They looked like a renaissance painting, didn't they?
Pale skin. Wet hair. A kiss so dramatic it felt like something out of a French New Wave film. When the photos of Timothée Chalamet and Lily-Rose Depp on that yacht in Capri hit the internet in 2019, the world basically stopped spinning for a second.
You remember the ones.
He was leaning back, arms braced on the boat, looking slightly like a Victorian ghost who just discovered summer. She was leaned over him. It was intense. It was everywhere. And then, just as quickly as they became the "It" couple of the A24 generation, they were gone.
What Really Happened with Timothée and Lily-Rose?
People still ask if it was a PR stunt. Honestly, that’s the question that won’t die. But if you listen to Timothée himself, the reality was way more human—and way more embarrassing.
The two met on the set of the Netflix film The King. He was playing Henry V; she was playing Catherine of Valois. Very classic. Very high-stakes. They started popping up in the East Village together, grabbing coffee and eating fried chicken at Blue Ribbon.
The romance was confirmed in late 2018 when they were spotted kissing in the rain.
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But Capri was the peak.
"I went to bed that night thinking that was one of the best days of my life," Timothée told GQ a year later. He talked about being on a boat all day with someone he "really loved." Then he woke up to those photos. He felt "embarrassed" and "pale."
People called it a staged photoshoot to promote their movie. Chalamet’s response was pretty definitive: "Do you think I’d want to look like that in front of all of you?"
He has a point. Most PR stunts involve better lighting.
The Quiet Breakup
By April 2020, the dream was over.
There was no big dramatic statement. No Notes-app apology. British Vogue simply referred to Timothée as "currently single" in an interview, and that was that. The world moved on, but the internet didn't.
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Why did it end?
Neither of them has ever spilled the tea. It’s mostly just the usual Hollywood math: busy schedules, young fame, and the pressure of being watched by millions of people who treat your relationship like a Netflix series.
Where They Are in 2026
If you’re still holding out hope for a reunion, you might want to look at the current landscape. Both have moved on to very different chapters.
- Lily-Rose Depp: She’s been in a high-profile, very sweet relationship with rapper 070 Shake (Danielle Balbuena) since early 2023. She’s called her the "love of her life." They are frequently seen at Lakers games or walking around Paris. Lily-Rose seems more open about this relationship than she ever was with Timothée.
- Timothée Chalamet: As of early 2026, he is still going strong with Kylie Jenner. They’ve been together for three years now. At the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, Timothée even gave her a shout-out in his acceptance speech, thanking his "partner of three years" for their "foundation."
It’s a different vibe.
The "Awkward" 2025 Reunion
There was a moment at the 97th Annual Academy Awards in 2025 that sent TikTok into a frenzy. Timothée was there with Kylie. Lily-Rose was there to present an award with Elle Fanning.
They were just meters apart.
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Fans looked for a "glance" or a "shunning," but honestly? They both looked like adults. Professional. They’ve both grown up. Lily-Rose has been busy with the massive success of Nosferatu, and Timothée has solidified himself as the biggest leading man of his generation with Marty Supreme and the Dune franchise.
The yacht photos are a time capsule now. They represent a specific pre-pandemic era of celebrity culture. It was a time when a single paparazzi shot could define a summer.
Moving Past the Nostalgia
If you're still scrolling through old Tumblr posts of the "Capri Kiss," it's worth acknowledging why it stuck. It wasn't just two famous people. It was the aesthetic. The bilingualism. The cool-kid energy.
But they’ve both clearly outgrown that version of themselves.
The Actionable Takeaway: If you're following their careers now, focus on the work. Lily-Rose is carving out a niche in prestige horror and arthouse cinema. Timothée is the king of the box office. Their private lives are now settled in stable, long-term relationships that look nothing like the chaotic "stolen moments" of 2019.
Check out Lily-Rose's performance in Nosferatu if you want to see how much she’s evolved as an actress. Or, if you’re a Chalamet fan, watch his Critics Choice speech from this year—it’s probably the most vulnerable he’s been about his private life in years.
The yacht has sailed. And that's probably for the best.