Updated

Updated · South China Morning Post · Jul 22

Olivia Rodrigo and Julian Croonenberghs Spotted Twice in New York as Dating Rumors Grow

Updated

Updated · South China Morning Post · Jul 22

Olivia Rodrigo and Julian Croonenberghs Spotted Twice in New York as Dating Rumors Grow

Q: Will Olivia Rodrigo's rumored romance with a former athlete finally fulfill her famous lyric about finding someone with a real job?

Possibly, but it remains speculation. Rodrigo has not confirmed that she is dating Julian Croonenberghs, so it is too early to say her rumored romance has “finally” fulfilled that lyric. What is clear from the reporting is that Croonenberghs appears to fit the description fans are referencing: he is a Brown University graduate, worked at Goldman Sachs, and is now associated with private equity firm Hg in New York. By any conventional standard, that is a “real job.” The “former athlete” part also broadly matches the available background. Web reports identify Croonenberghs as a former Brown field hockey player and a onetime member of the U.S. men’s national field hockey team, with his first senior international cap reported in 2019. That makes him unusual in Rodrigo’s rumored dating history, which has more often involved actors or other entertainment figures. Still, the lyric itself should be treated carefully. Fans have linked this rumor to Rodrigo’s line about not settling for a guy with a “fake job,” but that is a fan interpretation of her songwriting, not a public dating standard she has formally laid out. Rodrigo has generally kept her private life quiet, and neither she nor Croonenberghs has commented publicly on the nature of their relationship. So, if the rumor is true, Croonenberghs would seem to satisfy the “real job” part. Whether that means the lyric has been fulfilled is ultimately more pop-culture reading than confirmed fact.

3 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · Jul 22

Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, marked the pair’s first reported sighting last month, with Olivia Rodrigo seen at a candlelit table opposite financier Julian Croonenberghs.
Later that month, New York City sightings added to the speculation, with the two photographed standing together while talking to a friend.
Brown University graduate Croonenberghs has drawn attention mainly through the rumored link to Rodrigo rather than any public comment on the relationship.
Fans suspect the two may have met through his sister, DJ Jade Croonenberghs, who moves in similar social circles as Rodrigo.