Jenna Bush Hager’s recent interview with Minka Kelly hit an awkward note.
Kelly, 45, appeared on Today With Jenna & Friends on Tuesday, November 18, where she was interviewed by Bush Hager, 43, and guest host Olivia Munn about her upcoming Netflix holiday rom-com, Champagne Problems. However, the conversation veered to the actress’ relationship with Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds, which appeared to make Kelly uncomfortable.
“Speaking about the holidays and love in this rom-com, you have a very big love in your life right now,” Bush Hager said, seemingly struggling to find the right words.
“Talk about your relationship if you feel comfortable,” the talk show host added. Kelly was visibly taken aback by the proposition as a shocked expression fell over her face.
Minka Kelly and Dan Reynolds began their romance over the phone — and the rest is history. Reynolds shared that he was introduced to Kelly by a mutual friend in 2022 following his divorce from Aja Volkman. The twosome spoke over the phone for a while eventually agreeing to send each other what they were […]
Bush Hager then asked Kelly about the recent birthday message she wrote for Reynolds, 38, calling it “beautiful.”
“Yeah, it was beautiful,” Kelly responded hesitantly. “I’m very lucky. He’s a really good guy.”
Bush Hager apparently noticed Kelly’s discomfort, as she laughed nervously and said, “Sounds like you don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine.”
Munn, 45, then jumped in to recall a fond memory of working with Reynolds on a music video for his band, noting that he was “so kind.”
“He’s the best, they’re all the best,” Kelly responded before transitioning the conversation back to her upcoming film. “And I think there’s something sort of similar to the movie, in the theme of love sort of hits you when least expect it.”
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Kelly and Reynolds were introduced to each other by a mutual friend in 2022 and began talking to each other on the phone frequently. They agreed to exchange each other’s work, as Kelly had been working on her Tell Me Everything memoir at the time, while Reynolds was working on music for Imagine Dragons’ Loom album.
“I think it helped us both kind of understand each other on a deeper level quickly,” Reynolds told People in July 2024. “It was a really strange and awesome way to meet someone because I was hearing all her life stories from youth to now, and she had a really hard, colorful, beautiful life. Getting to read it all before you even meet somebody … I’ve never had that kind of introduction to someone.”
A source exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2023 that Kelly and Reynolds were “so in love.”
“Things are going amazing for them both,” an insider explained at the time, adding that their relationship “started out slowly” and had “gotten much more serious” despite Reynolds’ “busy” tour schedule.
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly started off their relationship by being coworkers, but it quickly evolved into something more. Fox and Kelly (real name Colson Baker) met on the set of Midnight in the Switchgrass in March 2020. At the time, Fox was married to Brian Austin Green. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. […]
“He and Minka spend as much of their free time together as possible. When they can’t be together, oftentimes they’re texting, FaceTiming and calling each other,” the source added.
Kelly gushed about Reynolds in a birthday tribute in July.
“This beautiful man has healed wounds in me he did not inflict — simply by being himself,” she wrote via Instagram. “By embodying true masculinity. The love that is vulnerable, honest and loving.”
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Kelly continued, “I thought I knew kindness. Love. Patience. Generosity. Care. I thought I knew how to be gentle. And then I met him.”
Kelly added that she loves “watching him father and love his babies,” referring to his four children with ex-wife Aja Volkman. “Honoring and respecting their beautiful mother. Doing everything he can to be absolutely everything everyone needs from him. Finding ways every day to light up the lives of the ones so lucky enough to be loved by him.”
“His benevolence, his priorities, his values, and his honesty are all rooted in love. And as a result, we all feel safe and at ease in his orbit,” she concluded. “Thank you for loving me. Thank you for blessing my life in ways I never thought possible — but always dreamed of. I love you, Dan. Happiest birthday to you. Now let’s dance!”
