When did Minka Kelly and Dan Reynolds start dating? Relationship timeline explored as actress pens heartfelt message for the Imagine Dragons frontman

Minka Kelly and Dan Reynolds have been dating for 2 years now, according to the timelines provided by US Weekly. After initially igniting dating rumors in late 2022, the Imagine Dragons frontman and the Hollywood actress have kept a quiet profile while revealing infrequent glimpses of their growing intimacy, the most recent of which being Kelly's moving birthday homage to Reynolds in July 2025.

The two sparked dating rumors in November 2022 after they were spotted at an Italian restaurant in New York. The date lasted more than five hours, according to USA Weekly. A few days later, the pair was spotted holding hands while out on a stroll, cementing speculations that their romance was taking off. Reynolds had recently divorced Aja Volkman, his wife of more than ten years, with whom he shares four kids. Minka Kelly, on the other hand, had just broken up with comedian and news anchor Trevor Noah after dating for two years.

The two were introduced by a mutual acquaintance, and soon as they exchanged numbers, they spoke to each other every day for a month until they met in person. Kelly had gone abroad for work. They shared personal art, while Reynolds shared unreleased tracks from his unreleased album, Loom, as she shared excerpts from her memoir, Tell Me Everything, which was not released at the time.

Speaking about this to People Magazine, Reynolds said:

“She’s like, ‘Well, if you’re going to share your art, I can share something with you, but it’s very vulnerable for me. Do you want to do this or not?’ She was very scared for me to read the book because we hadn’t met, just as much as I was scared for her to hear a song that I’d written.”

Reynolds added:

“But we shared it and then it ended up being a really beautiful thing and brought us a lot closer. I think it helped us both kind of understand each other on a deeper level quite quickly.”

He admitted that it was a "strange and awesome way" to meet Minka Kelly. He said:

"It was a really strange and awesome way to meet someone because I was hearing all her life stories from youth to now, and she had a really hard, colorful, beautiful life. Getting to read it all before you even meet somebody ... I’ve never had that kind of introduction to someone.”

Since they went on a date, their bond has only gotten stronger, and they never shy away from showing each other PDA. They were seen sharing a kiss during a soccer match between Inter Miami and the LA Galaxy in February 2024. They also attended the Super Bowl that year. They were also present for the premiere of Gladiator II at Paramount Studios in October 2024.

Though Minka Kelly doesn't talk much about her partner that much, she shared sneak peeks into her relationship with the Radioactive hitmaker to People Magazine. She revealed that it was Reynolds, taught her how to play the piano for her Netflix series Ransom Canyon. She said:

"I'll usually ask my partner to show me how it goes. And then he'll show me where my hands go. Then I'll just do it over and over again until I've memorized it."

As reported, Minka Kelly has grown closer to Reynolds' kids, daughter Arrow, son Valentine, and twin girls Gia and Coco. He revealed to People Magazine in July 2024 that his kids "really love" her and they're navigating slowly through all of this. He said:

“The kids really love Minka and really love their mom, and that’s okay. We view it as kind of bonuses to the family: more people to love, more people to help. We’ve just been really careful with that and slow with navigating how to bring Minka in to that conversation."

Reynolds added:

"She’s done a really incredible job of being sensitive and careful on her end as well.”

Minka Kelly's heartfelt message for Dan Reynolds:

Minka Kelly, who usually remains quiet, posted a selfie of the two and captioned:

“This beautiful man has healed wounds in me he did not inflict – simply by being himself. By embodying true masculinity. The kind that is vulnerable, honest and loving."

She added:

“I thought I knew kindness. Love. Patience. Generosity. Care. I thought I knew how to be gentle. And then I met him. Watching him father and love his babies. Honoring and respecting their beautiful mother. Doing everything he can to be absolutely everything everyone needs from him. Finding ways every day to light up the lives of the ones so lucky enough to be loved by him.”

Minka Kelly went on talking about Ryan's qualities and thanked him for blessing her life. She wrote:

“His benevolence, his priorities, his values, and his honesty are all rooted in love. And as a result, we all feel safe and at ease in his orbit. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for blessing my life in ways I never thought possible – but always dreamed of.”

Minka Kelly finally concluded with a birthday wish:

“I love you, Dan. Happiest birthday to you. Now let’s dance!”

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