11 Stars Who Have Dated or Married Politicians

While they may have very different careers, these couples found common ground in shared values and political beliefs. Although not all relationships stood the test of time, they definitely left their mark on political and pop culture history.

Read on to find out which celebrities dated politicians…

1. Montel Williams

Early in Kamala Harris’ political career, she dated television personality Montel Williams. While Montel hasn’t spoken extensively about their short romance in the early 2000s, he did say that he had great respect for her and believes the media has been too focused on her relationships. Despite their former relationship, he has not formally endorsed her as a presidential candidate.

“@KamalaHarris and I briefly dated about 20 years ago when we were both single. So what? I have great respect for Sen. Harris. I have to wonder if the same stories about her dating history would have been written if she were a male candidate?” he wrote on X in 2020.

2. Rosario Dawson

In 2019, Rosario Dawson confirmed that she was dating Senator Cory Booker. The pair had met through a mutual friend the year prior -- although it had taken some time for things to turn romantic. During the early days of the pandemic, she ended up relocating to the east coast to be with him.

“It’s the first time I felt like I had to be responsible about my choice of love, which is a challenging thing to do,” Rosario shared with Bustle at the time. “If you fall in love, you fall in love. But there’s another aspect I had to consider: what this meant in [putting] a microscope on my family and particularly on my daughter. But in each other, I think we found our person.”

The pair continued to date for two years, making public appearances together at political events and on the red carpet. They ultimately split in 2022 but remain friends.

3. Sandra Lee

Food Network star and cookbook author Sandra Lee seriously dated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo for over a decade. While he was a major fixture in the political scene, Sandra rarely attended events and kept her family life private -- opting to work on projects behind the scenes.

While she kept the relationship on the down low, Sandra later shared that her partnership with Andrew was deteriorating long before their split. She explained that the couple both had “separate and busy lives” that led them to grow apart over time. Things hit a low point in 2015 when Andrew allegedly failed to celebrate Sandra’s birthday amid her battle with cancer. The couple ultimately announced their split in September 2019.

4. Mindy Kaling

During Barack Obama’s presidency, Mindy Kaling secretly dated one of his staffers who traveled everywhere with him. In her book Why Not Me? Mindy wrote that she met the tall, blond Tennessee native at a fundraiser. During their romance, she got to tour the White House, attend political events and even meet the president. Unfortunately, their busy schedules got in between their relationship.

“That was a moment when I realized how cool my life is,” Mindy wrote in the book. “I was trying to hit on a guy and was being c--k blocked by the President of the United States.”

5. Cheryl Hines

When Cheryl Hines first started dating Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he was working as an environmental lawyer and hadn’t yet followed in his family’s political footsteps. Looking back, Cheryl says she appreciated that they weren’t both in the entertainment industry.

“I liked that when we got together, we were from two different worlds. I liked that he wasn’t in the entertainment business. I liked that he was doing environmental law. And the Kennedy aspect? That didn’t seem to matter that much to me because he wasn’t in politics and his family was very warm and welcoming,” Cheryl told The Hollywood Reporter.

Cheryl says it was a “few years” into their relationship when she realized RFK Jr. had some radical ideas and eventually wanted to pursue a career in politics. While he has since run for president, Cheryl has supported his journey -- although she has called out some of his more controversial comments.

6. Kim Cattrall

Back in the early 1980s, Kim Cattrall dated Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The pair met at the premiere of her film Tribute and hit it off. Kim says she decided to make the first move by calling him up and asking him on a date.

“I asked myself, ‘How do you go about getting a date with the prime minister?’ and then I just decided to call him up and ask for one,” she told MacLean’s, adding that they then kept in touch by phone.

She later added that Pierre was a “dream of a date” and “very charming, kind and a total gentleman.” The pair also attended the Genie Awards together but they eventually went their separate ways.

7. Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand also dated Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau after they met at the premiere of her movie Funny Girl in 1968. While he was 23 years her senior, the pair hit it off with Barbra saying he had “real charisma” and was “very dapper, intelligent [and] intense.” During their romance, she spent time with him in Canada and even attended Parliament sessions.

“He was doing important work. I was dazzled,” she wrote in  her memoir My Name is Barbra. “It was nice to be with a man who had his own light shining on him so I could stay in the shadows a bit.”

Over time, Barbra says she became “scared” about the “intensity” of the relationship, considering she had recently had a child and gotten divorced. She moved to LA to get some space and eventually they went their separate ways.

8. Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda was once married to the late California senator Tom Hayden. The pair met in the early 1970s but Jane was married at the time. After her divorce, she reconnected with Tom, sharing a joint passion for activism. During their relationship, the couple were incredibly involved in the Peace Movement and Jane was by Tom’s side as he decided to run for the senate.

“The passion of our common involvement no doubt caused our involvement in passion for each other,” Tom wrote in his memoir Reunion. “Being able to fight the same hazardous battles daily, and to do so together rather than in loneliness, was a powerful basis for this love.”

The pair remained married for 17 years but eventually called it quits in 1990.

9. Sheryl Lee Ralph

Sheryl Lee Ralph and her husband, Pennsylvania senator Vincent Hughes, have been together for over two decades. By the time the pair tied the knot in 2005, Vincent had already been a politician for many years. And while their relationship has stood the test of time, their careers have actually kept them apart. Sheryl lives in Los Angeles while she’s working on her show Abbot Elementary and Vincent lives on the east coast.

“We live together on and off, in that I’m shooting Abbott Elementary in L.A.," Sheryl told E! News. “He is at the Capitol every week, so we see each other in between.”

10. Carla Bruni

Supermodel Carla Bruni married French president Nicolas Sarkozy after only dating for several months. She stepped into her role as First Lady, accompanying her husband on official trips around the world and taking on her own causes. While Carla says she loved being First Lady, it forced her to live her life under a microscope where she was subject to constant criticism. When Nicolas finished his term, she was happy to get back to her regular life.

“You know, it’s really nice to be without pressure. It’s really nice to be without stress, and family life is more easy now...I loved it, but I don’t really miss it,” she told CNBC.

11. Kate Mulgrew

Star Trek: Voyager actress Kate Mulgrew and Ohio politician Tim Hagan met when they were both beginning their careers. They lost touch for some time but eventually reconnected and tied the knot in 1999. Despite being married, the couple’s relationship was long distance as Kate was acting in LA and Tim was serving as the Cuyahoga County Commissioner. They remained married for over a decade but called it quits in 2014.

“All the separations took a toll,” Kate told Cleveland.com. “No one was at fault. We are who we are. I was passionate about my career, and he was so important as a commissioner in Cleveland. He’s rooted there, and I’m not sure I ever fully understood the depth of that or honored it.”