Honestly, it’s kinda rare to see a Hollywood star navigate fame without a trail of messy tabloid drama behind them. Emma Stone is basically the exception. While the internet loves to obsess over every person she stands next to on a red carpet—looking at you, Ryan Gosling fans—her actual dating history is surprisingly short and grounded.
She isn’t someone who jumps from headline to headline. Instead, Emma tends to stay in long-term relationships with people she meets on set or through work. It’s a pattern. From her early days in indie comedies to her secret wedding, here is the actual breakdown of the people Emma Stone has been with.
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The Early Days: Teddy Geiger and Kieran Culkin
Before she was winning Oscars, Emma was just a girl from Arizona trying to make it in LA. Back in 2007, she landed a role in the movie The Rocker. That is where she met Teddy Geiger. They dated for about two years, but they were super low-key about it. You won't find many "official" red carpet photos of them as a couple because, at the time, Emma wasn't the household name she is now. They split in 2009. Teddy has since transitioned and spoken openly about her journey, but neither has ever really dished on the specifics of their time together.
Then came Kieran Culkin.
Most people know him now as Roman Roy from Succession, but back in 2009, he and Emma met while filming Paper Man. They played a couple in the movie, and that chemistry definitely bled into real life. They were together for nearly two years. What’s cool is that they actually stayed friends. Like, genuinely. They even worked together again years later in Movie 43 and more recently in the 2024 film A Real Pain. It’s sort of refreshing to see an "ex" situation that doesn't end in a Twitter feud.
The "Amazing" Era: Andrew Garfield
If we’re talking about the relationship that everyone—and I mean everyone—was obsessed with, it’s Andrew Garfield. They met during screen tests for The Amazing Spider-Man in 2010. Andrew has famously said that when she walked into the room, it was like waking up.
They were together from 2011 to 2015, and they were the internet’s favorite couple. Why? Because they were actually relatable. They used to hold up cardboard signs in front of their faces when paparazzi followed them to brunch, using the attention to promote charities like Worldwide Orphans Foundation and Gilda’s Club NYC. It was smart. It was kind. It was very "them."
But why did they break up?
The truth is pretty boring: distance and schedules. Andrew was filming Silence in Taiwan for months, and Emma’s career was exploding with La La Land. They tried to make the long-distance thing work, but it eventually fizzled out. Even after the split, the mutual respect is off the charts. Remember when Andrew gave her a standing ovation at the Golden Globes? Or how he lied to her for weeks about being in Spider-Man: No Way Home?
"Emma kept texting me. She was like, 'Are you in this new Spider-Man film?' And I was like, 'I don't know what you're talking about!'" — Andrew Garfield on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
That’s basically the definition of "ex goals."
Finding Dave McCary and the SNL Connection
After the Andrew Garfield era, things went quiet. People tried to link her to every co-star, especially Ryan Gosling. Let’s be clear: they are just friends. Great friends, but just friends.
In December 2016, Emma hosted Saturday Night Live. This is where she met Dave McCary, who was a segment director at the time. He’d written a sketch called "Wells for Boys" that she starred in. Apparently, they hit it off immediately.
They kept things incredibly private for the first year. They weren't spotted together until the premiere of his film Brigsby Bear in mid-2017. Even then, they didn't do the whole "red carpet debut" until the 2019 SAG Awards.
The Wedding and Beyond
In December 2019, Dave posted a photo on Instagram of them smiling, with Emma showing off a gorgeous, non-traditional pearl engagement ring. No massive diamond, just a pearl. It felt very fitting for her.
They were supposed to get married in March 2020, but we all know what happened then. The pandemic pushed things back, but they eventually tied the knot in a private ceremony in September 2020.
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A few things happened fast after that:
- They launched a production company called Fruit Tree.
- They welcomed their daughter, Louise Jean McCary, in March 2021.
- They’ve continued to produce major hits together, like A Real Pain and Problemista.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Dating Life
Social media loves a narrative. Because Emma has such incredible chemistry with her male leads, people assume she's dated them all. She hasn't.
She never dated Ryan Gosling.
She never dated Jonah Hill.
She never dated Joaquin Phoenix.
She’s a "work person." She meets people through her projects, builds a deep connection, and stays for the long haul. It's less about the Hollywood "scene" and more about finding someone who gets the creative grind.
If you're looking for the secret to how she keeps it so stable, it’s probably her refusal to play the celebrity game. She doesn't have a public Instagram. She doesn't do "at home" Vlogs. She shows up for the work, goes home to her husband and kid, and leaves the gossip to everyone else.
Actionable Takeaways for Following Celeb News
When you're trying to figure out who is actually dating who, look for these three things:
- The Source of the Meet: For Emma, it’s almost always a film set or SNL. If a rumor says she met someone at a club in Ibiza, it’s probably fake.
- The "Ex" Relationship: High-profile stars like Emma often maintain friendships with exes (like Kieran and Andrew). If there’s no bad blood, the "reunion" rumors are usually just friends catching up.
- The Social Media Silence: The more private a couple is (like Emma and Dave), the more likely they are to actually be "real." Performative relationships often live and die on Instagram.
If you want to keep up with her latest work—which is usually where her personal life intersects—check out her production company's upcoming slate under the Fruit Tree banner. That’s where the real collaboration happens now.