Ever since their highly publicized split in May 2014, it’s been a topic of discussion for celebrity couples how to move on from a failed marriage. While some have chosen to remain private, opting for candlelit dinners and romantic getaways, others have gone public with the details of their reunion. One of the more interesting celebrity couples to emerge from the shadows is that of singer and songwriter Nicki Minaj and actor and director Robert Pattinson. Their split was acrimonious and lasted for more than a year, leaving fans wondering if they would ever reconcile. But as time passed and the paparazzi cooled their jets, the world began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, these two had found their way back to each other. After all, it’s not easy to stay away from each other for so long!
The couple was first linked together in 2012 when they were both featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. Since then, they’ve been seen together at various events, including the Met Gala and the Doha Film Institute Gala.
A Feudal Match?
During an appearance on the Howard Stern Show in December 2014, Minaj revealed that she had been dating Pattinson since 2013. They have been photographed together on numerous occasions and, though she initially tried to play it down, eventually she and Stern confirmed the news of their relationship. It wasn’t just a publicity stunt either; they are reportedly deeply in love.
Their love story is a remarkable one. Both were previously married. Pattinson wed his ex-wife Emily in 2002 and the couple had two daughters, Alice and Lola. Minaj wed her high school sweetheart, Jay-Z in 2008 and the couple had one daughter named Natalia. In Minaj’s case, both of her marriages ended in divorce. In 2013, she was married to the rapper Safare when she and Stern broke the news of their relationship on the air. Since then, she has been seen dating both musicians and actors.
Pattinson, on the other hand, had a more traditional relationship. Following his high school graduation in 1995, he studied at Oxford University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. He started his acting career in 1997 and since then has appeared in several high-profile movies, earning award nominations for his work. In 2010, he directed and starred in the film The Lost City, which was an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In 2011, he also directed and starred in the film The Rover, based on the novel by the same name by James Carlos Blake. The film tells the story of an unemployed man (Pattinson) who has to take care of his younger brother (Samuel Joslin) after their parents die in a car crash. The two become fixated on an antique Rover and set off on a road trip across America in search of romance.
Rumors of their possible reconciliation began to emerge after the couple was seen leaving Pattinson’s apartment in New York City on November 3, 2014. As they emerged from the building’s front door, they were followed by cameras from E! News, People, and others. One of the reporters asked if they were separating and Minaj replied, “We’re not here to talk about that.” When questioned by another reporter, Pattinson smiled and replied, “No, we’re not.”
Taking Their Time
The pair’s appearance on Stern was met with criticism from some fans who felt that they were playing the media for fools by appearing together on a show that pokes fun at celebrity gossip. In a YouTube video posted by Minaj on December 12, 2014, she apologized to her fans for participating in the interview. As she noted in the video, they were simply doing what artists do: “We’re musicians, we’re actors…we don’t follow the rules, so we’ll occasionally break them just to see what happens.”
Whether or not their reunion was orchestrated by the media, it wasn’t long before they were back in the public eye. Less than a month after appearing on Stern, Minaj and Pattinson were seen attending the 2014 American Music Awards together. And while they had appeared to be keeping their relationship under wraps, it wasn’t long before photos of them leaving an event together surfaced online. In January 2015, they were photographed leaving a restaurant in New York City and, two months later, they were seen in a romantic embrace at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards. That same month, Vanity Fair published a preview of its annual “Book of Lists” where Minaj was featured on the cover and listed among the most influential people in Hollywood. Later that month, she was also featured on the cover of Rolling Stone and the singer-songwriter revealed that she and Pattinson had recently celebrated reaching one year of dating. (They had actually met two years earlier.)
They kept their relationship a secret for so long that they even missed out on the one-year anniversary of their first date. But on January 22, 2015, they made the news official when they were photographed leaving a Los Angeles café where they had held a private brunch meeting. The following day, TMZ published a story in which they revealed that Minaj and Pattinson had secretly gotten engaged over the past year and that they had planned to wed in September 2015. The outlet also listed several pre-wedding celebrity guests, including Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. Several more articles followed suit and Minaj and Pattinson were finally married on September 4, 2016.
It’s been a bumpy road for the couple since their 2015 wedding. As the months went by and rumors circulated that their marriage was on the rocks, the actress filed for divorce in early 2017. In May, she was linked to several high-profile men, including Jay-Z, who proposed to her in Paris before the end of the year. But despite the efforts of several journalists, including Perez Hilton and Joe Sipiora, the two have stayed together.
A Marriage Made in Hollywood?
Whether or not their reunion was simply a publicity stunt, one thing is for certain: the media has had a hand in fuelling the speculation about their relationship. And the fact that they were married so close to Hollywood’s official start of the year made headlines around the world. But is this really a story that the media should be celebrating?
Hollywood is one of the most prominent centers of power in the entertainment industry. It draws upon the talents of some of the most exciting and influential individuals in the world and it’s not difficult to see why. The entertainment industry is a glamorous one and it’s not hard to understand how the allure of Tinseltown might just snare an A-list celebrity like Pattinson.
But is this really the kind of pair that the entertainment industry should be celebrating? As a fan of both artists, I have to say no. As much as I admire and respect their accomplishments, this is not a story that I find particularly interesting or romantic.
I think that the pair would have been better off had they stayed apart. In my opinion, they’re better off as a ‘couple’, as opposed to a ‘married couple’ and I don’t think that Hollywood is the place for them. After all, it’s not like they’re setting a good example for young people. They’re breaking the rules and they’re not afraid to speak their minds. Besides, isn’t independence and self-determination what Hollywood is all about?
The fact of the matter is that Minaj and Pattinson are very different people. The singer is very much attached to her family and, since her divorce proceedings are still ongoing, she isn’t exactly in a hurry to change that. In contrast, the British-born actor is very independent and busy with his career. In March 2017, a spokesperson for Pattinson broke the news that the actor had decided to remain single and would not be making any further comments regarding his personal life. This was followed by several interviews and appearances, including one on the red carpet, where he refused to speak about Minaj. The pair have a lot to teach us about commitment and responsibility. But for some reason, the media didn’t seem to get the memo.