Rich Paul Opens Up About Meeting Adele and Their Relationship

Rich Paul is giving fans a rare glimpse into his relationship with Adele.

The 45-year-old sports agent and the 38-year-old singer sparked romance speculation in 2021 when they were spotted together at an NBA game. After months of rumors, Adele publicly announced their engagement in August 2024.

During an appearance on Craig Melvin's Glass Half Full podcast on Tuesday, June 9, Paul discussed how he and Adele met and the nature of their connection.

"I had known her for some time," Paul explained. "You know, just when you're in these circles, man, you're in these circles. But I never tried to get fresh with people that's in comfortable circles because they always have to deal with that, so that was never my thing."

He emphasized that their relationship came together naturally. While acknowledging Adele's massive musical success, Paul noted he wasn't necessarily following her catalog closely before they became close.

"Obviously, you can't help but to hear the monster hits," he said of her songs. "But obviously, you know, I'm pretty on the pulse of a lot of different things, and so, you know, some of the songs, the big songs, but I didn't know all of the joints that I know now."

Paul described their initial interactions as casual encounters within their overlapping social world. "We're all in the same vicinity, we're all in the same circles, and, you know, we're hanging and whatnot. We just used to always see each other, laugh and joke. It was just cordial, really, just cordial."

He then added with humor that things shifted when he "became a person of interest" for Adele, moving their connection beyond the friendly stage.