From teen romances to secret weddings, Scarlett Johansson’s love life has been nearly as captivating as her Hollywood career. With three marriages and several high-profile relationships, the actress’s journey through love, heartbreak, and commitment tells a story of growth, transformation, and self-discovery.
High school sweethearts and indie beginnings: Jack Antonoff
Long before topping the Billboard charts as a producer for Taylor Swift and fronting the band Bleachers, Jack Antonoff was simply a teenage boy in love with his classmate Scarlett Johansson. The two attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City and dated from 2001 to 2002. They even went to prom together — a snapshot of young love before Johansson’s breakthrough in Lost in Translation elevated her to global stardom.
While the relationship didn’t last past high school, it marked the beginning of Johansson’s pattern of gravitating toward creative, ambitious partners. Antonoff would later become one of the most sought-after producers in music, while Scarlett’s acting career skyrocketed in parallel.
The rock star phase: Jared Leto and the allure of the unavailable
By 2004, Johansson was already a rising star, and her romance with Suicide Squad actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto was tabloid gold. But their pairing — complicated by a 13-year age gap and Leto’s growing fame as a rock star — was never built to last.
Their relationship was famously depicted in a photo that went viral at the time: Johansson leaning in for a kiss while Leto stared indifferently at his phone. Years later, she reflected on a similarly “unavailable” partner in a candid 2016 Cosmopolitan interview, describing how she lost herself trying to maintain an emotionally one-sided connection. Though unnamed, many believed the story was about Leto.
Romantic co-starring: Josh Hartnett
Next came fellow actor Josh Hartnett, whom Johansson met on the set of Black Dahlia in 2005. Their two-year relationship, while more private than her previous ones, fell victim to the classic celebrity couple dilemma: busy schedules and long distances.
“It was difficult spending so much time apart with all our different commitments,” Hartnett told The Mirror following their breakup. Despite the pain of parting ways, both stars handled the split gracefully, with mutual respect and minimal public drama.
A secretive Hollywood union: Ryan Reynolds
Johansson’s 2008 marriage to Ryan Reynolds marked a new chapter of privacy and seriousness in her romantic life. Despite being two of Hollywood’s biggest names at the time, the couple kept their relationship tightly under wraps. They quietly tied the knot in Tofino, British Columbia, far from the prying eyes of paparazzi.
However, the marriage ended in 2011, less than three years later. In a 2019 Vanity Fair interview, Johansson reflected on her youth at the time of their wedding. “I didn’t really have an understanding of marriage,” she admitted, suggesting that inexperience and incompatible expectations may have played a role in the divorce.
Brief but bold: Sean Penn
Shortly after her divorce from Reynolds, Johansson’s romance with actor Sean Penn in 2011 raised eyebrows — mostly due to their 15-year age gap. Unlike her hushed relationship with Reynolds, Johansson and Penn were openly affectionate. The couple attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner together and were photographed hand-in-hand, marking a sharp shift in how she approached public appearances. Still, the whirlwind romance was short-lived. While the pair shared common political interests and undeniable chemistry, it wasn’t enough to sustain the relationship, which ended by summer.
A French chapter: Romain Dauriac
In 2012, Johansson took a break from dating fellow actors, falling for French journalist Romain Dauriac. Their relationship was notably more low-key, though no less significant. The couple welcomed daughter Rose Dorothy in August 2014 and married in a quiet ceremony in Montana two months later.
Yet, by 2017, their marriage had come to an end. Johansson filed for divorce, citing the relationship as “irretrievably broken.” Despite their split, the two have remained focused on co-parenting and maintaining stability for their daughter.
A comedic ending turned new beginning: Colin Jost
Johansson’s current relationship with Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost feels like the payoff to years of romantic lessons learned. The couple first crossed paths in 2006 when she hosted the show, but it wasn’t until 2017 that they reconnected romantically.
Their relationship developed gradually, becoming red carpet official in 2018. After announcing their engagement in 2019, the couple quietly wed during the pandemic in a small ceremony, choosing to have Meals on Wheels break the news on Instagram. The gesture perfectly captured their shared values and down-to-earth approach to life together.
Today, Johansson and Jost continue to keep their marriage grounded, proving that love, when found at the right time and with the right person, can feel both extraordinary and simple.
From first loves to forever
Scarlett Johansson’s romantic timeline is filled with glamour, heartbreak, personal revelations, and ultimately, growth. From a high school romance with a future Grammy-winning producer to a quiet marriage with a comedy writer-turned-news desk anchor, each chapter of her love life has shaped the woman — and partner — she is today. Her journey reminds us that love is rarely linear and that sometimes, it takes a few tries to get it just right.
