What is Raya? 15 celebrities on the exclusive dating app
Matthew Perry and Ben Affleck were both exposed for using celebrity dating app Raya this week, but there are many other celebrities on the app.
Raya is far from your average dating app.
Officially launched in 2015, Raya — billed as an “online membership-based community for dating, networking and making new friends” — quickly became known as the exclusive app for influencers, artists and A- to C-list celebrities looking to find love, a fling — or maybe even an agent, reports New York Post’s Page Six.
Matthew Perry and Ben Affleck recently weathered some online scrutiny for being on the app, but they’re far from the only celebs to give the exclusive service a try.
Check out 15 celebrities who’ve signed up for Raya over the years. Happy swiping!
MATTHEW PERRY
Matthew Perry found himself at the centre of a minor controversy when TikTok user Kate Haralson released a video the Friends star sent to her after matching on Raya in May 2020.
Ms Haralson, who was 19 when she matched with Perry, 51, told Page Six, “A lot of people were saying I’m a bully and mean for posting this, and it made me feel kind of bad, but at the same time, I feel like a lot of guys in Hollywood are talking to all these young girls and it’s something that I think a lot of people should be aware of.”
BEN AFFLECK
In October 2019, Page Six exclusively reported that Ben Affleck was on the app. He confirmed his membership in May 2021 after responding to a user who unmatched with the celeb because she assumed his account was fake.
“Nivine, why did you unlatch me?” the award-winning actor asked in a video he later sent her. “It’s me.”
DEMI LOVATO
Demi Lovato revealed in her documentary, Simply Complicated, that she signed up for the app following her split from Wilmer Valderrama in 2016. She later deleted the app, and was rejected from the highly selective service after attempting to rejoin.
CHANNING TATUM
Channing Tatum joined Raya following his split from UK singer Jessie J in November 2019. The Magic Mike actor’s profile reportedly read at the time, “And yes, I used to be a stripper. Sorry,” along with the shrug emoji.
D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar was reportedly his profile song.
JOHN MAYER
John Mayer joined the app in 2016, and reportedly turned his profile pic into a slide show of photos set to a Neil Young song.
LIZZO
In April 2019, Lizzo revealed to Busy Phillips on Busy Tonight that she joined Raya in hopes of matching with John Mayer.
She’s since moved on to directing her attentions at Chris Evans on Instagram.
NICK KROLL
Nick Kroll met his wife, landscape artist Lily Kwong, on Raya in 2018. The couple kept a low profile until announcing that they were expecting in October 2020. One month later, they confirmed their marriage on Instagram.
They welcomed their son in January 2021, though they have yet to announce the little one’s name.
CHELSEA HANDLER
Comedian Chelsea Handler called Raya “her favourite app” during the pandemic, as she needed to “get some action” to make it through with her sanity intact.
“It’s very circular,” she told Glamour in October 2020. “You go through the same group of people, like, every six months. But it’s been so long in this pandemic that I’m like, ‘Listen, I need to make sure my body still works.’ So I’m trying to get something going.”
DREW BARRYMORE
During her September 2020 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Drew Barrymore discussed her experience on the dating app.
“I did terribly, too,” she told Andy Cohen. “I got stood up, and I didn’t match with anyone. And my friends gave me this sort of bloated sense of false confidence. They were like, ‘You should try it. You will do great.’ It was a car wreck.”
JOHN CUSACK
John Cusack reportedly added 35 different women he met on Raya to a WhatsApp group chat in 2019.
He later called the chat a “weird glitch,” insisting it was accidental.
COURTNEY LOVE
An early user of the service, Courtney Love was spotted on the app in December 2015.
KELLY OSBOURNE
Another early supporter, Kelly Osbourne’s Raya profile was leaked on Instagram in summer 2015.
KEKE PALMER
Keke Palmer told Harpers Bazaar in March 2020 that her brief experience on Raya felt more like “networking” than dating, and that she prefers to date people who aren’t in the entertainment business.
JOE JONAS
Before marrying Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas was spotted looking for love on the celeb-heavy app.
ALEXANDER WANG
Designer Alexander Wang was spotted on the app back in 2016.
This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced with permission
Meghan’s BFF spills on their friendship
One of Meghan’s closest friends has shared details of their relationship amid a challenging few weeks for the duchess.
Truth behind decades long Halle rumour
Halle Berry has been the subject of many rumours throughout her career, but one particularly explicit one has plagued her for years.
A-lister’s wife deletes X-rated snap of star
Mark Wahlberg’s wife shared a racy picture of the star on social media before swiftly deleting the X-rated snap.