Breaking Down ‘American Idol’ Couple Brooks & Rae’s Romance Timeline
Here at Swooon, there’s nothing we love more than a good showmance, and American Idol is delivering on that during Season 24. Brooks Rosser and Rae Boyd recently confirmed their romantic relationship after fan speculation that they were more than friends.
Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if Brooks and Rae become the next Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner, but the young lovebirds are slowly sharing more about their relationship and how it came to be.
Scroll down for everything we know about the timeline and more.
How did Brooks and Rae meet?
American Idol brought Brooks and Rae together! During Hulu’s Get Real event on April 22, American Idol podcast host Danielle Fishel spoke to Brooks on TikTok Live, and he confirmed that they “never met until American Idol,” despite living near each other.
Brooks and Rae are both from similar areas in Maryland, so it certainly could’ve been possible that they crossed paths before the show, but fate would have it that the singing competition was what made them actually meet.
While it’s not known exactly when Brooks and Rae met for the first time, Auditions and Hollywood Week for Season 24 were filmed in November 2025, so it was sometime during that month.
When did Brooks and Rae start dating?
The exact anniversary of when Brooks and Rae began dating is unknown, but he told Swooon and a group of other outlets on April 20, “We’re both from Baltimore. In between rounds, we kind of hung out and we clicked.”
However, it’s unclear if the “between rounds” meant Hollywood Week (November 2025) and the Ohana Round (January 2026), or between the Ohana Round and Live Shows (March 30). Either way, the relationship seemingly began at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.
When did Brooks and Rae go public with their romance?
During the American Idol Live Shows, fans noticed Brooks and Rae leaving each other flirty comments on social media, and felt there was chemistry between them in videos they posted online together. However, it wasn’t until the April 20 episode of American Idol that they officially confirmed their relationship.
At that point in the competition, Rae had been eliminated, but she returned to the show to support Brooks during his Top 7 performance. Afterward, she surprised him by coming out on stage. “The princess is here to claim her prince!” Rae declared. Brooks later referred to Rae as his “girlfriend” while doing press following the show.
“We were trying to think of cute ways to hard launch, so why not with the help of @ryanseacrest and @americanidol !!!” Rae shared on Instagram afterwards. “lol this literally was the most special night, I’m so happy that the secret is finally out lol love yall :))))).”
American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC
