Who has Criminal Minds star Matthew Gray Gubler dated on and off screen? From a rumoured hook-up with Taylor Swift to friendship with ex Kat Dennings, here’s Dr Spencer Reid’s IRL relationship history

For 15 seasons of TV show Criminal Minds, from 2005 to 2020, Matthew Gray Gubler played Dr Spencer Reid, a behavioural analyst for the FBI. Known for his sharp wit and expertise in solving complex crimes, the character quickly became a fan favourite.

Despite spending a decade and a half on the show, Reid was one of the few characters who never had a long-term romantic relationship. His first love interest was Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook), but their dynamic shifted to more of a brother-sister connection. In season eight, he seems to have finally found “the one” in the form of geneticist Maeve Donovan (Beth Riesgraf), but she is murdered by her stalker. A new relationship with art teacher Maxine Brenner (Rachael Leigh Cook) in the series finale ended ambiguously, leaving their relationship status unclear.

But while Gubler’s on-screen love life remained largely unsuccessful, his real-life relationships are a different story. Let’s take a closer look at his rumoured dating history.

Was there love on the runway?

While studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the early noughties, Las Vegas native Gubler, now 44, was discovered by a model scout and went on to appear in campaigns for fashion brands such as Marc Jacobs and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2004, says Nicki Swift, he was linked with singer and fellow model Charlotte Kemp Muhl. However, Muhl later took to Instagram to clarify that the two were just friends.

Friends and pop stars

“I’m still really good friends with her. I love Kat. She’s the best,” said Gubler in a 2015 interview with Glamour magazine. They would even go on to co-star in the 2019 comedy series Dollface.

In 2010, Gubler was romantically linked with Victoria Asher, keyboardist with the band Cobra Starship. She later went solo, then became an assistant to pop star Britney Spears.

Was Gubler a Swiftie?

In a photo he posted on that Independence Day, Gubler has a US flag painted on his face similar to Swift’s face paint from her photos of the day. The kitchen in the background of the shot also resembles that in Swift’s posts. Fans speculated that the two started spending time together as Swift’s Red tour began. However, neither Gubler nor Swift ever commented on their status.

Despite relationships not working out, Gubler has maintained a wholesome perspective on love.

“I fall in love with wonderful people and people can’t be replicated. They are completely unique individuals, and those people are really rare and you can’t let them go,” he told Glamour in 2015. “You gotta be friends with them forever, because if I’m gonna date someone, it’s a real big thing for me.”

More recently, Gubler was spotted on a date with Ariel Frenkel, a former contestant on The Bachelor, though neither has publicly confirmed a relationship.

He has a new love interest on the horizon

After a five-year break from the spotlight, Gubler is returning to acting and producing with a new series: Einstein. Good Housekeeping reports that Gubler will star as Lew Einstein, the great-grandson of towering physicist Albert. A popular professor at Princeton University, Lew will use his genius to help the police solve crimes, while also searching for personal meaning and purpose.

And, at last, Einstein will introduce a new permanent love interest, says Screen Rant: Maddie Paris, a detective inspector with the New Jersey State Police, played by Rosa Salazar. The two will work together to crack cases – and no doubt develop some on-screen chemistry in the process.