Abel Tesfaye—you probably know him as The Weeknd—has built an entire multi-billion dollar brand on being the guy who’s perpetually heartbroken, slightly toxic, and wandering through the neon-soaked streets of Las Vegas at 4 AM. It’s a vibe. But honestly, when you look at the The Weeknd girlfriends list, the reality is a lot more grounded than the cinematic madness of his After Hours era would suggest. People love to speculate. They see a blurry paparazzi photo and suddenly "Starboy" has a new muse.
He’s private. Like, intensely private. Yet, his relationships have provided the fuel for some of the biggest pop hits of the last decade. If you’ve ever screamed the lyrics to "Save Your Tears" or "Call Out My Name," you’re essentially singing along to his diary entries. But who are the women behind the lyrics? From high-profile supermodels to secret flings that the internet is still debating, the timeline of his dating life is a rollercoaster of long-term commitments and "did that actually happen?" moments.
The Early Days: Bella Hadid and the Foundation of a Saga
The most significant entry on any The Weeknd girlfriends list is, without question, Bella Hadid. This wasn’t just a flash-in-the-pan celebrity hookup. It was an era. They first linked up back in early 2015. Abel actually asked her to be on the artwork for his album Beauty Behind the Madness. She said no to that, but she did end up starring in the "In the Night" music video.
Their chemistry was undeniable.
They made their red carpet debut at the 2016 Grammys, looking like the ultimate power couple. But then things got messy. Fame is a heavy weight, and for two people whose careers were exploding simultaneously, the pressure was clearly immense. They broke up in late 2016, citing "conflicting schedules." It’s the classic Hollywood excuse, right? But the drama was only just starting.
After a very public detour (we’ll get to that in a second), they actually found their way back to each other in 2018. Seeing them together in Cannes or walking around New York made fans think they were end-game. They weren't. By August 2019, they called it quits again. If you listen to the After Hours album, you can practically feel the ghost of this relationship in every synth-heavy track. It’s haunting. It's real. It’s basically the blueprint for modern breakup music.
The Selena Gomez Era: A Ten-Month Whirlwind
If the Bella relationship was a slow-burn drama, his time with Selena Gomez was a summer blockbuster. It caught everyone off guard. In January 2017, photos surfaced of them kissing behind a dumpster outside a restaurant in Santa Monica. Very glamorous.
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Social media went into a total meltdown.
They didn't hide it. They went to Italy. They went to the Met Gala. They even moved into a temporary "luxurious apartment" in Greenwich Village together. It seemed serious, fast. Selena was going through a lot at the time, including her kidney transplant, and sources close to the couple said Abel was a huge support system for her.
But by October 2017, it was over. Ten months.
The aftermath gave us the My Dear Melancholy EP. If you want to know how Abel felt about that breakup, just listen to "Call Out My Name." The lyrics about "falling for you was my mistake" and "I almost cut a piece of myself for your life" are widely believed to be about Selena and her health struggles. It’s raw. It’s uncomfortable. It’s exactly why his fans are so obsessed with his dating history.
The Simi Khadra Rumors and the Angelina Jolie Mystery
Once you move past the "Big Two" (Bella and Selena), the The Weeknd girlfriends list gets a bit more speculative. In 2021 and 2022, the internet started buzzing about Abel and Simi Khadra. Simi is a DJ and, interestingly enough, used to be friends with Bella Hadid. Talk about awkward.
They were spotted kissing at a birthday party in Vegas. While they never did the whole "official Instagram debut" thing, they’ve been seen together enough times over the last few years—from Coachella to dinner dates in LA—to suggest that it’s more than just a casual friendship. Simi seems to be the one who provides him with a bit of stability away from the blinding lights of the paparazzi.
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Then there was the Angelina Jolie situation.
Yeah, you read that right. In 2021, Abel and Angelina were spotted leaving several dinners together at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica. The internet lost its collective mind. Was he dating an Oscar winner? Was she his new muse? The reality was likely a bit more professional. Abel was moving into the world of acting and producing with The Idol, and Angelina is... well, Angelina. While some lyrics on Dawn FM seem to reference dating a "movie star," neither ever confirmed a romance. It remains one of those "maybe in another life" Hollywood mysteries.
Why We Care About the Musings of Abel Tesfaye
You might wonder why people are so obsessed with who a 30-something guy from Toronto is dating. It’s not just gossip. For fans of The Weeknd, his relationships are the key to unlocking the meaning behind his music. He doesn’t do many interviews. He doesn't explain his lyrics on Genius. He lets the music speak.
When he dates someone, the sound of his music changes.
- The Bella Years: Focused on the highs and lows of toxic attraction and the struggle of balancing fame with love.
- The Selena Months: Dark, moody, and filled with a specific kind of regret and "what if" energy.
- The Current Era: More synth-pop, slightly more detached, reflecting a man who might be tired of the public spectacle of his love life.
It's a cycle. He falls in love, the world watches, it ends, and we get a Diamond-certified record out of it. It sounds cynical, but it’s the engine that drives his artistry. He’s an observer of his own pain.
Common Misconceptions About His Dating Life
Let’s clear some stuff up. Just because he’s seen with someone doesn't mean they are "the one." There were rumors about Rosalía because of their "La Fama" collaboration. Total work vibes only. There were rumors about Yovanna Ventura because he was spotted holding her hand at a party once to get back at an ex. Petty? Maybe. A relationship? No.
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Also, the "toxic" persona he plays in his music videos isn't necessarily who he is at home. People close to him often describe him as quiet, focused, and actually kind of a nerd about film and production. The guy who sings about being "Heartless" is the same guy who spends millions of dollars on elaborate Super Bowl halftime shows. He's a perfectionist. Sometimes, that perfectionism doesn't leave much room for a traditional relationship.
Navigating the Timeline: A Look at the Major Players
| Year | Person | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2016 | Bella Hadid | High-profile relationship |
| 2017 | Selena Gomez | Ten-month whirlwind |
| 2018 - 2019 | Bella Hadid | The second attempt |
| 2021 | Angelina Jolie | Rumored/Dinner dates |
| 2022 - Present | Simi Khadra | Low-key/Frequently spotted |
It’s a shorter list than most people think for a guy of his stature. He isn’t a serial dater in the way some other pop stars are. He tends to stick with people for a while, or at least, he stays in their orbit.
What’s Next for Abel’s Heart?
As he transitions away from "The Weeknd" moniker and starts releasing music as Abel Tesfaye, we might see a shift in how he handles his personal life. He’s talked about "killing off" his alter ego. If the persona dies, maybe the need to broadcast his heartbreak dies with it?
Probably not. Love is too good for the charts.
If you’re looking to keep up with his latest moves, don't just look at the tabloids. Look at the credits. Look at the lyrics. He’s always been better at expressing his relationship status through a bassline than a tweet. Whether he’s officially with Simi Khadra or searching for the next person to inspire a Grammy-winning ballad, the The Weeknd girlfriends list will always be a central part of his mythos.
How to Track the Real Story
If you want to separate the facts from the TikTok theories, here are a few ways to stay informed:
- Check the Producers: Abel often works with Metro Boomin or Mike Dean. Sometimes they drop hints in interviews about the "mood" of a recording session and what was happening in Abel's life.
- Music Video Casting: He rarely casts random people. There’s usually a reason or a "type" he’s looking for that mirrors his current headspace.
- The Giorgio Baldi Rule: If he’s seen at this specific Santa Monica restaurant with someone more than twice, it’s probably not just a business meeting. That’s his go-to spot for dates.
- Lyric Analysis: Look for specific geographical references. He loves mentioning cities (New York, Paris, Tokyo) that correlate with where he was spotted with a specific woman.
The Weeknd’s dating life is a puzzle. He gives us just enough pieces to think we’ve solved it, but he always keeps the full picture for himself. That’s the mystery of the Starboy. Stick to the confirmed timelines and try not to get lost in the "shipping" wars on Twitter—the truth is usually hidden right there in the lyrics if you listen closely enough.