Lupita Nyong’o, an actress, understands that some people might think she and Janelle Monáe were in a romantic relationship.
Since they met at the Met Gala in 2014, when Nyong’o was still relatively new to the entertainment industry and had just won an Oscar for her performance in “12 Years a Slave,” the two have been friends.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Nyong’o recalled, “This world is still extremely new to me and unbelievable”
“[Janelle] came up to me and just gave me the realest hug,” Nyong’o said. “I think we may have swayed to the music. She was just like, ‘I’m so proud of you, and just thank you for being you.’”
Monáe discussed her pansexual identity in 2018, and she later revealed that she is nonbinary and uses the pronouns she/her and they/them.
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When asked about rumors of a previous relationship, Nyong’o told Rolling Stone,
“She has magnetism that they were obviously picking up on. She is that enigmatic. I was not surprised. And I don’t mind being associated with her in any capacity.”
While they are just close companions (Nyong’o has been dating TV host and originator Selema Masekela), Nyong’o expressed there’s still things she has hardly any familiarity with Monáe.
“Just because you’re a close friend of hers doesn’t mean you get to know everything about her,” Nyong’o said. “I think that’s what makes her interesting as an artist.”
“The Age of Pleasure,” Monáe’s upcoming album, comes out on June 9.
