Lord, I still hate Lupita Nyong’o’s Met Gala dress. If anything, it’s even worse than I originally thought in the heat of the Met Gala coverage. How is it that Lupita kept getting it right at event after event during the awards season and her fashion game has completely fallen apart post-Oscar? Anyway, as much as I hoped to be writing about a wonderful new film which just signed Lupita, no such luck. Instead, we’re talking about her love life. Us Weekly says Lupita is still with K’naan and they were out together in Brooklyn recently:
A romance grows in Brooklyn! Lupita Nyong’o and boyfriend K’naan may have been shy about taking their relationship public at first, but they certainly weren’t trying to hide anything when they went out to dinner in Brooklyn last week.
The Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave actress, 31, and the Somali-born rapper, 36, hit up Italian eatery Dino, a cozy restaurant in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. There they dined on soup (his) and salad (hers), while sipping specialty cocktails from the bar.
“They looked very much in love and not afraid to show it,” an onlooker tells Us Weekly of the couple, noting that the two kissed and held hands throughout dinner.
Us exclusively reported back in March that the Kenya-raised actress — who now makes her home in New York City — had been secretly dating K’naan since September 2013.
“She loves his humanitarianism,” a pal told Us of the “Wavin’ Flag” singer, who has two sons with ex-wife Deqa Warsame. “They’re both passionate about African issues.”
Okay. I’m glad they’re still together. I don’t really understand why they feel the need to be SO private, but sure. Lupita is a relatively private person and I’m happy she’s in love with someone who really isn’t controversial at all. Except that if she was dating someone controversial, she might get more attention, and more attention would lead to more meetings, and maybe she would have gotten another movie by now. I don’t blame Lupita – I blame Hollywood. How difficult is it to find this talented, beautiful Oscar-winner a decent role?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Why wouldn’t they want to keep this private? They don’t want people all in their business…good for them.
Agree with everything you said and I want to see more of her in the movies. Get with it people.
I love K’naan. Discovered him during the World Cup and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Is her lack of roles really just on Hollywood? I can’t believe she’s not being offered anything.
I had forgotten, good for them.
Or she’s being picky – waiting for the right project
Or she’s being offered rubbish roles that she won’t take – it happens.
Or she’s enjoying being a fashion girl at the moment
Or all of the above, including not being offered anything, and her visibility as a fashion girl is part of the plan to keep her working even if we would prefer she was in films and not fashion.
I think it’s all of the above. As horrible as it sounds, I think that she needs to stay visible as a fashion girl, at least until she can sink her teeth into a few meaty, and ‘hot girl’ roles, so that she’ll be known more to the public.
And Kaiser (I think)–I have her PEOPLE Most Beautiful article–with the exception of the white and gold Dior and the baby blue Prada gown, her stylist has chosen everything she’s worn–she doesn’t have any input (her exact description was that they were the most ‘her’ or something like that)….
I also think it’s all the above. I think her time will come to be featured in more films. She just need one more good role where she can shine and be put at AList status.
Think back to Jennifer Hudson and Monique; they both won best supporting actresses but Hollywood weren’t beating down their doors either after they won. They are still both working in the entertainment business but an Oscar doesn’t necessarily guarentee that you will be the next big thing.
I thinking that too. For all we know she might have a few things lined up that haven’t been finalized and announced yet. I hope so anyway.
I really like K’naan and I’m glad she’s with him. Those thirsty ‘down with the swirl’ chicks on the internet (LSA) were so desperate for her to be with a white dude so they could live out their fantasies through her. Embarrassing. Watching them meltdown was epic though…talking about ‘he’s beneath her’ oh please.
That outfit was a goddamn mess. Everything from the hair and make-up to the shoes (which she always gets wrong) Now I see why Beyonce looked like she was going to a funeral at the MET Ball. She was mourning Lupita’s style like the rest of us.
Who are the “down with the swirl” girls? What does that mean?
I think it means interacial couples..who those girls are I have no idea
And that headband that bent her ears down (:
Not all. The majority were white or young girls (There is an invasion right now which is funny in a sense.). The more mature left them having those fantasies because they don’t care.
As for Lupita, i agree with LAK. She is waiting for the right role.
Shallow comment: what a GORGEOUS couple.
We’re only 2 months or so since Lupita’s Oscar win. I’m not an expert but I didn’t expect her next big role to be announced already. I figured it would take maybe 6 months or so, enough time for Lupita to be made offers, sift through them, and then make her choice.
My question is if you make a film 2 years ago almost between then and now what has been happening? Does one wait until the film comes out and only then the agents do all the work to get you more parts? Anyway hope it works out.
I have heard of first time actors who do that, go back to regular life until the movie comes out and more opportunities come there way. The girl who was in Hairspray, and Barkhad Abdi from Captain Phillips I think both went back to other jobs in the meantime.
Lupita did have a role in that Liam Neeson movie in the interim though.
I worry more and more for her acting career.
When you look at her filmography it’s more than empty. She was great in 12 years a slave and I think she deserves her Oscar, but she didn’t work much before and did nothing since TYAS shooting.
And I find it always sad and funny when actors, or their fans, say that if they don’t work it’s because they’re picky. It may be true for someone like DDL or other acting legend but I can’t see why a young and coming actor would be that picky.
She didn’t work as an actress since months or even a year and studios are not fighting to work with her. She’s slowly becoming a one hit wonder but she’s talented and deserves better. I think she should go back on stage and prove once more that she is talented rather that going to all these fashion events.
I stan and everything but the handwringing over this woman’s career just too much now. Y’all know she’s in Hollywood right ?
Viola Davis is one of the best actresses around and even she struggles to get roles so what the hell do you expect from Lupita that only has one film to her name? What use does the entertainment industry have for black women outside of R&B music and video vixens ? What use does Hollywood have for black actresses that aren’t Halle Berry and Beyonce ? What, did you think that Lupita was going to get period dramas like Keira Knightley ? Or romantic comedies (hell no because black women are never allowed to be desirable) like Kate Hudson ? Hollywood likes tokens (like Will Smith and Denzel) and Lupita can barely call herself that. The only benefit she has is how youthful she looks because if black actresses barely get work, then black actresses over 27 are doomed tbh. Let’s just keep it real with ourselves and stop the madness ok?
This is the same industry that would rather paint Zoe Saldana’s skin to play Nina Simone than just outright hire a darker black actress and you think Lupita is turning down roles? Let’s not be delusional. I’m sure even Tyler Perry and his dumb ass wouldn’t know what to do with her let alone white hollywood. Hollywood would straight up remake ‘Roots’ and cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Kunta Kinte before they gave a dark skinned woman a role of quality.
And please, no one bring me any of this ”Hollywood doesn’t care about any colour except green, if black people sell then they’ll hire more”. Save that bullsh-t for the birds because its inaccurate. Thanks.
I agree.
Sanaa Lathan (another Yale drama school grad) did some romantic leads & rom coms. If Lupita had really knocked the socks off producers & directors after they saw TYAS, wouldn’t they have tried to sign her for upcoming projects?
No need to wait until she gets an award. Once she gets an award, maybe her price goes up? Maybe that’s what she’s waiting for? If she wants to look ready for more Hollywood roles, she might consider a new ‘do, as her chosen hairstyle doesn’t translate well into many traditional roles. Sure, she can wear a wig, everybody does, but if I wanted to sell myself as an all-around versatile actress, I’d try to look the part instead of cultivating an androgynous style which only Black people can achieve. Do she and her brother get their hair cut at the same place?