“There is a time to be open" — Lupita Nyong'o opens up about publicly discussing her breakup with Selema Masekela

Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o recently opened up about the time she announced her breakup with Selema Masekela to the public, explaining that she "wanted to be honest" with the world.

On June 3, 2024, the 41-year-old appeared in an interview with Glamour magazine for a new cover story. Nyong'o addressed the October 2023 Instagram post about the split with the American television host and sports commentator. She told the outlet:

"There is a time to be open and there’s a time not to be, and I chose that time to be open. I’m very happy with what I did, and I don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t want to share that part of myself anymore."

---

Lupita Nyong'o reveals reason behind public breakup with Selema Masekela

Lupita Nyong'o first met Selema Masekela in April 2016, as the actor revealed that he was sitting behind the actress on a flight, and had asked his X followers for an opening line to talk to her. The pair began dating in December 2022 and went public with their relationship that same year.

However, Lupita Nyong'o and Selema broke up in October 2023. In an interview with Glamour magazine, published on June 3, 2024, the actress spoke about the Instagram announcement about their break up. She said:

"Honestly, the thought of having to update people one at a time was going to be harrowing. I had made the choice to share the relationship with the world, and I wanted to make the choice to share the end of it with the world. I knew that announcing it or sharing it with the world would mean there would be a reverb and I would have to deal with the onset of that."

The former couple often shared moments from their relationship on social media prior to their split. Last year, in October, the Black Panther actress wrote about her split with Selema Masekela in an Instagram post, saying:

"I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way. But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass."

Lupita Nyong'o last addressed her relationship with Selema in a February interview with NET-A-PORTER’s digital title PORTER. The actress explained that she "was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak" after her break up. She added:

"I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."

Lupita Nyong'o is currently in a relationship with Dawson's Creek alum Joshua Jackson. The couple shared that they were dating in December 2023. Joshua and his ex-wife Jodie Turner-Smith also broke up in October 2023 after four years of marriage.

---

Lupita Nyong'o and Joshua were first spotted together holding hands in December. They were also seen in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in March as they were enjoying a vacation celebrating Lupita's birthday.