Speculation about Janelle Monáe and Thompson's relationship began in April 2015, when Thompson appeared as a backup dancer in the singer's "Yoga" music video. The pair were then photographed for the first time together the following month at the 2015 MOCA gala. Romance rumors around the duo intensified at the beginning of 2018, after they played star-crossed lovers in the "emotion picture" version of Monáe's "Dirty Computer" album and attended the Los Angeles premiere of "Annihilation."
During an interview with Porter Edit in June 2018, Thompson addressed the rumors head-on. "It's tricky, because Janelle and I are just really private people and we're both trying to navigate how you reconcile wanting to have that privacy and space, and also wanting to use your platform and influence," she said.
Thompson continued, "We love each other deeply. We're so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that's okay. It doesn't bother me." Her comments led many to believe the two had been romantically involved. The actor later clarified in a tweet that, "I didn't say I was in a relationship. But I said lots of other things."
