Dakota Johnson and musician Role Model have split, according to a People report citing an anonymous source close to the couple; TMZ reported the news on August 19, 2026. E! News, Just Jared and other outlets quickly picked up the news — though neither Johnson nor Role Model, whose real name is Tucker Pillsbury, has said anything about it publicly.
Key facts
- Reported split: TMZ reported on August 19, 2026, citing a People report based on an anonymous source.
- Together: Under a year — first linked in December 2025.
- Ages: Johnson is 36; Pillsbury (Role Model) is 29.
- No confirmation: Neither Johnson nor Pillsbury has commented publicly, and representatives did not respond to E! News.
What we know about the breakup
The source told People the pair split “a while ago,” without saying exactly how long, and that they hadn’t been seen together in public for some time before the report came out. Weeks earlier, on August 4, 2026, Pillsbury had discussed collaborating with Johnson in an interview published by Nylon — before any word of a split. No one has said exactly when the relationship ended or why. E! News said it reached out to representatives for both Johnson and Pillsbury and did not hear back.
Timeline of the relationship
- 2017: Johnson and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin begin dating on and off.
- June 4, 2025: People reports the Johnson-Martin relationship is over “for good.”
- December 2025: Johnson and Role Model are first linked, photographed at a candlelit dinner in Los Angeles.
- Early April 2026: The two are photographed kissing on a Los Angeles street.
- August 4, 2026: Pillsbury discusses collaborating with Johnson in a Nylon interview, before any word of a split.
- August 19, 2026: TMZ reports that the couple has split, citing a People report based on an anonymous source.
Their relationship history
With Role Model
Johnson, 36, and Pillsbury, 29, were first linked in December 2025, when photographers caught them at a candlelit dinner in Los Angeles. From there, word of the relationship kept building: by early April 2026, the two were photographed kissing on a Los Angeles street. Altogether, it lasted under a year. Johnson contributed a spoken-word cameo to Pillsbury’s third album, “Chuck Timely & the Hourglass,” on the track “Love I You.”
Before Role Model: Chris Martin
Before Role Model, Johnson was with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The two dated on and off for about eight years starting in 2017 and were engaged before People reported, on June 4, 2025, that the relationship was over “for good.”
As of the most recent reporting, no new relationship has surfaced for either Johnson or Pillsbury.
Johnson since the report
Johnson has also been seen in public recently. On August 2, she went to a St. Vincent concert at the Hollywood Bowl with friends Odessa A’zion and Blake Lee — Pillsbury wasn’t reported to be there — while two of her projects were scheduled for a September festival premiere and an October theatrical release.
‘Verity’ opens in October
She stars opposite Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett in “Verity,” an Amazon MGM Studios thriller adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel. Directed by Michael Showalter, it opens in theaters October 2, 2026, after a trailer was released around August 11.
Playing Marilyn Monroe in ‘Flesh Impact’
Johnson is also set to play Marilyn Monroe in “Flesh Impact,” a short film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal premiering at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2026 — with Ellen Burstyn playing an alternate version of Monroe at a different point in her life. The 17-minute short places Johnson’s Monroe at the height of her fame and also features Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi.