Lupita finally addresses rumour she and Janelle Monae were lovers

Piece by: Moses Sagwe

24 May 2023

• The two have been friends since they met at the Met Gala in 2014.

• At the end of last year Nyong'o introduced his new girlfriend Selema Masekele.

Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o understands why people may believe that she and American artist Janelle Monáe had a romantic relationship.

According to a report in CNN, the two have been friends since they met at the Met Gala in 2014, when Nyong'o was a newcomer to the entertainment scene and had just won an Oscar for her performance in "12 Years a Slave."

"This world is still very new to me and unbelievable," Nyong'o recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

"I think that's what makes her interesting as an artist. “[Janelle] came up to me and just hugged me,” Nyong'o said.

"I think we can turn to music. She was just like, 'I'm proud of you, and just thank you for being you.'"

In 2018, Monáe spoke about identifying as transgender and later revealed that she is not gay and uses the pronouns she and they.

"She has an attraction that they were definitely getting," Nyong'o told Rolling Stone about rumours that the two had a past romance.

"She's a mystery. I wasn't surprised. And I don't mind being associated with her in any capacity." Although they are just close friends (Nyong'o has been dating TV presenter and designer Selema Masekela), Nyong'o said there are still things she doesn't know about Monáe.

"Just because you are her best friend doesn't mean you get to know everything about them," Nyong'o said.

"I think that's what makes her interesting as an artist."

At the end of last year, Nyong'o introduced his new girlfriend, who is a South African citizen living in the United States, Selema Masekele.