Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Were Made for Each Other
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are one of those celebrity couples where you think, This is so random it just might work. Who could’ve guessed that the “Firework” singer and Legolas would be such a good match for each other? Not I. But we saw their chemistry live in action at the VMAs, where Bloom presented his fiancée and the mother of his second child with the Video Vanguard Award.
Katy Perry thanks her friends, fans and family — including Orlando Bloom (for "doing the dishes") — after he presents her with the Video Vanguard award at the #VMAs. pic.twitter.com/FFtdxgRyK9
— Variety (@Variety) September 12, 2024
What a smooch! These two have been together since 2016 — yes, there was a break in the middle somewhere — and show no signs of slowing down. Perhaps that’s due to the therapy that they’re always talking about. Whatever it is, it’s working for them. Let’s take a look at how we got here.
Perry and Bloom met over burgers
These lovebirds met back in January 2016 at a Golden Globes after-party hosted by Harvey Weinstein (ack!). At the time, a source told Us Weekly that the two were “extremely flirty and whispering to each other.” Perry later revealed the story of their meet-cute in a 2019 episode of American Idol.
“I met my boyfriend over In-N-Out,” she told a contestant who worked at the fast-food spot. “We were at the Golden Globes and we weren’t together. So I had my security guard grab ten In-N-Outs, and all of a sudden I see my boyfriend’s hand — he wasn’t even sitting at our table — he just swoops in and he grabs it, and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s my burger!’”
So, if you’re sick of dating apps, maybe consider ordering a bunch of burgers the next time you’re at a fancy party.
They went to Coachella
A few months after meeting each other, Perry and Bloom went to Coachella. One eyewitness told E! News that the two were looking very much like a couple while watching the Kills. “They were hugging and with a group of other people. Orlando was behind her and swaying with her to the music. They also were vaping together,” the source said. How romantic!
Bloom partied with Selena Gomez
In May, Bloom was spotted partying in Las Vegas with Selena Gomez. The two had sparked dating rumors a couple years earlier when they attended a Chelsea Handler show together, giving us one of the all-time great paparazzi photos. Perry was not there, and rumors quickly emerged that Bloom was cheating on her with Gomez. Those were shut down by Perry herself on Twitter.
Instead of giving energy & eyeballs to dumb conspiracy ???? check out how C????????L this is: https://t.co/ClmGlPMz3x #dontfeedthebeast
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 12, 2016
She shared a link to an op-ed Bloom wrote about the crisis of education in war-torn countries. Gomez quote-tweeted Perry’s post with the prayer-hands emoji — all was well.
Bloom made it to the grid
A week after their first dalliance with controversy, Perry hard-launched Bloom on Instagram. We called it “going Instagram official” back then, but it’s all the same thing. These two were officially official.
Bloom got naked on a paddleboard
Does Gen Z know about this? I feel like this was the biggest story in the world for a few days. While vacationing in Italy, Perry and Bloom went paddleboarding in the Mediterranean. She wore a bathing suit, he did not. The paparazzi snapped photos. The censored photos were all over the press, while the uncensored photos went viral on Twitter. I have to say, he looked great. I’m not even talking about his dick. Bloom appeared happy and confident, with the kind of tan no other Englishman has ever been capable of achieving.
“It was extremely surprising,” he later told Elle U.K. “I wouldn’t have put myself in that position if I’d thought it would happen. I’ve been photographed a million times in a million ways. I have a good radar.”
In 2020, Perry recalled the incident with Howard Stern. “It was Europe, and we’d had a pretty chill time for a week,” she explained. “Everywhere we looked it was like, everybody was naked! It was Europe, it was Italy! I think he wanted to fit in with the locals.”
This horrifying Halloween moment
I just felt you guys should know that this happened. Oh, how naïve we were…
They broke up
Perry and Bloom broke up in February of 2017. In a joint statement to People, reps for both parties said, “Before rumors or falsifications get out of hand, we can confirm that Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time.”
But stayed friends
In March, Perry got on Twitter to dispel rumors that she and Bloom were on bad terms.
HOW BOUT A NEW WAY OF THINKING FOR 2017⁉️U can still b friends & love ur former partners! No one's a victim or a villain, get a life y'all!????
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) March 2, 2017
A month later, in Elle U.K., Bloom said that the two remained pals. “It’s good. We’re all grown-up. She happens to be someone who is very visible, but I don’t think anybody cares what I’m up to. Nor should they. It’s between us,” he told the magazine.
In August, the two were spotted by a fan at an Ed Sheeran concert. You know, friend stuff.
And then got back together
In February 2018, the pair were seen walking around Prague together. A source told People that they had stayed in touch after their breakup.
“It wasn’t some awful split. They were just busy with their careers and it wasn’t working,” the source said. “In the past few months, they have spent a lot of time together … They are dating, but not necessarily putting a label on it. They are not girlfriend and boyfriend. They do seem very happy together though. Orlando always had the nicest things to say about Katy. He loves spending time with her.”
In April, they met the pope together, which is a funny thing to do with the guy you insist is not your boyfriend.
By September, these two were ready to make their reunion public. They walked the red carpet together for the first time at the Gala for the Global Ocean at the Opera of Monte-Carlo in Monaco. These two love being in Europe.
He put a ring on it!
On Valentine’s Day 2019, three years after they first met, Bloom proposed to Perry with a ring shaped like a flower. This was cute as hell, and I think “full bloom” was a perfect Instagram caption for the occasion!
“It was Valentine’s Day, and I had to work that day,” Perry later recalled on Capital Breakfast With Roman Kemp. “I just remember meeting him at dinner at this place, this Italian restaurant, because when I get a pass, I just want to stuff my face with pasta. So I get there and, I mean, he’s like clean-shaven. He’s not wearing tennis shoes. I’m like, ‘Ah, shit, something is going down!’ We were ordering everything, and I was like, ‘Who is this person?’”
Bloom then led her to a helicopter and proposed while they were in the air. “We landed on this building and then went downstairs and my family and friends were there and the most flowers you’ve ever seen. It’s like when Kanye does that for Kim, you’re like, ‘Oh my God!’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
They took time to get “aligned”
Instead of getting married right away, Perry and Bloom took their time before jumping into wedding planning. If your first marriage ended via text while the documentary cameras were filming, you, too, might take things slow the next time around. They moved in together in March of 2019, and in June, Perry said that they were in no rush to get hitched.
“[We’re] definitely trying to, like, lay the good emotional foundation for the lifetime of commitment, which is, like, a big deal, you know,” Perry said when asked about when she’d be getting married on KISS Breakfast With Tom & Daisy.
In August, Bloom was on the Today show talking about their decision to take their time. “It’s important to me that we are aligned — I’ve been married and divorced, and I don’t want to do it again,” he said. “And we’re both fully aware of that. She’s remarkable, and so I’m always so impressed with that and I’m encouraged.”
Perry announced her pregnancy
The last shot of the video for “Never Worn White” showed Perry cradling a baby bump. If you don’t remember this, it might be because it was March 4, 2020, and it can be hard to access memories from that period of time.
omg so glad I don’t have to suck it in anymore ????
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) March 5, 2020
or carry around a big purse lol
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) March 5, 2020
COVID got in the way of their wedding
The day after Perry announced her pregnancy, a source told People that her and Bloom’s nuptials were being postponed due to COVID. The couple had reportedly been set to have a 150-person wedding in Japan that summer and Perry was “actually really excited about walking down the aisle pregnant.”
Little Daisy Bloom arrived
On August 26, 2020, Perry gave birth to a girl, Daisy. The couple announced her arrival through UNICEF’s Instagram page. They’re both Goodwill Ambassadors for the organization and used Daisy’s birth as a chance to shine a light on the health risks posed to pregnant people and newborns around the world. Kind of a cool move from them, to be honest.
Perry and Miranda Kerr hung out
Before Perry, Bloom was married to the model Miranda Kerr. They share a son, Flynn, and are apparently really chill about their situation. In July 2021, Perry went to a yoga event for Kerr’s Kora Organics face mist. Doing spon-con with your fiancé’s ex-wife? Talk about a modern family. Bloom himself was delighted to see the two together, and commented, “You guys are the cutest. I mist all the fun,” under Perry’s post.
They chilled out a bit
Following years of media attention for every vacation, quote, and appearance, things seemed to cool down for the couple. Perry kicked off her Vegas residency in January 2022, and Bloom was there to support her. They continued to talk about wedding planning. Both Perry and Boom spoke about the challenges of their relationship and how they work through them.
“We love [couples therapy] because it keeps us in tune,” Perry told Chelsea Handler on the Dear Chelsea podcast in May 2022. “The resentment can get really strong when you’re both working hard. When you want to come back to being normal in a domesticated world where you have a child and stuff like that, you have to really learn how to be kind of different out there in the big and in the small.”
In February 2023, Bloom told Flaunt magazine that their relationship isn’t always easy. “Sometimes things are really, really, really, challenging. I won’t lie. We definitely battle with our emotions and creativity,” he said. “I think we’re both aware of how blessed we are to have uniquely connected in the way that we did at the time that we did.”
Perry went back into promo mode
As part of the promotional cycle for her upcoming album, 143, Perry has been talking about Bloom in the press. She recently revealed to Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast why they originally split back in 2017.
“We weren’t really in it from day one,” Perry said. “He was because he had just done a huge time of celibacy, and he had set intentions. I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I need to swim in a different pond,’ but I had to do a lot of real work.”
Bloom apparently spent a week at the Hoffman Institute (a Goop-approved, $5,000 retreat once called “therapy boot camp”) and came back unwilling to play the “cat-mouse game” with Perry anymore. She broke up with him and eventually went to the Hoffman Institute on her own.
“I got the tools and spoke the same language, and it changed my life,” Perry told Cooper. “It saved my life. I would be dead without it. I would not be on this planet without that process — and meditation,” Perry said. She initiated their reconnection shortly afterwards.
This was the same interview in which Perry said that her “love language” is when her partner does the dishes. “If I come downstairs and the kitchen is clean, and you’ve done all the dishes, and you’ve closed all the pantry doors, you better be ready to get your dick sucked,” she exclaimed. “I’ve cleaned the whole house,” Bloom later commented on Perry’s post promoting the episode.
They made out at the VMAs
Katy Perry thanks her friends, fans and family — including Orlando Bloom (for "doing the dishes") — after he presents her with the Video Vanguard award at the #VMAs. pic.twitter.com/FFtdxgRyK9
— Variety (@Variety) September 12, 2024
Bloom presented Perry with the Video Vanguard award at the VMAs, and she greeted him with a big ol’ kiss. In her speech, Perry thanked Bloom for his support, saying, “Thank you to Orlando for keeping me grounded, celebrated, and doing the dishes.” I officially declare this joke over. That being said, I’m glad these two have each other. Maybe this is finally their year to get married.
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