Yahoo News All About the 'Stranger Things' Cast and Their Real-Life Partners
From David Harbour to Millie Bobby Brown, here's a guide to the real-life dating lives of the Netflix cast
Meet the cast of Stranger Things' significant others in real life.
Fans of the hit-Netflix sci-fi series have seen many of the characters fall in love over the course of its four seasons, but many of the actors have off-screen romantic relationships of their own.
In fact, several cast members were in long-term romances before Stranger Things season 1 premiered in July 2016, including Winona Ryder and Cara Buono.
Others have celebrated major milestones, like Millie Bobby Brown. The actress, who plays Eleven on the show, recently hinted at an engagement to her boyfriend Jake Bongiovi, whom she first sparked romance rumors with in June 2021.
With Stranger Things season 5 on the horizon, here's a guide to the real-life partners of the cast.
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder has played Joyce Byers on Stranger Things since the Netflix series premiered in July 2016. Over the course of the show's four seasons, Ryder's character has had three love interests: Lonnie Byers (played by Ross Partridge), Bob Newby (played by Sean Astin) and recently, Jim Hopper (played by David Harbour).
In real life, Ryder is dating sustainable fashion entrepreneur Scott Mackinlay Hahn. While the pair has been together since 2011, they have kept many details about their relationship under wraps. However, in recent years, the Golden Globes winner has opened up about her long-term romance with Hahn.
Shortly after the two were first spotted together at the season 1 premiere of Stranger Things, Ryder revealed in a 2016 interview that she'd been "happily with someone for quite a while now." But despite their lengthy romance, she expressed uncertainty in regard to tying the knot.
"Marriage? I don't know. I'd rather never have been married than been divorced a few times," Ryder told The Edit. "Not that there's anything wrong with divorce, but I don't think I could do it if that was a possibility." She added, "When your parents are madly in love for 45 years, your standards are really high."
Related:Keanu Reeves Says He Married Winona Ryder 'Under the Eyes of God' While Shooting Dracula Scene
David Harbour
David Harbour has played James "Jim" Hopper on Stranger Things since the first season premiered in 2016. Over the course of four seasons, Harbour's character has been romantically linked to ex-wife Diane (played by Jerri Tubbs) and Joyce Byers (played by Ryder).
In real life, Harbour is married to British singer Lily Allen. The pair tied the knot during a Las Vegas wedding in September 2020 after first sparking romance rumors in 2019. Allen's two children, Marnie Rose and Ethel Mary (whom she shares with her ex-husband Sam Cooper) were also in attendance.
Since officially becoming husband and wife, Harbour and Allen have shared sweet glimpses of their romance, including attending red carpets together and speaking highly of each other during interviews.
"I'm so grateful that I'm not alone anymore, and that I have someone that I can tell everything to and who can tell me everything," Harbour told PEOPLE about Allen in 2021. "We can share this experience of walking through life together. I'm always so overcome with gratitude for that, because I've been alone for most of my life."
Related:David Harbour Recalls the 'Exact Moment' He Fell in Love with Wife Lily Allen
Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown has played Eleven on Stranger Things since season 1 debuted in July 2016. Over the course of four seasons, Brown's character has been romantically linked to one person: Mike Wheeler (played by Finn Wolfhard).
Off screen, Brown is in a relationship with actor Jake Bongiovi, the son of musician Jon Bon Jovi. The two first sparked romance rumors in June 2021 and later made their romance Instagram official that November when Brown posted a sweet photo sharing a kiss with Bongiovi while riding the London Eye.
They've since been spotted together at various Hollywood events — including the Stranger Things season 4 premiere and British Academy Film Awards — and in everyday adventures featured on Brown's Instagram.
Brown and Bongiovi seemingly announced their engagement on April 11, 2023, on Instagram as the Stranger Things actress posted a photo of herself wearing a diamond ring on her left hand as Bongiovi embraced her on the beach.
Brown captioned the black and white snapshot with lyrics from Taylor Swift's "Lover," writing, "I've loved you three summers now, honey, I want 'em all 🤍." Meanwhile, Bongiovi shared another loved-up shot, writing, "Forever 🤍."
Related:Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi's Relationship in Pictures
Gaten Matarazzo
Gaten Matarazzo plays Dustin Henderson on Stranger Things, a character he's portrayed since season 1 in 2016. His character has been romantically linked with Suzie Bingham (played by Gabriella Pizzolo) since she was introduced in the third season.
In real life, Matarazzo is in a relationship with Lizzy Yu. The couple started dating in 2018 and have been together for five years, stepping out alongside each other at events ranging from their junior prom to red carpet premieres.
They've also posted sweet tributes in celebration of their anniversaries, from their first year together to their fifth. "I can't believe that I've been with this gorgeous girl for an entire year. It feels like our first date was yesterday but it also feels like it's been ten years," Gaten wrote in part on Instagram in March 2019.
For their milestone fifth anniversary, the actor penned: "Five years. And yet again. I miss the post by one minute. Thanks for putting up with me every day. I love you." Sharing the sentiment, Yo wrote on her own page: "Five years with this crazy goofball. Happy anniversary, sunshine. Here's some fun memories."
Related:'Stranger Things' Star Gaten Matarazzo, 16, Goes to Prom with His 'Beautiful Girlfriend'
Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton
This Stranger Things pair is a couple both on and off the screen! Though Natalia Dyer's Nancy Wheeler was linked to Steve (Joe Keery) in season 1, she eventually started dating Charlie Heaton's Jonathan Byers on the show (and then eventually in real life as well).
Dyer and Heaton first met when they were cast on the Netflix series in 2015, and fans couldn't help but notice their chemistry when the show premiered in July 2016. As their characters fell for each other in 1984 Hawkins, their off-screen romance began to blossom as well.
The pair ignited even more dating rumors in 2017 when they were spotted together at the Los Angeles International Airport after attending the Golden Globes.
While Dyer and Heaton were more reserved about their real-life romance at first, the pair has opened up a bit more in the years since, attending red premieres and sharing sweet posts with each other on social media.
Joe Keery
Joe Keery has played Steve Harrington on Stranger Things since season 1. Throughout the show's four seasons, Nancy Wheeler has been his character's most notable love interest.
In real life, Keery began dating actress Maika Monroe in 2017. The two first met at a party in Los Angeles back in 2017 and went public with their romance a few months later at the Stranger Things season 2 premiere that year.
Keery and Monroe have kept their romantic life private on social media but have made several public appearances together at major award shows and events through the years.
In August 2021, Stranger Things star opened up in an interview with GQ about dating a fellow actor. "Over quarantine, it was like we spent so much time together, which was rare," Keery began.
"I mean, that's one of the disadvantages of dating someone else in the industry," he continued. "There are advantages as well: somebody who kind of understands what's going on with you in a pretty deep way. But yeah, I think she's like me. She doesn't take it all too seriously."
The couple last stepped out together at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in March 2022, prompting breakup rumors in recent months, however, neither Keery nor Monroe has commented on their relationship status.
Related:Joe Keery and Maika Monroe's Relationship Timeline
Dacre Montgomery
Dacre Montgomery has portrayed Billy Hargrove on Stranger Things since season 2 in 2017. While his character never engaged in a committed romantic relationship, he did have an attraction to Mrs. Wheeler (portrayed by Cara Buono) in season 3.
Off screen, Montgomery has been in a relationship with model Liv Pollock since 2017. Back in April 2018, Pollock told Australia's The Daily Telegraph that she and Montgomery met one another through "mutual contacts from work" in Perth, but started talking "through social media."
"It grew from there," she said. "We are both also really passionate about design — I'm studying architecture and Dacre has studied interior design so we were drawn to each other through our mutual love of design."
In the years that followed, Montgomery and Pollock have made several public appearances together at red carpet events and posted about each other on their respective social media pages. The two were together in September 2018 at the Emmys Awards, and in February 2019 at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
Recently, they posed at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in November 2022 and attended the Politix Ambassador Announcement event in Australia in January, which Pollock shared on her Instagram.
Maya Hawke
Maya Hawke has played Robin Buckley on Stranger Things since season 3, which premiered in July 2019. Her character had a crush on fellow Hawkins High classmate and bandmate, Vickie (played by Amybeth McNulty), in season 4.
In real life, Hawke was romantically linked to musician Spencer Barnett. The couple first sparked romance rumors in February 2022 when The Daily Mail captured photos of the two kissing in New York City on Valentine's Day.
While the two have kept their relationship off social media, they have stepped out alongside each other a few times at high-profile events. The two were seen together in December 2022, as they enjoyed a vacation in Miami, in photos obtained by The Daily Mail.
Cara Buono
Cara Buono has played Karen Wheeler on Stranger Things since its first season premiered in 2016. Her character is the wife of Ted Wheeler (played by Joe Chrest) and the mother of Nancy (played by Dyer), Mike (played by Wolfhard), and Holly (played by twin sisters Anniston and Tinsley Price).
Off screen, Buono has been in a long-time relationship with Ethos Water founder and entrepreneur Peter Thum. While the couple, who shares one daughter, has kept details of their romance private over the years, the Mad Men alum celebrated her eleventh anniversary with her husband on Instagram in July 2020.
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