Shay Mitchell’s onscreen love life made headlines when she portrayed Emily Fields in the popular “Pretty Little Liars” series from 2010 to 2017. During that time, she was also navigating her real life, which included a high-profile relationship with Ryan Silverstein.
While Mitchell may not have always been vocal about her relationships, one thing she’s spoken out about is how she doesn’t plan on labeling her sexuality. “When I started, people were like, ‘What are you?’ I’m like, ‘Right now I’m dating a guy. I don’t know what it’s going to be in three years,'” she told Cosmopolitan in May 2016. “I could be 50 and dating a woman and then what? I said I was straight and now I’m not?”
“You love who you love: black, white, polka-dot. That’s what my dad always said,” Mitchell added. “I’m never going to label myself.”
Another thing Mitchell isn’t into is the idea of getting married, though she has two daughters, Rome and Atlas, with partner Matte Babel. “A lot of people ask, it’s never been something I really cared for,” she told Entertainment Tonight in June 2020. “And I love weddings, love weddings. I can watch them all day long. I love attending, I love being a part of my friends’ [weddings], anybody’s to be quite honest. It’s just not something I care for for myself and it’s something that Matte and I have spoken about.”
Throughout her adult life, Mitchell says she’s been lucky in love, due in part to her confidence. “We’re developing so much in our 20s and what we are learning, who we are,” she said during a “Call Her Daddy” podcast episode in May 2023. “And when you get together and you’re married, you grow as a unit, you know, and sometimes that’s great, but sometimes it’s detrimental to your own development.”
“And I think the reason why I’ve been very lucky to be in, for the most cases, great relationships,” she added, “is because I’ve always felt pretty secure and confident with who I was first before getting into a relationship.”
To find out more about Mitchell’s love life, scroll this gallery.
Getty / Noel Vasquez
Jimmy Butler
Mitchell and Butler sparked romance rumors in May 2016 when they were spotted enjoying lunch together at Il Pastaio restaurant in Beverly Hills, per People. Their outing came months after the two were spotted chatting court-side at the Staples Center when Butler – who played for the Chicago Bulls at the time – was in town with his team to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Adding fuel to the fire, Butler had previously spoken out about how Mitchell was his celebrity crush during a YouTube Q&A. “I’d probably go with Shay Mitchell, who plays Emily on ‘Pretty Little Liars,'” Butler said at the time.
“She’s really, really good-looking,” he added. “Shay Mitchell it is.”
Their romance was never officially confirmed.
Getty / Allen Berezovsky
Matte Babel
Mitchell and Babel have been publicly linked since 2017. The duo welcomed their first child, a daughter named Atlas, in October 2019, and a second baby girl, Rome, in May 2022. Prior to having Atlas and Rome, Mitchell had a pregnancy loss, which she opened up about on her Instagram Stories on New Year’s Day in 2019.
“Although it was an amazing year it didn’t come without hardships,” she wrote. “We all have to deal with various struggles and challenges in life. And sometimes it’s easier to only showcase the good times on social media, which is what leads many people to criticize it for its lack of authenticity.”
“Having so many people follow me on Instagram and read my posts is both incredibly humbling and hugely uplifting. The support and affection that so many of you show me lifts me up during even my darkest days, one of which happened last year after I miscarried and lost the child of my hopes and dreams,” she added. “In the spirit of the new year, I think that we need to remember that we are all on this journey together – in good times and in bad – and to remind ourselves that we seldom really know or understand the struggles and hardships that other people are going through.”
In June 2020, Mitchell spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her relationship with Babel and how watching him be a dad is the greatest gift. “It’s so much fun to see how already wrapped around her finger he already is,” she said of their eldest daughter. “I mean, Atlas has these little hands but let me tell you, he’s all around them. He can’t say ‘no’ already and I’m like, ‘I told you so.’ It’s a special relationship and it’s so nice to see it grow.”
In May 2023, Mitchell once again opened up about how her relationship with Babel didn’t need a marriage label. “I love the word partner,” she said during a “Call Her Daddy” podcast interview. “He’s my partner in a lot of things. He helps me with so much with my business. Obviously, we’re partners in raising our girls together. He’s my partner in life that we’re living right now, and I like it.”
As for whether she’ll ever walk down the aisle, Mitchell shared that she’d be open to a commitment ceremony, but perhaps in another decade when they’ve experienced more life together. “I’d love to have a commitment ceremony, maybe in like 10 years,” she said. “I could look at him and be like, ‘Hey, we should have a celebration because we just did that.'”
