“I Didn’t Want That Sort Of Attention”: Lupita Nyong'o Got Brutally Honest About How She Was Impacted By Rumors That She And Jared Leto Were Dating A Decade Ago

If you cast your mind back a decade, you might recall all the heavy speculation that Lupita Nyong'o and Jared Leto were dating.

For some quick context, Lupita and Jared developed a super close friendship during the 2014 awards season after they both won their first Oscars on the same night — and in the same category, no less.

Jared took home the accolade for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club , while Lupita won hers for her role in 12 Years a Slave .

During this awards season, Jared and Lupita were spotted at events and afterparties numerous times, sparking speculation that they were an item.

At the time, it was reported that Lupita had recently split from her boyfriend, rapper K’naan, while Jared was publicly single.

And amid reports that the pair were super flirtatious at events, dating speculation was fueled further when Jared referred to Lupita as his “future ex-wife” at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards .

But despite the rampant speculation, both Jared and Lupita publicly maintained that they were not dating.

Now, years later, Lupita has reflected on the decade-old dating rumors in a new cover story with Glamour .

“I paid no attention,” she said of the gossip around her at the time. “I actually deafened my ears to all the discourse about the awards because I was going through so many firsts. The red carpet was new, everything was new to me.”

Lupita went on to explain that she “didn't love” how the dating speculation impacted her and Jared’s friendship, telling Glamour: “It was drawing attention away from the work. I didn’t want that sort of attention. I didn’t want all that chatter to deter from the joy I was having becoming his friend.”

However, despite the past noise, Lupita made it clear that she and Jared are still good friends to this day.

"I can hit him up about things; we see each other, and it's always a warm experience," she said.

You can read Lupita’s full Glamour interview here .

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