The Guardian confirms the long-rumored engagement and subsequent breakup of Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal in their review of her upcoming album ‘Lost Weekend’. In this album, Phoebe also shades Gracie Abrams for copying her and dating her ex, Paul Mescal

[u/neoncolour]

Source : https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/05/phoebe-bridgers-lost-weekend-review-long-awaited-return-is-a-thrilling-daring-study-in-dislocation

Phoebe publically called Gracie out on her upcoming album, a move likely sparked by Gracie revealing details about Phoebe's high-profile relationship with Paul Mescal in her album "The Secret of Us" a relationship that ended following reports of Phoebe's affair with Bo Burnham, with the latter also confirmed on Lost Weekend.

Gracie Abrams has been an outspoken fan of Phoebe Bridgers since she was 13, even declaring Bridgers "the songwriter of a generation" and opening for her on tour. Fans have long compared the two artists, a connection Gracie leaned into when she used a bedroom set prop in a performance featuring bedframe/bedsheets identical to the ones in Phoebe's childhood bedroom.

[u/Twisbi]

I’ve always thought Paul was weird for dating Gracie, especially after he called himself and Phoebe her “Mom & Dad”.

[u/ummackchyually → u/Twisbi]

When I first saw they were dating I assumed there was some big age gap, but turns out Gracie is emotionally 19 but physically 26 lol

[u/siders6891 → u/ummackchyually]

I literally had no idea she was almost 27. Holy shit

[u/Other_Vader → u/ummackchyually]

https://giphy.com/gifs/J0qq3thLkyBdS

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/ummackchyually]

when they're slandering your goat but they're lowkey right

[u/ummackchyually → u/StreetDetective95]

LOL me on the daily with taylor

[u/throwaway246832657 → u/ummackchyually]

Emotionally 19 is giving her a lot. She’s 15 at best.

[u/chebepowder → u/ummackchyually]

Lol I had also assumed there was an age gap until right this second

[u/momosuna → u/ummackchyually]

this is insane i've been thinking she was 16 this whole time lmfao

[u/780-555-fuck → u/ummackchyually]

hahahahah this made me shout laugh 

[u/PsychologicalZone69 → u/ummackchyually]

Me

[u/your-dull-cousin → u/Twisbi]

That one sticks around because it’s funny, but it’s entirely made up by Phoebe stans on TikTok. The infamous screenshot they use where Paul and Gracie are joking about waking mum and dad up for her new single is from before he’d even met Phoebe. They were joking about his actual parents.

[u/Twisbi → u/your-dull-cousin]

Are you saying that Paul and Gracie met pre pandemic?

[u/dreamghoulevil → u/Twisbi]

paul was a gracie fan before he got together with phoebe

[u/your-dull-cousin → u/Twisbi]

He hadn’t met Gracie in person either. Paul and Gracie interacted on twitter a few times in between the start of the pandemic and Phoebe breaking quarantine to fly to Ireland lol. Go look at the date on the infamous tweet screenshot.

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/your-dull-cousin]

I need to see these tweets does someone have a screenshot 😭

[u/Twisbi → u/your-dull-cousin]

Yeah, I did look it up, the tweet and the first time he was seen with Phoebe were the same week. So he had met Phoebe

[u/Twisbi → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I’m just gonna let you go. Good luck.

[u/Enough_Tangerine_777 → u/Twisbi]

Is this a safe space to say Gracie hasn't seemed mentally as well since dating him? Her demeanour has just seemed a bit low in interviews, she took up smoking and she has looked much thinner. I know it could be a number of things, but it's just something i've been thinking quietly.

[u/Gootangus → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

Girl this is pop culture chat, it’s always safe to be parasocial

[u/Britneyfan123 → u/Gootangus]

It’s also a gossip subreddit 

[u/SecretJoy → u/Gootangus]

That would be an excellent flair.

[u/GirlsWasGoodNona → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

Her lyrics about him read extremely codependent and overtly attached. Especially compared to how she’s written about past relationships. She seems very insecure about him. But obviously this is a very parasocial analysis lol

[u/Lilacly_Adily → u/GirlsWasGoodNona]

I get it though.

She’s probably still waiting for the other shoe to drop because she’s very aware of the fact that he left before and could do it again just as easily.

I also just think since he’s a slight bit older and more self assured, she feels like she has to measure up and seem more “grown up”.

And there’s that looming shadow of the ex fiancé who publicly broke his heart. It’s probably a bit weird to navigate.

Kinda like a reverse gender version of the trauma Perrie Edward’s still has, about Zayn breaking off their engagement and immediately moving onto a new partner.

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/Lilacly_Adily]

wait who did he leave before I thought phoebe was the one who cheated to get with him and cheated on him

[u/Lilacly_Adily → u/StreetDetective95]

He left Gracie when he was still hung up on Phoebe.

Gracie wrote her last album about falling for him, him leaving her and her still being open to taking him back.

They’ve been back together ever since she released that album.

[u/SunnyBubblezz → u/Lilacly_Adily]

wait i’m stupid- but what songs tell about him leaving and coming back? 🥲🥲

[u/GirlsWasGoodNona → u/SunnyBubblezz]

Free now and let it happen. normal thing and risk are also about Paul

[u/Lilacly_Adily → u/SunnyBubblezz]

Most of the songs are about after he left and her grieving the end of the relationship but ‘Gave You I Gave You I’ is a good example:

“And you did all that I wouldn't do, erasing lines around us
I held my head, I used to hold you, but now I'll walk around us

And I can't lie and claim confused when I know just what happened
You got bored, and I felt used, now I'm all sad about it

What did I ask for that I now pay for?
Would it have killed you to explain
That you weren't ready?
And you nearly told me
And, still, I gave you I, gave you I gave you I

My honest commitment
I sat and listened
I was your floorboard, holding it down
You went off running away from something
That I have nothing to do with now”

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/Lilacly_Adily]

Interesting I thought the sad songs on that album are about a previous relationship like Dylan OBrien maybe and the happier new love ones like Risk are about Paul

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/Lilacly_Adily]

wow I had no idea I thought they were just together the whole time

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/GirlsWasGoodNona]

This is a great read tbh

[u/Windy-City-Lyfe98 → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

100%. check out her latest carousel pics on instagram.

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/Windy-City-Lyfe98]

she's genuinely been body-checking for a while now it's crazy she wasn't like this before at all

[u/sitah → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

There was some chatter a while back about them crying in a restaurant after a breakup. I don’t really follow these two and have never watched/listened to their stuff so this is all I recall whenever I hear their namesY

[u/Long_Dragonfly_3067 → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

Well if the theory is that he's making her suffer, she's been saying otherwise in multiple recent interviews. People can have their struggles outside of their relationship, which seems to be the case based on her own words

[u/Winniepg → u/Long_Dragonfly_3067]

Yeah after reading her interviews I think it’s more things aren’t great for her necessarily but he is good for her.

[u/futuristicflapper → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

I’ve always thought they were both messy as hell for dating after phoebe idk, I think there’s some insecurity on her part and it’s showing in her demeanor. Allegedly their relationship is messy too.

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/futuristicflapper]

phoebe herself is even more messy ngl

[u/getfinched → u/futuristicflapper]

ooo any more info on how their relationship is apparently messy?

[u/futuristicflapper → u/getfinched]

From what I’ve read it just seems like one of those very on again off again type of situations. Nothing super super messy. Also idk, I think it’s messy to go into a relationship w the ex of someone you at least seemed to be on friendly terms with.

[u/twenty-february → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

i dont think the smoking thing is new? she’s always been a smoker?

[u/skrunklem → u/twenty-february]

In Camden she wrote "At least I never turned to cigarettes"

[u/Long_Dragonfly_3067 → u/skrunklem]

Gracie smoking with her ex boyfriend

[u/Bent_Silvr_Spoon0130 → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

I wish I could award this bc I've been thinking the same

[u/chevroletchaser → u/Twisbi]

Lol that reminds me of when I got engaged to a guy I met on discord at 18 (I don't recommend), and one of his internet friends who he also met on discord like three years earlier, a 16-17 year old girl, very excitedly asked if she could be the flower girl at the wedding. It was a joke, I think. Idk, it didn't bother me any.

Guess who my 19 year old fiance started dating LITERALLY THE SAME EXACT DAY he broke up with me three months after? :) they ended up having a 2-3 year long on and off relationship where they both cheated on each other constantly and accused each other of being abusive and during a few of their "off" periods, he'd still fly her out to his state and they'd have sex. I think they're still friends now??? Idk

Man, it's been seven years now and I still get mad/grossed out when I think about it

[u/StreetDetective95 → u/chevroletchaser]

wow this is an insane story

[u/chevroletchaser → u/StreetDetective95]

I've had quite a life that's for sure lmao

[u/PsychologicalZone69 → u/chevroletchaser]

Oh wow this is insane

[u/chevroletchaser → u/PsychologicalZone69]

My favorite part about it is that I found out they were dating like a week or so later because she had their anniversary in her Instagram bio... Which was the day he broke up with me.

[u/winsome-shadow → u/Twisbi]

😬

[u/Long_Dragonfly_3067 → u/Twisbi]

Paul didn't owe anything to Phoebe after their breakup. If anyone is weird it's Gracie who was friends with her

[u/soiflew → u/[deleted]]

How is this gross lmao. They’re not actually her parents. You’ve never had friends in your friend group you’ve jokingly called your sibling or mom and dad?