The Coachella festival grounds: a place of celebrity make outs, awkward ex run-ins, new couple debuts and more, all for public viewing and ultimately—when photos spread—tabloid reporting. And the first weekend of 2018's festival did not disappoint.
The Weeknd cried on stage while singing about his ex Selena Gomez (who skipped the festival) but ended up being PDAy with two girls, including his other ex Bella Hadid! Kendall Jenner very deliberately avoided her 'fading out' boyfriend Blake Griffin, essentially confirming they're done! Brooklyn Beckham further pounded the nail into the Brooklyn-Chloë Grace Moretz relationship coffin by going out with another girl! And Leonardo DiCaprio got fed by his not-even-of-drinking-age brunette model girlfriend!
New love! Surprise PDA! Several awkward moments! Tears! Here, your guide to all the drama being reported.
The Weeknd, Bella Hadid, Selena Gomez, and Chantel Jeffries
The Weeknd and his ex Bella Hadid kind of looked back together because they are kind of back together—but she wasn't the only girl The Weeknd focused on this weekend. The Weeknd performed 'Call Out My Name' Friday night and first made headlines because he looked like he was about to break down singing about his ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. He couldn't bring himself to finish some lines in the song, like 'And when times were rough, when times were rough/I made sure I held you close to me' (a reference likely to The Weeknd being for Gomez during her health struggles and kidney transplant last year). The Weeknd and Gomez went Instagram official at the festival last year and made out all over it, so perhaps the memories came flooding back.
But! The Weeknd also sang his song about wanting Bella Hadid back, "Wasted Times." And a fan claimed Hadid was watching his set.
Whether she was or wasn't, no photos will tell you, but the two definitely were at the Kylie Cosmetics Coachella party Friday night. And E! and Us Weekly say they were definitely kissing, though the amount of smooching varies (E! says they were 'kissing all night,' Us says they 'kissed a couple times.') Both outlets say they were generally cuddly and all over each other though. Meanwhile, Bella has shut down the rumours, comment on E! News' Instagram post about the smooch to say: 'It wasn't me.'
TMZ posted photos of The Weeknd getting cuddly with Justin Bieber's ex Chantel Jeffries. They were seen hugging and at one point, Jeffries rested her head on The Weeknd's shoulder. Aw. But also oh, how complicated for Hadid when she reads about it.
Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Baskin Champion
Speaking of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, Bieber was at Coachella....and with rumored new fling Baskin Champion. Gomez, who Bieber 'loves so much' and wants to be serious when the timing is right, was not. Gomez was seen Friday evening—the night The Weeknd cried singing about her—buying a lot of wine with friends at a Target in Irvine, California. Irvine is roughly an hour and 45 minutes from the Coachella festival grounds. Some fans speculated Gomez was en route to Coachella for day two. But she was never photographed there.
Bieber totally was, though. He saw the yodeling kid. He reportedly punched a man who grabbed a woman by the throat at a party. He led worship at the popup Coachella church. He laid on the ground with a woman fans identified as his physical therapist Jocelyne Miranda:
He was not photographed making out with Champion though at one point, they appeared to be dancing:
And Champion posted multiple shots from Coachella on her 'gram:
Relationship status: still unclear but not serious enough to derail the widely-reported-on love Bieber has for Gomez and likely eventual reconciliation of Jelena.
Kendall Jenner and Blake Griffin
Kendall Jenner and her boyfriend Blake Griffin basically confirmed they're done for now at Coachella. The two were at the Bootsy Bellows and McDonald’s Coachella party on Saturday and didn't make much contact at all. Jenner and Griffin were previously reported to be close to breaking up and technically 'cooling off' on March 1. Griffin, an NBA player, was traded from the LA Clippers to the Detroit Pistons, and the new distance contributed largely to that.
At the party, People reports, Jenner was with Bella and Gigi Hadid at a table. Griffin 'walked past Jenner’s table as she stared at him, and she then turned to whisper something to a friend,' People wrote. And that was literally all that happened between them an eyewitness could see. The Hadid sisters know the rest.
Brooklyn Beckham, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Meredith Mickelson
Brooklyn Beckham also further confirmed he was done with Chloë Grace Moretz at Coachella. Yes, he already was photographed kissing model Lexi Wood a week ago, despite him and Moretz never formally announcing their breakup. But at Coachella, he was photographed chatting with 18-year-old blonde model Meredith Mickelson over milkshakes. Daily Mail says it was flirty—though this was the outlet's assessment strictly off the photos, which just show two attractive young people having a conversation. Make what you will of their actual relationship status.
Moretz, meanwhile, was in Beijing at the 2018 Beijing International Film Festival on Sunday Beijing time, 12 hours ahead of Coachella time. She looked fantastic:
Travis Scott, Kylie Jenner, Tyga, and Iggy Azalea
Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner, whose first couple sighting was last Coachella, returned this year together without their baby Stormi Webster—and went to the same party as Jenner's ex Tyga. The four were all at the TAO X Revolve Desert Nights party Friday. Jenner shared a pic of her and Scott. It was the only Coachella photo she posted that another person appeared in on her official Instagram grid:
Tyga, meanwhile, was spotted holding hands with Iggy Azalea and sparked dating rumors. Entertainment Tonight reported they arrived "hand-in-hand" at the TAO party. They were also seen by fans generally on the festival grounds.
Complex noted that it's their second festival together: in March, Azalea made a surprise appearance during Tyga's set at the Jumanji Festival in Melbourne. Close friends or something more, time will reveal...or maybe Coachella weekend 2.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Camila Morrone
And last but certainly not least, Leonardo DiCaprio took a private plane to Coachella with his 20-year-old model girlfriend Camila Morrone. So they're still on and strong! She was photographed feeding him a snack, though it's so grainy, you can't quite make out what DiCaprio's eating. DiCaprio wore a long sleeve hoodie and kept the hood over him in the desert heat, so he was in shy Leo mode.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
