Love in the Spotlight: Ava Phillippe and Dakota Brubaker’s Red Carpet Debut

Buckle up, my jittery heart just went ten notches into overdrive—Ava Phillippe officially hit the red carpet with her musician beau Dakota Brubaker, and yes, I have opinions! The 25-year-old Hollywood offspring of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe made waves on June 28 at the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project 2025 Block Party, strutting alongside Dakota, who performs under the stage name Vindigo. Word on the espresso wire is this was their first public paparazzi moment as a duo, and every frame was dripping in style cred.

Let me break down the fashion minute-by-minute because, naturally, I’m obsessed: Ava draped herself in a dreamy, layered cream gown adorned with delicate beads—it’s like she bottled Nicholas Sparks vibes and wore them on her body. Topping it off, she rocked chic sunglasses and silver hoops, giving off major “cool girl who also happens to have A-list genes” energy. Dakota was no wallflower either—he nailed a light beige linen suit with matching black shades, proving linen really is the fabric of summertime romance.

Now, if you thought this was a total out-of-nowhere moment, hold the phone: these two quietly hinted at their love story last holiday season. Back in December, Ava shared an Instagram carousel showing Dakota sweetly leaning in for a cheek kiss while she pulled her best pout—certified adorbs. He reciprocated with the same pics, plus a cozy shot in front of a Christmas tree, hand planted firmly on her leg. And get this: they even appeared together at The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen 2024 event (source: THR) last November, so you could say they’ve been low-key testing the public waters for a while.

Fast forward to early June and Dakota drops a TikTok bomb: “POV you and ur gf finally move in together,” captioning a clip of him lip-syncing to Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me” as Ava swoops in for a hug. Fans went bonkers, comparing them to Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe circa Layla & Other Mornings, but sis was having none of it—her playful “whaaaaattt” TikTok response on June 11 shut down those mini-me theories faster than you can say “twinning.” (source: TikTok)

Honestly, every scroll on their feeds feels like a front-row ticket to cuteville. And now, with this official red carpet flex at Charlize Theron’s star-studded affair, they’re practically giving us a rom-com trailer in real life. I swear, I could chat all day about this dynamic duo, but my coffee’s wearing off and I need a refill. Stay tuned, because if these two ceremony sway warriors are this good at premieres, imagine what anniversary parties look like. Whew, I need a nap after all this—but seriously, can we just talk about that gown one more time?

Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, The Hollywood Reporter, Instagram, TikTok
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed