Putting their love in the spotlight! Celebrities know the significance of going public with their relationships, especially when they do so in a high-profile way.
Whether it’s couples who are in it for the long haul, such as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, or for a brief moment in time — we’re looking at you, Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson — many stars have debuted their relationships on the red carpet of awards shows.
Justin Hartley and Sofia Pernas, for example, made a splash at the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards when they debuted matching rings one year after they were first linked in May 2020.
Us Weekly confirmed one day after the awards show that the This Is Us star and the soap opera actress had secretly tied the knot. The ceremony was “super intimate” and took place “very, very recently,” a source exclusively told Us in May 2021. Hartley’s teenage daughter, Isabella, was there to witness the romantic moment, per the insider.
The Smallville alum’s surprise nuptials marked his third marriage. Hartley was previously married to his Passions costar Lindsay Korman for eight years before splitting in May 2012. He tied the knot for a second time with Chrishell Stause in October 2017. The A Bad Moms Christmas actor filed for divorce from the Selling Sunset star in November 2019.
The 2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards: Unscripted, which took place the same week as the MTV Movie & TV Awards, also marked Nick Viall and girlfriend Natalie Joy‘s red carpet debut.
The Bachelor alum first sparked romance speculation with the surgical technician in 2019, but they didn’t officially start dating until July 2020. The twosome hit their first red carpet together nearly one year later.
“They could be the next Bachelor Nation couple to get engaged,” an insider exclusively told Us in November 2021, noting that Viall could get down on one knee “very soon.”
The “Viall Files” podcast host and Joy are “very much in love,” the source shared, adding that the former reality star’s friends “cannot wait for [an engagement] to happen because they know how long he’s been waiting to find The One.”
Scroll through the photos below to see which couples made their red carpet debut at an awards show — and which ones are still together:
