Paul Mescal has responded to speculation he and Phoebe Bridgers have split.

While speaking to Vanity Fair for an interview published on Tuesday, the Normal People star spoke out about a rumour he and the Day After Tomorrow singer had broken up.

“I definitely feel the temptation to say the status of my whatever – that will always be there,” Paul revealed of clarifying his relationship publicly. “The temptation still exists to be like, ‘Shut the f**k up. This is my life. This is what’s going on. Or this is what’s not going on.’”

He continued, “Giving strangers an answer… doesn’t actually help.

“It’s, like, a quick boost of serotonin, being like, ‘I’ve said what I need to say.’ And then it’s just Twitter fodder.”

Admitting he was “really mad and upset” upon seeing reports of the split online, the actor explained he wants to keep his relationships “private… moving forward” and “drown… out” gossip.

“A lot of the time people are kind about their support for me,” he assured. “That’s my predominant experience.”

Reports arose in 2022 of Paul and Phoebe separating after two years of dating. Neither of the pair have directly addressed the rumour, though Phoebe did refer generally to getting over “heartbreak” on a December 2022 episode of the Chicken Soup Date show.

“You just have to do it,” she said at the time. “It’s gonna end at some point but you can’t make it end.”

– Cover Media