By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:10am PST, Dec 12, 2019
Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the stars who found love, suffered heartbreak or experienced some other major event in their love lives in mid-December 2019, starting with this rekindled couple… According to a TMZ source, Kourtney Kardashian and Younes Bendjima, who called it quits in mid-2018, have been an item again "for several months" now, and although "things are moving slowly" for the "very private" pair, "they're definitely a couple." The duo prompted a fresh round of reconciliation rumors when they were seen spending time together in Miami on Dec. 5. Witnesses told TMZ that the mother of three and the male model appeared "very cozy" together and "looked very much like a couple" — but also "like they were trying to avoid being seen" — while hanging out in the corner of a bustling nightclub. In September, there were reports that Kourtney and Younes were "casually dating" again. It appears things have gotten more serious since then! Now keep reading for more of the week's biggest celeb love life updates…
RELATED: New celeb couples of 2019
In other rekindled couple news… Jenni Farley took to her Instagram Story on Dec. 6 to confirm that she and Zack Clayton Carpinello are back on. She shared a photo of them posing together at a theme park and added three heart-eye emojis to her post to make it clear they're an item. Two days earlier, the wrestler publicly professed his love for JWoww on Instagram. "You mean absolutely everything to me. You are my world. You are tremendously special in so many ways. You are an absolutely gorgeous woman inside and out. We are incredible together, and I want to be by your side for the rest of time. I love you @jwoww," he captioned a cozy-looking photo of them together. The duo briefly split in mid-October after an episode of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" showed Zack getting handsy with Angelina Pivarnick during a night out in Las Vegas. He and Jenni sparked reconciliation rumors by continuing to step out together in late October, though Deena Cortese said in mid-November that they weren't officially back together yet.
RELATED: Celeb splits of 2019
Tiffany Haddish and Common — who co-starred in "The Kitchen" and previously raised questions about the nature of their relationship in mid-2018 — sparked a fresh round of romance rumors in mid-December after they were seen together several times over the course of two months. In early October, the actress was snapped hanging out backstage with Common during his concert at The Apollo in New York City. A few weeks later, they were photographed sitting together while catching up with musician Robert Glasper during his residency at NYC's Blue Note Jazz Club. Then on Dec. 3, the rapper-actor attended the Beverly Hills premiere of Tiffany's Netflix comedy special, "Black Mitzvah." The following week, the comedian took to Instagram to share a photo of herself and Common posing with singer-actor Harry Belafonte. "Here is my #MCM ain't he Handsome. If only young light skin wasn't trying to block my chance to hook up with a legend #HarryBelafonte," she joked in the caption. The "Selma" star was also on hand during Tiffany's private 40th birthday party with friends. Curiously, there's no evidence he was present when his off-and-on girlfriend, activist and CNN correspondent Angela Rye, turned 40 on Oct. 26. The duo split in early 2018 but had reconciled by August 2019. It's unclear when exactly they called it quits for the second time — or if he and Tiffany are officially more than friends.
RELATED: Stars who turned 40 in 2019
The fallout from Justin Timberlake's hand-holding scandal continues! On Dec. 11, People magazine reported that, according to a source, the singer-actor's wife, Jessica Biel, is "standing by" him in the wake of the drama. "Obviously Justin drank too much this time, but Jessica believes he didn't cheat on her," said the source. "What's most important to her in life is her family and being the best mom to [their son] Silas. She'll never break up her family over something like this." A second source maintained that Justin "has grown up a lot over the past few years" and would never do anything to "change his current situation" as far as his family life is concerned. "I doubt it will happen again," the second insider added of his flirty behavior with another woman. Said a third source, "Jessica is a beautiful and intelligent woman; he knows that. He loves her." Previously, a different insider told People that the longtime couple will "work through this." Said the source, "It was good that he apologized publicly but obviously the real work he is doing is in private and hopefully this was just a bad drunken night of this type of behavior." Similarly, E! News reported that, according to a source, the scandal won't be the end of Justin and Jessica's marriage, though it's certainly taken a toll: "Nobody is going anywhere, but it's definitely had an effect on their marriage and her trust in him," said the source. "Even if nothing more happened than what was in the photos, what he did was highly inappropriate." Continued the insider, "He feels terrible that this happened and for putting Jessica through the public scrutiny. … He knows she doesn't deserve any of this and that he messed up. … [He] hopes by addressing what happened and apologizing to her publicly that they can put this behind them and start to move on. Justin feels like the story isn't dying and hopes this will be the end of it. He always tries to keep his private life private, but he knows he made a big mistake in public and now has to own up to it." Meanwhile, an Us Weekly source painted a slightly darker picture of the former "7th Heaven" star's state of mind: "Jessica was very upset and embarrassed by Justin's behavior and thought it was completely inappropriate," said the source. "Jessica encouraged Justin to put his statement out on Instagram because she felt embarrassed by his actions and wanted him to take accountability and feel embarrassed as well." The insider added that the pair "are working through their issues" and are "still united."
On Dec. 10, TMZ reported that sources close to Chrishell Stause say the "Selling Sunset" star believes that when her estranged husband, Justin Hartley, filed for divorce, he listed their date of separation as July 8 because he's gearing up to sign a big deal and "doesn't want her to get a piece." (When she filed her response to his petition for divorce, she listed their date of separation as Nov. 22 — the day he filed to legally end their marriage.) According to the webloid, the former soap actress says she and the "This Is Us" star never officially agreed to throw in the towel and that she only found out he was done with the marriage when she learned from TMZ that he filed for divorce. Money is already proving to be an issue for the former couple: Justin previously indicated that he doesn't want to pay spousal support to Chrishell, who requested spousal support in her legal paperwork.
Back in March, Jordyn Woods appeared on Jada Pinkett Smith's "Red Table Talk" to clear up rumors that she had an affair Khloe Kardashian's then-boyfriend, Tristan Thompson. At the time, she claimed that the basketball star kissed her on the lips once — and that was it! She even offered to undergo a lie-detector test. On the Dec. 10 episode of "Red Table Talk," Jada revealed that Jordyn did, in fact, take a lie-detector test. In a clip from the two-hour test, which was administered back in February, a certified forensic polygraphist asks, "Did you have sexual intercourse with Tristan Thompson?" Jordyn responds with a firm, "No." At the conclusion of the test, he tells her, "You definitely passed, and I believe you're being truthful on the test." After the video hit the Internet, Khloe took to her Instagram Story to share a series of cryptic quotes about dealing with negative people. "Liars are always ready to take oaths," read one post. As for Tristan, Us Weekly reported on Dec. 10 that, according to a source, although he and Khloe are "spending time together," their interactions are "strictly related" to their daughter, True. "She's speaking to him, but they are not getting back together. They have not hooked up or anything," added the insider.
Josh Duhamel and Audra Mari are still going strong more than six months after they were first linked. The 47-year-old actor and the 26-year-old pageant queen stepped out together in Los Angeles on Dec. 7. They were photographed walking arm-in-arm on their way out of a holiday party. The outing comes just two weeks after Josh finalized his divorce from Fergie.
TMZ reported on Dec. 10 that William Shatner recently filed to divorce his fourth wife, Elizabeth, after 18 years of marriage. He reportedly listed their date of separation as Feb. 1, 2019. According to the webloid, the duo are still negotiating the financial terms of their split, though their prenuptial agreement stipulates that neither party will receive spousal support. TMZ adds that the pair could be submitting their settlement to a judge "soon" and that their divorce is "almost a done deal at this point."
Garcelle Beauvais took to Instagram on Dec. 7 to debut her new boyfriend, Michael Elliot, captioning a selfie with the screenwriter, "#datenight." According to an Us Weekly source, the duo first met 22 years ago and recently reconnected through a mutual friend. "They've been together a few months but they are serious," said the source. Michael reportedly joined the actress and her family for Thanksgiving, during which he met her ex-husband, Mike Nilon. "Her kids like him. He goes over to Garcelle's for dinner and they put up the Christmas tree together," added the insider. The mother of three hasn't dated anyone publicly since she and Mike divorced in 2010 after she accused him of having an affair.
During a Dec. 7 interview with Us Weekly, Tyler Posey revealed that he and Sophia Ali recently called it quits after about two years of coupledom. "I don't have a girlfriend," he said. "I'm focused on work and just myself." He went on to explain why things didn't work out between him and his "Truth or Dare" co-star: "I kind of mess relationships up sometimes," he said. "I don't know if I'm meant for them." The former "Teen Wolf" star added that he struggles to live up to the "perfect" version of relationships portrayed on TV and in film: "I feel like [a jerk] when I don't fall in line with that," he said. "And I don't think I fall in line with it. So [being single is] a newfound thing and I'm very, very happy."
Chris Bukowski and Katie Morton — who got engaged on the finale of season 6 of "Bachelor in Paradise" earlier this year — took to Instagram on Dec. 10 to release a joint statement announcing that they recently called it quits. "One of the many lessons this life has taught us is that it's okay to be stubborn in the pursuit of happiness. To fight for what is real and good, and that often times the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. We've reached a point in our story where we agree it's best to go our separate ways. We have chosen to love and respect each other as friends because that's the base of our relationship, and it's what is most natural for us. We are incredibly thankful for the support we've received from our family, friends and everyone who supported us throughout our journey — from 'Paradise' to this moment. We are grateful for everything that we've learned in this chapter and are hopeful for what is to come in life and in love for both of us," they wrote. Just last month, the Bachelor Nation stars shut down rumors they'd broken up.
In other Bachelor Nation breakup news… Us Weekly reported on Dec. 7 that, according to her representative, former "Bachelor in Paradise" star Corinne Olympios and her New York City-based boyfriend of more than a year, Jon Yunger, "ended their relationship recently." Said the rep in a statement, "Much of the reason is her need to stay in Los Angeles due to major career developments happening in the New Year. The two remain on good terms." Corinne first sparked split rumors when she was seen dining with a mystery man in West Hollywood on Dec. 7.
But it's not all bad news for Bachelor Nation this week… Us Weekly reported on Dec. 9 that, according to a source, former "The Bachelor" star Taylor Nolan has been "casually dating another man from Canada" since November. (She ended her relationship with her first Canadian boyfriend earlier this year.) According to the insider, the former "Bachelor in Paradise" star "has been traveling from Seattle to Canada to see him," and they recently met up in Los Angeles for the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, which he attended "as her date." Said the source, "It is still casual and very new and she is still technically single." Taylor first hinted at the new romance on Instagram on Nov. 19 after she wrapped up what she described as a "sexcation" in Toronto. "It was also a little more than just a sexcation," she captioned a photo of herself. "But he's not the only person I'm seeing and I'm not the only person he is seeing. And we're navigating it, as we're quiteee fond of each other. It might not go anywhere, it might stay where it is and it also might progress, who knows! It's in that grey area, like most of life. … I'm feeling the feels and apparently can't stay away from Canada."
TMZ reported on Dec. 9 that Mohamed Hadid — the famous father of models Gigi, Bella and Anwar Hadid — and his much younger fiancée, model Shiva Safai, called it quits earlier this year when they reached an impasse over whether or not to have children — she wants them and he doesn't. Also an issue? Model Justyna Monde's late-2018 claims that she had an affair with the father of five. According to TMZ, Justyna's allegations made Shiva "reevaluate things" between her and Mohamed, who proposed back in 2013. The webloid adds that it's unclear who ultimately broke up with whom, though both the 39-year-old beauty and the 71-year-old real estate developer "agreed they were on different pages." Twice-divorced Mohamed also reportedly realized he doesn't want to get married again. Shiva's since returned her engagement ring — a Hadid family heirloom — and moved on with Niels Houweling. The new couple posed together on the red carpet at the 2019 American Music Awards on Nov. 24. Three days later, Shiva made their relationship Instagram official by sharing a photo of herself kissing the DJ-producer on the cheek, which she captioned with a single heart emoji. Niels, meanwhile, started subtly posting about Shiva on Instagram in mid-June. In mid-December, he posted a photo of them together on his Instagram Story. "We're in it for the long run, you & I," he wrote across the pic.
Us Weekly reported on Dec. 11 that, according to a source, Scott Disick and Sofia Richie "aren't thinking about marriage or getting engaged and it's not a big topic of conversation." Said the source, "They are so committed to one another and neither of them are going anywhere." The insider added that the father of three "has done a complete 180 from when he was younger" and "grown up a lot" from his time with former partner Kourtney Kardashian.
During a Dec. 6 interview with Us Weekly, Dean Unglert said he has no plans to marry his former "Bachelor in Paradise" co-star and girlfriend, Caelynn Miller-Keyes. "That's never going to happen," he said. "She does joke around about us getting married all the time, and I always say, 'Sorry, it's not going to happen.' I don't know. I'm super-unconventional and she obviously is a little more conventional. We joke around about it. Just try to keep expectations to a minimum, you know? Like I said on the show: under-promise, over-deliver." He later added, "I don't want to get married just because she wants to get married."
In other Bachelor Nation love news… During an interview with Us Weekly that hit the Internet on Dec. 5, Robby Hayes opened up about his short-lived romance with Juliette Porter, which will feature heavily on the upcoming third season of "Siesta Key." Teased the Bachelor Nation star of his time on the MTV series, "I can't give away too much storyline but things got hot and heavy [with Juliette]. … Things moved really quick. The show didn't help that. It expedited it quickly." Then during a joint Dec. 9 interview with Us Weekly, Juliette said that she and Robby connected "right away" when they met at Southern California's Stagecoach music festival in April amid her breakup from Alex Kompothecras, who's actually known Robby for years. She also referred to her fling with Robby, which came to an end in late June, as a rebound relationship. "That's all right, helping out. Helping out!" replied Robby, who added that "Siesta Key" will show that their relationship had "a lot of highs and then the low" before "it just kind of fizzled." Juliette, meanwhile, said their split was more "like a crash." (They both implied that Alex threw a major wrench into things.) Continued the blonde beauty, "Honestly, we were in our own bubble and we went back to Siesta Key and things just got real again and reality set in. And we're on a TV show that has a lot of stress. So you know, things happen. … When other people are stepping in, that's when things really start to get … annoying." Robby and Juliette are currently on good terms.
During a Dec. 5 interview with Us Weekly, Rachel Bilson echoed Nick Viall's previous assessment that they're "just friends." Said the actress, "We've always just been friends. He's a really nice guy." As for the flirty social media banter between them that initially sparked the romance rumors? They were "just messing around," she said. She then shared her thoughts on whether or not her pal should return to "The Bachelor." Said the former "Hart of Dixie" star, "He should. He's very entertaining. I tease him about it, but I don't think he would ever do it."
Friendly exes! Us Weekly reported on Dec. 11 that, according to a source, Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles, who briefly dated in late 2013 and early 2014, "are great friends and always have been." Said the source, "They don't get to spend a lot of time together, but when they do, they always have a blast. It's an easy, super-chill friendship." The pair recently reunited when the singer guest hosted the Dec. 10 episode of "The Late Late Show With James Corden." Kendall, meanwhile, appeared on the episode as a guest along with Tracee Ellis Ross. According to the insider, the former couple "had so much fun" together on the show — during which Harry declined to reveal whether or not any of his songs are inspired by the model.
On the Dec. 10 episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Dwayne Johnson explained why he and his second wife, Lauren Hashian, said "I do" so early in the morning when they tied the knot in Hawaii in August. "We had an early morning wedding in Hawaii on the cliffs there in Kauai, and it was very private and it was the best — it truly was," he gushed. "We wanted to have an early morning wedding — that way we said the vows, get it over with, and then by 10 [or] 11 o'clock, we're hanging, we're having brunch with the family and we had it done. And plus, in Hawaii at that time, it's a beautiful time with us and my ancestors watching over us. I mean, it was truly a magical, magical time."
During a Dec. 9 interview with "Entertainment Tonight," Blake Shelton gushed about how Gwen Stefani has changed him for the better: "I don't want to remember what I was like before Gwen, actually," he said. "I'm a little bit of jerk [to some people] still, but I was a jerk to everybody before Gwen. … Look how nice I am now!" The No Doubt frontwoman later added, "Blake saved my life — everybody knows that. … We're just having the time of our lives, and we never expected that this late in our lives, so we're just trying to savor every moment together." She added that working together again on "The Voice" has been "really fun." Concluded Gwen, "I love being here and I love being with him."
On the Dec. 6 episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Camila Cabello revealed that she and her boyfriend, Shawn Mendes, had crushes on each other for years before they took their relationship to the next level over the summer. "We were stupid. I think we both had a crush, but we were being babies about it. But we're grown now!" she said, adding that she "definitely definitely, definitely had a crush" on her "Señorita" collaborator. She addressed the same topic on the Dec. 5 episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," saying that she and Shawn "were awkward and nervous and weird" when they first started working together. "Now we're older and nervous and weird," she quipped. She then explained why it was "kind of weird in the beginning" when her relationship with Shawn first turned romantic. "It took me, like, two months to be able to call him 'Baby,'" she said. "I didn't want to say his name because we were dating, and I couldn't call him 'Baby,' so I'd just be like, 'Hey, uh, you!' … It's weird. But it's great." Adding to the weirdness? "The people around you already know them cause you've known them for a long time, so it's just like, 'And, uh, now we kiss and hold hands!'" she said.
Is an engagement imminent? Tarek El Moussa and his girlfriend, Heather Rae Young, can't stop gushing about each other on Instagram. In mid-December, the "Flip or Flop" star shared a sweet shot of himself and the blonde beauty posing with his two kids in matching holiday pajamas. "I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to post a photo just like this!" he wrote in the caption. "I honestly gave up on love until I saw @heatherraeyoung last summer on the boat next to mine," he continued. "The second I laid eyes on her I knew there was something special about her and I was right! She is absolutely incredible and me and the babies love and adore her 🙂 Thank you @heatherraeyoung for coming into our life and making this photo possible 🙂 I just love you and our little family ❤️❤️❤️ so much!!" Heather shared the same photo, writing in the caption, "I've dreamt of this life my whole life. To wake up every single day so in love, happy and fulfilled. Being a hopeless romantic I never gave up. I just adore @therealtarekelmoussa & the kids so much. … Love my new little family!!!!" A few days later, she shared a selfie with Tarek from the day they met. "This photo is very special to me because this was the day @therealtarekelmoussa met and the very first photo we took together. He actually made me take a selfie with him," she wrote in the caption. "Little did I know that day would be a defining moment in my life. Honestly that day I almost didn't even go to Newport Beach to meet my friends on their boat. And by chance the boat I was on was parked next to Tarek's boat, and my friend just happened to be on Tarek's boat, and I jumped over to say hi to her and ……. Tarek turned around and introduced himself. And there you go our love story started. I never gave up on love & I always kept an open mind when it came to dating. I just knew my person was out there somewhere and one day we would be brought together." Later, Tarek returned to Instagram to gush about his girlfriend even more: "I love this crazy busy life I live with @heatherraeyoung. She's my everything and more than I could have asked for," he captioned a photo of them together.
During a Dec. 10 chat with Us Weekly, Debby Ryan recalled Josh Dun's December 2018 proposal: "There's a moment in my life where I was on a really lovely date with my dream person and he just reached into his pocket and got down onto one knee," she dished. "And it happened so quickly and it happened in slow motion at the same time." According to the actress, the Twenty One Pilots drummer slayed the engagement bling game: "I am a jewelry guy and he paid attention," she said. "He knew what shapes I liked, he knew what structure and yellow gold, which was a huge one for me. … He designed [the ring] based off of knowing me." Of course, he also had some help: "Whenever I would respond really well to a ring, I would send it to my best friend and he knows well enough to know to hit her up for that," admitted the "Insatiable" star.
The Exonerated 5's Raymond Santana took to Instagram on Dec. 5 to announce that he and former reality star Chandra "Deelishis" Davis — who won the second season of "Flavor of Love" back in 2006 — are engaged. "Yea its official.. ya can really hate me now!! @iamsodeelishis is officially off the market… shes all mines," he captioned a video of himself slipping a stunning Tiffany engagement ring on her finger. The duo took their relationship to the next level earlier this year after striking up a flirtation on Instagram.
During an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" that hit the Internet on Dec. 10, Bachelor Nation's Becca Tilley said that she and her boyfriend had "an instant connection" when they first met at a party about a year ago. "I've never had something so instant, like, from the beginning," she said, later adding that despite their deep connection, they're not talking marriage yet. She also explained why she still hasn't publicly revealed her beau's identity: "My last relationship with Robert [Graham] was very public, and it made it very hard once we broke up — just the pressure of it. And I decided with this one, I didn't want that. So I just have kept it private until I don't want to anymore," she said. "I think there's something really special that it's just ours. … There's so many opinions, and people have so much to say about everything, and I just didn't want to let that into my relationship. But it's harder to keep private than it is to be public with it. … It does become a little more challenging to keep it private when everything else about my life is so public." She's not dead-set against one day revealing his identity, though: "If there's a moment where I feel like, 'OK, I'm ready to let everybody into my relationship and everyone can have an opinion on it, [then I will share],'" she said. The reality star then spilled the beans on some of her former Bachelor Nation love connections: For example, she once kissed Dean Unglert. "It was a very drunken kiss [for] both of us, and it was not a romantic situation at all," she said, adding that she couldn't remember if he was a good kisser or not. She also once turned down a date from Eric Bigger: "I was in a relationship, so I just told him I was very flattered, but I was in a relationship," she said.
Jenelle Evans took to Twitter on Dec. 4 to insist that she's "not dating anyone" in the wake of her breakup from David Eason. (She and her ex-fiancé, Nathan Griffith, recently sparked reconciliation rumors with their newly friendly behavior toward one another.) "I'm sick and tired of a million people asking me if I'm dating an ex or friends that I hangout with," she added in a second tweet.
