Celebrity couples are always fascinating. There’s something about seeing two different people, famous for two different things, become romantically involved. It recontextualizes how fans see them, how the fans of the other person see them, and sometimes, it baffles just about everyone in the process. Case in point: Bill Murray and Kelis.

That’s right. Bill Murray, the aging actor and comedy icon, is currently dating Kelis, the singer best known for her 2003 smash “Milkshake.” We’re as surprised and confused as you are. It’s difficult to imagine Murray and Kelis running in the same circles, given their difference in age and profession, but it’s even tougher to imagine they would get along so well they would strike up a relationship.

Murray is 73 and Kelis is 43. TMZ broke the news, which is seemingly the only detail about the story that makes sense. Apparently, Murray and some friends went to a Kelis concert in London, and afterwards they made their way backstage to meet the singer. The celebrities hit it off right away. A source close to the couple told the outlet: “Whatever it is that has brought them together, and however unlikely it seems, they are both single and are having fun despite the fairly big age gap.”

What do Bill Murray and Kelis have in common?

Murray and Kelis have been been in the public for multiple decades, and to no one’s surprise, their overlap has been limited. Both have worked with members of the Wu-Tang Clan (Murray in the 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes, Kelis on the 1999 single “Got Your Money”) and both have appeared on Saturday Night Live (Murray as a cast member in the 1970s, Kelis as a performer in 2004). 

The professional similarities end there, but there are some interesting parallels in the couple’s personal lives. Both have had tumultuous, and oftentimes tragic, relationships. Murray was married to Margaret Kelly from 1981 to 1996, and then to Jennifer Butler from 1997 to 2008. The latter ended in turmoil, with Butler accusing Murray of domestic abuse, alcohol addiction and infidelity. He did not comment on these accusations at the time they were made.

Kelis was married to Nas from 2005 to 2009. Their marriage also ended in divorce, with Kelis accusing the rapper of emotional and physical abuse. She went on to marry Mike Mora in 2014, but Mora passed away from stage 4 stomach cancer in March 2022. He was 37. Grief has reportedly been a connecting point for Kelis and Murray, as the latter’s first wife died unexpectedly in 2021. “They’ve both shared relatively recent bereavements and have that common bond between them,” a source told Page Six. 

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy seemed like the runaway favorite to win “oddest celebrity couple of 2023”, but their recent split couldn’t even dominate a full news cycle before Murray and Kelis swooped in and stole the title. It’s unclear whether the romance between the actor and the singer will last, or whether it will be a fling in the vein of Swift and Healy, but it’s safe to say that we are all curious to find out.

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