Stranger Things' Joe Keery Breaks Silence on "Big Breakup" From Maika Monroe

There's nothing strange about Joe Keery's love life.

However, the Stranger Things star did find himself in unusual circumstances when he split from actress Maika Monroe around the time he was wrapping production on the 2023 film Finally Dawn. And he was still dealing with the aftermath when he had to travel from Rome to Calgary, Canada, to film season five of Fargo, which premiered on FX late last year.

"It's a weird job, being an actor," Joe told Variety in an interview published in June 6. "You fly to a random place, move your whole life and that is basically your new life for the next six months."

He continued, "I had also gone through a big breakup, right as I was leaving Rome, so I was really isolated and focused on my work. My social life pretty much revolved around the show; my work life revolved around the show. We weren't really leaving due to COVID-19."

In addition, Joe was also going through some lifestyle changes, including working with a dialect coach to work on his character's accent for the crime series. 

"I started working out a bunch and changed my diet a little bit," he recalled. "I've never really done that for a job. I didn't realize it at the time, but I think it kind of informed me physically."

But for the 32-year-old, being an actor means "being able to roll with the punches and buckle in." After all, he ended up traveling to Atlanta following his Fargo shoot to film the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.

 

"I'm trying to really live in the present and appreciate every day that I'm on set and get to spend with these people who I love," he said of returning to the set of the Netflix show one last time. "That's like a good way to try to lead your life in general, just focus on the present."

Joe and Maika, 31, started dating in 2017, before costarring in After Everything the following year. The two quarantined together during the pandemic, which Joe described as "rare" given their busy schedules.

"I mean, that's one of the disadvantages of dating someone else in the industry," he noted in a 2021 GQ interview. "There are advantages as well: somebody who kind of understands what's going on with you in a pretty deep way. But yeah, I think she's like me. She doesn't take it all too seriously."

For more about the love lives of Stranger Things stars, keep reading.

Millie's relationship with Jake Bongiovi—the son of rocker Jon Bon Jovi— dates back to at least June 2021, when Jake posted a photo of the couple on Instagram with the caption "bff <3." 

After making their red carpet debut as a couple at the BAFTA Film Awards in March 2022, the two proved that their fashion sense was in sync when they stepped out to Stranger Things' season four premiere in May wearing matching black-and-white ensembles. And later that month, Millie posted a throwback photo of Jake hanging out with her Stranger Things co-star Finn Wolfhard on set, proving that her man has her work family's stamp of appoval.

Millie announced her engagement to Jake in April 2023, posting a photo of the two sharing a laugh while the actress wore a diamond sparkler on her wedding ring finger. She captioned the snap with lyrics from "Lover" by Taylor Swift: "I've loved you three summers now, honey, I want 'em all."

The couple tied the knot in May 2024.

We rate this relationship an 11 out 10.

Finn isn't lacking in the love department himself! The actor is currently dating actress Elsie Richter, though the two keep their relationship very private. In a November 2021 interview with The Washington Post, Finn said a fan threatened to expose Elsie's address unless Finn confirmed their relationship. He was forced to comply.

"They're like, ‘Oh, OK, I'm so sorry. We love her,' " he told the paper. "It all fades literally once you're like, ‘Hey, calm down. It's cool. I'm a real person.' It's almost like a trance or something. Maybe it's a power thing."

Most notably, Elsie appeared in seven episodes of the HBO series Doll & Em.

Finn and Elsie have been together since mid-2021. 

Love blossomed in Hawkins!

Natalia, who plays Nancy Wheeler, and Charlie, who plays Jonathan Byers, have been linked since 2017 when they made their red carpet debut at The Fashion Awards in London. 

Their characters are intrinsically linked, which has led for plenty of on-screen time together, which Natalia doesn't take for granted.

"It's always really fun. We're really comfortable with each other, so we can play and feel more free, and we can talk about it before," she told Refinery29 in 2019. "There's that sense of who knows if you'll ever work together with this person ever again? Who knows? This might be your only chance to play like this." 

Despite the fact they've been public about their relationship, don't expect the couple to put everything on display. "Some people are very good about being open and sharing," Natalia told Cosmopolitan in May 2022, "and other people feel a little more comfortable holding some things for themselves."

Gaten, who plays Dustin, has been dating girlfriend Lizzy Yu for more than four years. He made note of their anniversary with a cute Instagram post on March 7, posting a picture of Lizzy captioned: "Four years? That's dope. I love you. Thanks for being my best friend. Happy anniversary goob."

In May 2021, the couple attended prom together! Gaten posted a photo on Instagram of the couple all dressed up with caption: "Got to go to prom with this goober. Thanks for letting me tag along broski. Love you"

Gaten and Lizzy live together in New Jersey—with three cats!—which was revealed in a May 2022 interview with Esquire. Lizzy is an actress herself and will soon appear in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation.

Joe dated It Follows actress Maika Monroe from 2017 to 2022. The two broke up around the time he wrapped filming in Rome for Finally Dawn.

"It's a weird job, being an actor," Joe he told Variety. "You fly to a random place, move your whole life and that is basically your new life for the next six months."

He continued, "I had also gone through a big breakup, right as I was leaving Rome, so I was really isolated and focused on my work."

The actor was spotted packing PDA with Chase Sui Wonders in October 2023.

Maya, who joined Stranger Things as Robin in season three, has been dating musician Spencer Barnett since early 2022. The two were spotted celebrating Valentine's Day together in New York City and were seen in Paris together later in the month.

Maya previously dated actor Tom Sturridge.

While there were rumblings that Noah, who plays Will Byers, dated Millie in the early days of the show, the two appear to simply be the best of friends. In February 2022, Noah posted a series of photos from Millie's 18th birthday party on Instagram, which included shots of Millie's boyfriend Jake. 

He came out as gay in January 2023, noting in a TikTok video that his friends and family were unfazed when they learned of his sexuality. "When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years," he recalled, "and all they said was 'we know.'"

At the moment, Noah appears to be single.

In an interview with Wired in 2021, Caleb, who plays Lucas, said he was single. 

However, Caleb maintained that he's always going to keep things close to the vest. "If I'm actually dating someone, if I'm in a relationship," he said, "you wouldn't know."

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