When the news broke that Timothée Chalamet, a floppy-haired acting prodigy, was dating the world famous reality star , fans were predictably overcome.
Desperate to explain away what they believed at the time would be a fling at best, they frantically convinced themselves that the only way two vastly different worlds could possibly collide would be if the Kardashian-Jenner clan, namely matriarch , had charmed their beloved Chalamet into a relationship.
Among those desperate for answers was Sarah Tena, a 32-year-old former adult entertainer who now says she was 'blindsided' by the new pairing.
For Tena claims she had been romantically involved with the actor for the previous three years. They'd met up sporadically after first speaking on Instagram, and after several dates, she finally confessed her deepening feelings for him the last time they saw each other in person.
Six months later, he was with Jenner.
'I see these things about him dating Kylie Jenner and I was very confused about that,' she told the Daily Mail in her first exclusive interview. 'At first, I thought it was fake news and then I was like maybe it's a PR thing. But now it looks like maybe they are together. I don't know… It doesn't add up.'
Tena shared that their love story, albeit non-exclusive, started in January 2020 when Tena, a self-confessed film buff, sent Chalamet, now 30, a message on Instagram from her professional account 'Azul Hermosa' after discovering him in film, The King.
Former adult entertainer Sarah Tena (pictured) claims she had been hooking up with Timothée Chalamet for nearly three years from 2020
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Tena, 32, from Portland, Oregon, claimed she was 'blindsided' when she found out he was dating Kylie Jenner (pictured)
'I thought 'oh who's this actor' because I'd never seen him before, so I looked him up on Instagram,' she recalled. 'I was like 'oh this guy is handsome'. Then a couple weeks go by and he posts a story.'
Tena replied to the story shared on his public Instagram account with a black heart but received no response. Three months went by and she decided she was 'going to try one more time' so sent a drooling emoji in response to another story the star had posted on his official account. This time he responded. 'I wanted to talk to him, and he hearts what I had responded back… and he just likes it,' she said.
A month later, on May 16, he sent her a message. She claims they swapped numbers and that he asked if she was in Los Angeles. She explained how she was visiting friends and they decided to meet that evening.
Tena has claimed they were both 'nervous' about the meeting, which she said took place at one of his friend's beachfront properties in Santa Monica, where he had fled to from New York during the pandemic.
She asked him to come and meet her outside when she got out of the Uber as the whole situation felt 'surreal'.
But any fears she had were soon assuaged, as she claims they immediately 'clicked'.
She recalled how Chalamet serenaded her with Bob Dylan songs – he had just landed what unbeknownst to him at the time would be an Oscar-nominated role in A Complete Unknown, a biopic about the prolific musician – as they drank wine and bonded over their love of films.
'I went over there and he had all these scripts up for the Bob Dylan role and I was like 'what is this' and he's like 'it's for Bob Dylan, I'm going to play him' and I was like 'that's so cool',' she said. 'He played me a few songs and he was so great. He had been practising maybe for a month he told me.'
Tena, a self-confessed film buff, said their story started in January 2020 when she sent Chalamet, now 30, a message on his official Instagram from her professional account 'Azul Hermosa' after discovering him in Netflix film, The King (pictured)
She claims he messaged her on Instagram on May 16, 2022 after seeing her pictured in a green bikini (pictured) and they swapped numbers and met up that night in Santa Monica
Tena said they were clearly attracted to one another, and that Chalamet, who is vying for the Best Actor Oscar for his turn in Marty Supreme, 'made the first move'. She added that she 'did stay that night with him' and that they 'had a wonderful, wonderful time'.
She said they agreed they both wanted to see each other again, which happened a month later in Los Angeles when Tena was there for work with Vixen, a production company.
She said Chalamet 'never made me feel guilty' about her career and would compliment her figure, once discouraging her from getting a BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift surgery).
'With Timothée we just clicked,' she said. 'We were both attracted to each other. It also turned into a friendship.'
'He is a gentleman,' she continued. 'From the Timothée I know, he's genuine. He's funny… The friendship kept us going so long… Our personalities are similar.'
Tena said they soon fell into a rhythm of meeting up nearly every other month.
Tena insists the actor was 'very invested in my life' and 'would always ask me how my daughter was doing' and had even agreed to visit her in her hometown of Portland, Oregon.
In June 2022, when they were both in New York City, she decided to take the plunge and express how she really felt.
She recalled how Chalamet serenaded her with Bob Dylan songs as they drank wine and bonded over their love of films
Tena pictured in New York City in summer 2022 when she decided to take the plunge and express how she really felt to Chalamet
Afterall, she believes they were growing more serious. She claimed he wasn't 'jealous' but got to a point where he 'wouldn't want me to go be seeing other people or hooking up with someone else'.
'I knew there were feelings involved for both of us that's why it continued for as long as it did,' she said. 'But I had finally expressed how I felt and I let him know that I had feelings for him and he did too. We both did.'
'I was in love with Timothée, yeah,' she continued. 'I didn't say those exact words to him. I had said 'I have feelings for you' and pretty much expressed I want to continue. I let him know that I wanted it to be more consistent… I wanted it to be where we made more time for one another. New York kind of sealed that for me.'
She said that at the time she told him, he was in the city for a photoshoot which he 'planned… around my trip so he could see me'.
When she went to his apartment later that evening, she said she gifted him a bracelet with an evil eye, a 'simple little gift' to match a similar one she wore.
'I think with me doing that it brought us closer than we were,' she said, before adding: 'Then everything changed [with the] Kylie Jenner thing.'
That June meeting marked the last time she saw him in person.
On January 5, 2023, Tena wished him a happy belated birthday. She said he hearted the message. Little did she know, this was to be the last time she would ever hear from him.
Less than three weeks later Chalamet and Jenner were spotted interacting at Jean Paul Gaultier's Paris Fashion Week show. Fast forward to April and sources were claiming they were 'hanging out' and TMZ released pictures of Jenner's Range Rover parked in the driveway of his Beverly Hills home.
She last heard from him in January 2023, the same month Chalamet was pictured chatting with Jenner at Paris Fashion Week. Soon followed public displays of affection including at the 2024 Golden Globes (pictured)
The pair were pictured at the US Open in late August, and at a Saturday Night Live afterparty following Chalamet's hosting stint in the November. The actor was even spotted in the background of the annual Kardashian-Jenner Christmas Eve soirée.
They kissed at the Golden Globes in January 2024 before repeating their affectionate display the following year, with Chalamet taking it up a notch at this year's Critics' Choice Awards where he used his Best Actor acceptance speech for Marty Supreme to go public with his love.
'Thank you to my partner of three years,' he told the celeb-packed crowd in February. 'Thank you for our foundation. I love you. I couldn't do this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.'
Recently asked if it was 'fun' to be the receiver of such a public outpouring, a 'blushing' Jenner told Vanity Fair: 'Of course.'
Tena was unconvinced.
'He does not like PDA,' she claimed, citing his relationship not only with her but also with Lily Rose-Depp which ended just before she met him.
'So this whole red-carpet thing and her being with him at all these things now, it's just very strange.'
Tena, who had dark hair when she met Chalamet, bears a resemblance to Jenner, with both women frequently posting seductive pictures of themselves in lingerie, flashing their midriffs and cleavages on their respective Instagram feeds.
Tena (left), who had dark hair when she met Chalamet, bears a resemblance to Jenner, with the pair frequently posting seductive pictures of themselves on Instagram and TikTok
Tena is also a mother to an 11-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, while Jenner has children Stormi, seven, and Aire, four, with her ex-Travis Scott.
But according to Tena, that's all they share.
Asked if she has anything in common with the multi-millionaire Lip Kit founder, she curtly replied: 'No.'
Tena caused a frenzy late last year when she revealed her connection to Chalamet in response to fans on her public TikTok account, referencing their time together, including how they met. She also shared a screenshot of their initial correspondence on his official Instagram and another from an exchange in early 2022.
The screenshots of her exchanges with Chalamet on his official Instagram and the responses she made to fans on TikTok were shared in December 2025 on X in a post which has since been viewed 3.3 million times.
Tena believes Chalamet is fully committed to Jenner because she claims 'if he had an open relationship with her, we'd still be seeing each other.'
Despite branding his handling of the situation 'disrespectful,' Tena said she still mourns the bond they once shared.
'I miss him,' she said. 'I do miss him a lot because I haven't seen him in a couple of years. I did get down and a little sad about the whole thing because I was like 'wow I might not ever see him again' and when I had always felt so sure about him and I and it turned the complete opposite of that.'
Mournful, she finished: 'I never thought him and I would stop talking because we had that friendship also. He's changed. I know he's changed. Hollywood changes people.'
The Daily Mail contacted representatives for Chalamet for comment.
