A Timeline of Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling's Under-the-Radar Romance

Updated on 5/17/2023 at 3:45 PM

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have been together for more than a decade and keep their relationship extremely private. While it's unclear exactly when these two started dating, the couple were first linked back in September 2011 when they were spotted enjoying a magical date at Disneyland. Since then, Mendes and Gosling have shared a handful of sweet moments, starred in a movie together, and welcomed their two kids, daughters Esmeralda and Amada.

The couple took some time away from the spotlight but returned with new projects in 2022. In July of that year, Gosling starred alongside Chris Evans, Regé-Jean Page, and Ana de Armas in Netflix's "The Gray Man." Two months prior, Variety reported that the actor was set to lead a 2024 film adaptation of iconic '80s TV show "The Fall Guy," which has since been confirmed to also star Emily Blunt, Teresa Palmer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu, per Deadline.

Meanwhile, Mendes joined a new venture in May 2022: kitchen-product company Skura Style. "I'm not the cook in the family, but the dishes are my domain. I find cleaning oddly exciting, and as a dish freak, I was shocked to learn that the sponge is the dirtiest item in my house! That's when my obsession with Skura began," she shared in a press statement. "I'm beyond thrilled to announce that I'm not only an ambassador for Skura Style but I'm also co-owner in this innovative female owned business."

Up next, Gosling's highly anticipated "Barbie" film, which he stars in with Margot Robbie, is set to premiere in July, and it seems his longtime partner is just as excited as "Barbie" fans for the movie's summer debut. On May 16, she posted a photo of herself on Instagram that pictured her sporting a Barbie-branded T-shirt with Gosling on it. "Got that real big Kenergy. Coz girls is players too," Mendes captioned it. Now, will she pose alongside Gosling at the "Barbie" premiere? It's unlikely but understandable considering how rare it is for the two to attend red carpet events together.

Ahead, take a look at how Gosling and Mendes's low-key romance came to be.

Late 2011–2012

August 2011: Gosling and Mendes film "The Place Beyond the Pines" in NYC, and sparks fly. While working late into the night, the two were seen sharing a sweet moment on the set of the movie.
September 2011: The pair took a break from filming and were seen enjoying a romantic date at Disneyland.
May 2012: During an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres show," Mendes could not help blushing when the host asked her who she was dating and brought up Gosling.
June 2012: Gosling caused quite a frenzy when he brought Mendes along to his mom Donna's graduation in his home city of Toronto.
September 2012: The duo stepped out together at the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of their movie, "The Place Beyond the Pines," looking all kinds of gorgeous.
November 2012: The couple spent the Thanksgiving holiday together, further proving that things were getting serious between them.

2013–2014

March 2013: They made a stunning joint appearance at the premiere of their film, "The Place Beyond the Pines," in NYC.
September 2013: In an interview with The Edit, Mendes could hardly speak when asked about her relationship with Gosling, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm shutting down. I'm such a weirdo. I literally lose my ability to speak — and you were doing so well."
February 2014: After laying low for a few months, reports surfaced that the couple had broken up. Shortly after, Gosling was spotted hanging out at Mendes's house, putting those breakup rumors to rest.
July 2014: Fans were in for quite the surprise when news broke that the pair were expecting their first child together.
September 2014: Mendes gives birth to a baby girl named Esmeralda Amada.
November 2014: In a special interview for Violet Grey's digital publication, The Violet Files, the notoriously private star opened up about the struggles of motherhood and how her life had changed since having a baby, saying, "I thought my wild nights were over but these are some of the wildest nights I've ever had."

2015

March 2015: While running errands out in LA, Gosling was spotted with daughter Esmeralda's name written on his left hand. That same month, Mendes spoke about her life at home with Gosling and revealed the secret to keeping him happy, dishing, "You can't do sweatpants . . . ladies, number one cause of divorce in America, sweatpants, no!"
April 2015: Mendes starred in Gosling's directorial debut, "Lost River."
August 2015: On top of being a new mom, Mendes joined forces with New York & Company and released a new fashion line. With the help of Gosling, she landed the cutest model for the line, his dog, George.
December 2015: While making the press rounds for his film "The Big Short," Gosling couldn't help gushing over Esmeralda, saying, "This will be our first Christmas where [Esmeralda is] sort of taking it all in, so that's exciting." He also touched on his other half, adding, "She's obsessed with the Hanson Christmas album! No disrespect to Hanson, they're very talented kids, but I think I've heard that record enough. I'm sure it will be on a loop this Christmas as well." He then went on to rave about Mendes, saying he knows she's "the person I'm supposed to be with" and that the only quality he wants in a woman is "that she's Eva Mendes. There's nothing else I'm looking for."

2016

April 2016: The couple welcomed their second child together, daughter Amada Lee Gosling. While they never officially released a statement, a source told People that Mendes "just hasn't ever wanted anyone beyond her close friends and family knowing more than they had to. And Ryan is certainly private and always has been."

2017

January 2017: While taking the stage and accepting a Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy for his role in "La La Land," Gosling gave Mendes a sweet shout-out, calling her a "sweetheart" and dedicating his award to her late brother, Juan Carlo Mendez. Mendes later subtly seemed to respond to Gosling's tribute on Instagram by sharing a snap of Janelle Monáe and writing, "Obviously this wasn't my favorite moment of the night....But it was definitely my favorite style moment of the night."
August 2017: They stepped out for a romantic date night at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. The couple embraced their inner children as they enjoyed the park's rides and held hands while strolling through the park.
September 2017: After hosting "Saturday Night Live" for the second time ever, Gosling celebrated with Mendes at the show's afterparty in NYC. The two were photographed holding hands while they made their way inside the the star-studded bash, which included JAY-Z, Beyoncé, and Scarlett Johansson.

2019

November 2019: Mendes and Gosling remained out of the spotlight for a couple years, but in 2019, she gave fans a rare update on their family during an appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." "We're very controlling," Mendes said of their parenting style. "I think we would be a bulldozing parent."

2022

June 2022: The couple are back in the spotlight, with Gosling starring in the forthcoming films "The Gray Man" and "Barbie" and Mendes launching her new kitchen-cleaning brand Skura Style. After swooning over Gosling as Ken on Instagram, Mendes talked about her other half's upcoming appearance in the Greta Gerwig film in an interview with Access Hollywood. "That picture was really fun. I had a lot of fun when that came out," Mendes said of her Instagram post. "I've been there for what he's been doing and I just — swoon! . . . When I see 'The Gray Man,' that's who I want to spend my nights with and Ken is who I want to spend my days with."
August 2022: While showing off some of her Skura Style cleaning products, Mendes revealed in a black-and-white Instagram video that, at the time, she had a photo of Gosling from "The Gray Man" as her phone's lock-screen background.
November 2022: Mendes sent marriage rumors about the longtime couple into overdrive in November when she posted a photo on Instagram of her wrist tattoo that reads "de Gosling," which translates to "of Gosling" in English. In Hispanic culture, many married women use "de" to change their last name to their husbands' after getting wed, so fans speculated that was Mendes's subtle way of revealing the two had gotten married. She further fueled speculation when she appeared on Australia's "Today" show later that month, during which she referred to Gosling as her "husband." Reps for both stars did not respond to POPSUGAR's request for comment at the time, so it's unclear if the marriage rumors were actually true.

2023

April 2023: It's no secret that Gosling and Mendes dodge red carpet appearances together, and according to the latter, there's a reason. The topic came up on April 6 after Mendes posted a clip of their "The Place Beyond the Pines" movie on Instagram. A fan then commented, "I really hope 'Barbie' will get through the Awards Season just to see you w Ryan." To which Mendes replied, "you're the best ! What a cool comment, thank you. But we don't do those things together. Like these photos I've been posting, Im only comfortable posting because it's already out there." The only time the two have done a red carpet event was to promote their 2012 film.