to catch up with one another, Minka and Dan were once again seen having lunch in Los Angeles. The pair seemed as cozy as ever as they snuggled up in loungewear.

Throughout their relationship, Dan and Minka have not been shy about enjoying one another’s company. Their latest outing together was the UFC 303 match on June 29, 2024, although they’ve gone to plenty of other big events together, including the Inter Miami FC soccer match against the Los Angeles Galaxy and the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Going forward, we are “Believer(s)” that Dan could get on one knee once again.