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- Halle Bailey Compares Boyfriend DDG to a Disney Prince: “Yeah, I Would Say That”
Halle Bailey Compares Boyfriend DDG to a Disney Prince: “Yeah, I Would Say That”
Getty / Momodu Mansaray
Things between Halle Bailey’s boyfriend, DDG, and the singer still seem to be going smooth, per “The Little Mermaid” star’s latest update on their relationship. Speaking to People ahead of her Disney film’s May 26 debut, Bailey offered a smile and laugh when asked if her rapper beau has the makings of a prince, like the fictional one she falls for in her movie. “People love to talk about this,” she told the outlet, adding, “Yeah. I would say that.”
Despite rumblings about breakup rumors between Bailey and DDG (real name Darryl Grandberry Jr.), the actor seems pleased with the state of her current love life. “I think the best thing about young love is that you’re able to continue to find yourself through this journey of loving somebody else,” Bailey added in her People interview, published on May 17. “And you’re discovering new parts of yourself and maybe things that you didn’t notice before about your heart.”
Bailey, 23, and DDG’s relationship has been the talk of the internet streets lately, especially amid buzz around “The Little Mermaid.” Though fans noticed the two didn’t pose for any photos together at the Los Angeles premiere of Bailey’s film on May 8, the two have still been each other’s red carpet companions in recent months. The pair last posed together at Vanity Fair’s Oscars afterparty on March 12, and prior to that, they were photographed at premiere events for “Avatar 2: The Way Of Water” in December and “Creed III” in February. They were even spotted out together at Milan Fashion Week that same month.
The couple’s 2023 public outings come after Bailey spoke about their romance in her September/October cover story with Essence, in which she shared details about how the pair first got acquainted, revealing that music brought them together.
“I grew up being on YouTube and would always see the young Black creators and was constantly inspired by them. He was one of them,” Bailey told the outlet. She added that she first noticed DDG, 25, online in 2015, but they didn’t connect until she heard of his new music. “. . . I saw that he was dropping music, and I really gravitated toward this one song. Coincidentally he messaged me – and the rest is history.”
Bailey and DDG made their glamorous red carpet debut as a couple at the 2022 BET Awards, but the pair have been dating for quite some time now. Romance rumors first began swirling when they were spotted together at an Usher concert in January 2022. Two months later, on March 27, they went Instagram official.
Since then, the couple have only had good things to say about each other. “She honestly motivated me to be better and work harder and get to certain levels,” DDG said of his girlfriend in a July 2022 interview with DJ Akademiks. Sitting down with “The Breakfast Club” in November 2022, he also said of Bailey, “I’ve never been with nobody that’s, like, really motivated me like she do.”
From posting cute snaps of each other on social media to Bailey giving DDG singing lessons on TikTok, read more about the couple’s relationship timeline ahead.
Related: Halle Bailey’s Boyfriend, DDG, Reacts to Her “The Little Mermaid” Teaser: “I Caught Chills”
Getty / Jeff Kravitz
January 2022: Halle Bailey and DDG Spotted Together at Usher Concert
On Jan. 1, 2022, a video of Bailey and DDG sitting together at Usher‘s Las Vegas residency began to circulate, sparking dating rumors. Later, Usher posted some photos of himself and the pair on his Instagram Story.
Getty / Alberto Rodriguez/GA
March 2022: Halle Bailey and DDG Go Instagram Official
On March 27, 2022, DDG posted a collage of photos and a video of himself and Bailey on Instagram in a since-deleted post. He added the romantic caption, “Happy Birthday to the beautifulest, the flyest, the sweetest ❤️ love you forever ??.”
Getty / Momodu Mansaray
June 2022: Halle Bailey and DDG Make Their Red Carpet Debut
On June 26, 2022, the pair made their red carpet debut at the BET Awards. “I have my boo with me today,” Bailey told a reporter from Extra on the red carpet before DDG joined her. She also admitted to being “nervous” about their red carpet debut, namely about what to wear – but their outfits definitely made the cut.
Getty / Johnny Nunez
July 2022: DDG Says Halle Bailey "Inspires" Him
In a July 5 interview with DJ Akademiks, DDG opened up about his love for his girlfriend. “I honestly get inspired by my girl,” he said. “She honestly motivated me to be better and work harder and get to certain levels. I look up to her in a sense ’cause it’s, like, I never been around nobody that really . . . ’cause I feel like I’m always the motivator, I’m the inspirer.”
But with Bailey, he said, “It’s like I’m in a different mode now where I’m getting inspired by somebody. I feel like it’s healthy in that way for me ’cause it’s like a weight off my shoulders. It’s like, ‘OK, I need to work harder.’ It’s challenging in a good way. It just makes me want to go harder versus feeling overwhelmed or some sh*t.”
Getty / Matt Winkelmeyer
August 2022: Halle Bailey Says She's "For Sure" in Love With DDG
In her September/October cover story with Essence, Bailey opened up about her budding romance with DDG and said, “I’ve been a fan of his for years,” in reference to his YouTube fame. She added that she first noticed him in 2015 before they later sparked a romantic connection. When asked if she’s in love with the rapper, Bailey told the outlet, “Yes. For sure I am.”
Getty / Amy Sussman
April 2023: Halle Bailey Calls Her Relationship With DDG "Deeply Sacred"
Bailey, once again, opened up about her romance with DDG in her May 2023 cover story with British Vogue, published on April 24, where she noted, “Experiencing deep love for the first time in my life is something I feel has opened a whole new world for me creatively.” She continued, “What it feels like to love someone other than your family, like somebody you may not have known two years ago but now they’re the center of your world. I like all of the scary feelings that come with that. I like the suspense, the not knowing what’s going to happen, and I feel like that’s what I’m supposed to be going through in womanhood.”
After calling the couple’s relationship “deeply sacred,” Bailey also shared that she wished their romance wasn’t so publicized. “There’s a lot of eyes on me now, especially with what’s to come. And sometimes I wish I didn’t have so many eyes on me, especially experiencing something like this for the first time.”