Anna Kendrick has spent the last decade being everyone’s favorite relatable celebrity. She’s the girl who tweets about eating Oreos in bed and the one who sang her way into our hearts with a plastic cup. But for a long time, the public perception of the Anna Kendrick love life was basically a blank slate. She didn't do the red carpet couple debuts. She didn't post "soft launches" on Instagram. Honestly, she stayed so far under the radar that when news broke in 2025 about her dating a certain Emmy-winning comedian, half the internet went, "Wait, she was single?"
The truth is much heavier than a catchy Pitch Perfect riff. Kendrick recently peeled back the curtain on a seven-year relationship that she described as emotionally and psychologically abusive. It wasn't the kind of thing you see in a Lifetime movie. There were no bruises. Instead, it was a slow, agonizing "overnight switch" that left her questioning her own sanity. It’s a story about gaslighting, recovery, and finally finding someone who actually deserves her time.
The Secret Seven-Year Chapter
For years, fans assumed Kendrick was just living her best low-key life with cinematographer Ben Richardson. They met on the set of Drinking Buddies in 2014. They were spotted grabbing coffee. They looked normal. But while the timeline aligns with her description of a long-term partnership that turned toxic, Kendrick has been very careful not to name names.
She told Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast that the relationship lasted seven years. About six years in, something shifted. It wasn't a gradual decline; it was like a light switch flipped. Suddenly, the person she trusted most was telling her she was "terrorizing" them just for crying. She spent a year turning her life upside down to "fix" herself, thinking she was the crazy one.
The breakthrough didn't happen in a dramatic movie moment. It happened in a therapy session. Kendrick finally snapped and yelled. She was so ashamed that she emailed the therapist to apologize for her behavior. The therapist’s response? He called her and said he was proud of her. That was the moment she realized the "calm" persona her partner put on in front of the professional was the real act. The relationship ended shortly after.
Dating Again: From Bill Hader to Alex Edelman
After that heavy chapter, Kendrick took some time. Then came the Bill Hader era.
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It was the relationship nobody saw coming but everyone loved. They played siblings in the Disney+ movie Noelle back in 2019, but they didn't start dating until much later—around 2020 or 2021. Because of the pandemic, they were able to keep things entirely private for over a year. People close to them said they had a "sarcastic and funny" rapport. It felt right. Two of the funniest people in Hollywood together? It was a match made in Twitter heaven.
They split in June 2022. No drama, no messy headlines. Just two busy people moving on.
Fast forward to 2025. The Anna Kendrick love life headlines started buzzing again, this time linked to comedian Alex Edelman. If you don't know Alex, he’s the mind behind the brilliant Broadway show Just For Us. Sources confirmed in July 2025 that they’d been dating for months. They were spotted grabbing takeout at Porto’s Bakery in Burbank—very normal, very un-Hollywood.
The word is that it’s getting serious. She’s reportedly met his mom. They’ve been seen at low-key restaurants that aren't typical celeb haunts. After everything she went through in that seven-year relationship, seeing her with someone who seems grounded and low-drama is a massive relief for fans.
Why She’s Done With "Traditional" Expectations
Kendrick has been incredibly vocal lately about what she doesn't want. And that includes kids.
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She’s joked about being a "childless cat lady," leaning into the label with her signature dry wit. In an interview with Flow Space, she pointed out the weird double standard where men talk about "kids running around" as a background aesthetic while the woman is doing the actual labor. She’s not interested in that visual.
"I don't think I've ever heard a woman say that... because it paints a certain visual. You come home, you make a cocktail, and there's a couple of kids in white running around. Where are you in that, sir?"
She’s also set a hard rule for her future: therapy is mandatory. She’s stated she won’t date a man unless he’s in or has been in therapy. It’s a boundary born from experience. She’s no longer interested in being someone’s emotional project or a punching bag for their unaddressed issues.
Navigating the New Normal
Recovery from emotional abuse isn't a straight line. Kendrick admits she still deals with the "top layer of shame." It’s a process. But her career is thriving—she recently made her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour—and her personal life seems to finally be on her own terms.
She isn't looking for a fairytale. She’s looking for reality.
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If you’re following the Anna Kendrick love life saga, the takeaway isn't just about who she’s seen with at a bakery. It’s about the shift from a woman who felt she had to "fix" herself for a partner to a woman who knows exactly what she will and won't accept.
Moving Forward: Lessons from Anna’s Journey
- Trust the "Switch": If a partner’s personality changes overnight and stays that way, it’s not your job to fix it.
- The Therapy Rule: Setting a boundary that a partner must be working on themselves isn't "high maintenance"—it's self-preservation.
- Redefine Success: A successful relationship doesn't have to end in marriage or kids if that’s not what you want. Success is feeling safe and seen.
- Privacy is Power: You don't owe the world a play-by-play of your heart. Keeping things low-key can be the healthiest move for a new romance.
The most important thing to remember is that recovery takes time. Kendrick’s openness about her past hasn't just clarified her history; it has given a voice to people who didn't recognize their own "non-traditional" abusive situations. She’s proving that you can come out the other side stronger, funnier, and much more selective about who gets a seat at your table.
As of early 2026, things with Alex Edelman seem to be the steady, quiet support system she deserves. Whether they ever make it "red carpet official" doesn't really matter. What matters is that the light is back in her eyes, and she’s no longer apologizing for existing.