Biting lyrical digs, bitter bedroom confessions, and the sweet, sweet smell of… mermaids
and clouds?
Some of Katy Perry's former lovers have been pretty open when it comes to how they feel
about the pop superstar post-romance.
Katy Perry is thought to have dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen from 2003 to 2005,
with Thiessen confirming their romance during a 2012 interview with Song Facts.
He dished:
"I used to date her back in the day for a couple of years.
But we're still really good friends."
He added that, while the pair were no longer very close, he considers her a "great person."
But while Thiessen appears to be a fan of Perry as a person post-split, the same can't
really be said about her music.
It seems that beyond their romantic relationship, Perry and Thiessen had a creative one too.
The two even went as far as to write some music together around the time of their romance,
teaming up to pen tracks for Perry like "Long Shot," which went on to be recorded by none
other than Kelly Clarkson.
Katy Perry and Gym Class Heroes' Travis "Travie" McCoy were pretty serious at one point in time.
According to Life & Style, they started dating in 2006 and ended things a few years later.
Following their split, McCoy appeared to do what musicians do best and put his feelings
into song, with People reporting he shared poignant lyrics from a song thought to be
about their split on his blog.
Titled "Looking at the Front Door," it featured some seemingly illuminating lyrics:
"We fight every night, now that's not kosher / I reminisce with bliss of when we was closer
/ And wake up to be greeted by an argument again / You act like you're 10."
Ouch.
McCoy went on to speak about his ex in a couple of interviews, admitting the same year as
they split that he said he didn't like how much attention the world pays to who she's
dating. he told Independent.ie:
"It's the social climate we're living in that people are more concerned with gossip and
these tabloid rumors than they are with social issues and it's sad."
But that wasn't McCoy's last word.
His ex's name was on his lips once again in 2012 when he clarified there was no bad blood
amid her divorce from Russell Brand.
Speaking to Mirror, he confessed:
"There will always be a connection between us.
I'll always be there for her.
When you've been in a relationship like ours, you will always make time for that person."
Katy Perry and Josh Groban?
Who knew!
Well, even Groban didn't really, apparently.
Perry revealed to James Corden during a 2017 game of "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts"
that she penned her hit "The One That Got Away" about the classical singer — even
though he previously played pretty coy on whether or not they dated.
Speaking to Details in 2013, he said:
"We're very good friends.
We met before her first album was even released, and we hit it off because we're both goofballs."
He added that the two might have "skated on the line of dating."
However, "The One That Got Away" tells the story of a brief romance between two young
people that fizzled when adult life got in the way.
Speaking about being the inspiration for the song on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2018
— and responding to host Andy Cohen's question about whether or not the two had dated — Groban
admitted:
"Well, you know, we did [date]... we were both very private so we realized we were better
as friends, and we've been very, very good friends to this day.
She's the best."
If there's one romance of Katy Perry's that really stands out, it has to be her marriage
to British comedian and actor Russell Brand.
The two tied the knot in 2010 but split in late 2011 — and Brand hasn't exactly shied
away from sharing his thoughts on his former wife since then.
When he made the decision to file for divorce from the "Dark Horse" hitmaker, he told People:
"Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage.
I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."
In 2012, their divorce was finalized.
That same year, Brand got pretty candid on "The Howard Stern Show" when he confessed
distance and busy schedules got in the way of their romance.
He explained:
"I was really, really in love with her, but it was difficult to see each other.
It was a lovely relationship ... It mostly didn't work for practical reasons."
He added:
"She's a good person, I've got nothing but love for her.
I was very proud of everything she did."
In 2014, he opened up again about Perry on "Watch What Happens Live," stating when asked
to name the best and worst things about being with his ex.
In his opinion?
"The best thing is she's really exciting, and brilliant, and good fun, and the worst
thing I suppose is things like that don't last forever."
John Mayer and Katy Perry famously dated on and off from 2012 until 2015, and he spoke
about their romance a few times after their split.
One of his biggest confessions came in 2017, when he told The New York Times she inspired
his song "Still Feel Like Your Man," which details how he couldn't move on after their breakup.
The candid song features telling lyrics, per Genius, including:
"Still like the letters in your name and how they feel, babe / Still think I'm never gonna
find another you."
Later that year, he said on "Watch What Happens Live" that he still kept up with what his
ex was doing, confessing he watched her "Big Brother"-esque "Witness World Wide" livestream.
He told host Andy Cohen:
"I checked in with it.
Like, it's definitely odd to watch your ex-girlfriend asleep."
He also revealed he harbored no bad feelings towards the star, and even wished her a happy
birthday over text that year.
But that certainly wasn't the last time he spoke publicly about his lost love.
In February 2022, he spoke about her again to Cohen, sharing on "Backstage with Andy
Cohen" he was still a fan of their 2013 duet, "Who You Love," adding he'd be open to collaborating
with one of his exes again.
Bear with us for a minute on this one, as Katy Perry's apparent romance with rapper
Riff Raff is a bit of a confusing one.
This one appeared to start around March 2014 when he shared a photo to Instagram with Perry,
which she then re-shared and claimed showed them on a date.
The caption read:
"TBT to when I went on a date with Riff Raff aka @jodyhighroller also, regram!"
Riff Raff was then asked about the date by TMZ, and he responded:
"We went on a date.
It was fun.
We went bowling and then had a few drinks or whatever."
Then came the photos seen around the world when the pair attended the 2014 VMA Awards
together wearing all-denim ensembles reminiscent of the ones Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake
wore to the 2001 American Music Awards.
When TMZ caught up with them leaving the awards arm in arm, Riff Raff told awaiting paparazzi:
"We got a couple kids on the way."
The two even collaborated musically, with Riff Raff appearing on her track, "This Is
How We Do," which inspired plenty of speculation all the dating speculation may have been to
promote the song.
In 2016, Riff Raff opened up about his dalliance with the popstar, reminiscing about their
time together to HOT 97.
Though he didn't give too much away, he only had nice things to say about her.
When he was asked what Perry smelled like, Riff Raff responded:
"Mermaids and clouds."
Diplo appeared to throw some shade at Katy Perry in 2017 after she didn't exactly have
a lot of praise for his skills in the bedroom.
While playing the aforementioned game of "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" during the "Witness
World Wide" livestream event, James Corden asked Perry to rank three ex-boyfriends by
how good they were in bed.
She put Diplo in third, future husband Orlando Bloom in second, and John Mayer in the top spot.
Diplo and Perry are thought to have dated briefly around 2014 after they were spotted
out at dinner.
Diplo, understandably, wasn't too thrilled by his bronze medal and seemingly hit back
via the old tweet and delete method.
According to E! News, he appeared to reference Perry's NSFW placement by writing on Twitter:
"I don't even remember having sex."
He then seemingly responded once again via social media, this time three years later.
For his second reference to the moment, he posted — and this time didn't delete — a
photo on Instagram of himself with his arm around Corden as they both held up three fingers.
He then jokingly captioned the image, quote, "At least I tried."
Katy Perry found long-lasting love with Orlando Bloom, but before getting engaged and welcoming
their daughter Daisy Dove into the world, they actually split up.
That went down around March 2017, though Bloom confirmed they were still on good terms as
he had nothing but sweet things to say about the singer.
Bloom told Elle U.K.:
"We're friends.
It's good.
We're all grown-up.
She happens to be someone who is very visible, but I don't think anybody cares about what
I'm up to.
Nor should they."
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star added that the circumstances surrounding the breakup
was between the two of them, explaining that he wanted to, quote, "set an example for kids
and show that [breakups] don't have to be about hate."
And it seemed like his decision to take the high road when it came to his then ex-girlfriend
certainly worked for him, as it wasn't too long before they reconciled.
E! News shared photos of them together again that August, and Bloom popped the question
on Valentine's Day the following year.
Oh, how we love a happy ending.