That could have been awkward! Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s ex-fiancé Christian Carino narrowly avoided a run-in at the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday, July 22.
The talent agent, 50, arrived at the event a bit earlier than the American Sniper actor, 44, who attempted to lay low, wearing a hat and sunglasses and skipping the red carpet. Inside the theater, Cooper sat in the middle of the row, while Carino mingled with two women before taking his seat.
Following the premiere, Carino attended the afterparty at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, where guests enjoyed Casamigos beverages.
The close call comes nearly five months after Carino and Gaga called it quits on their engagement amid rumors that the “Bad Romance” songstress, 33, and Cooper were in love.
Speculation that the A Star Is Born costars were more than just friends offscreen came after their steamy joint performance of “Shallow” at the 2019 Oscars. Gaga was quick to debunk the chatter that she and Cooper — who was dating Irina Shayk at the time — were secret lovers.
“Yes, people saw love. And guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see,” the pop star told Jimmy Kimmel after she denied the rumors. “You know, I mean, this is a love song, ‘Shallow.’ The movie, A Star Is Born, it’s a love story. We worked so hard. We worked all week on that performance.”
Cooper, for his part, split from Shayk in June after more than four years of dating, shortly after an insider told Us Weekly the pair hadn’t “been getting along for a while.” The Hangover actor and the supermodel, 33, share 2-year-old daughter Lea.
While Shayk knew there was nothing romantic going on between Cooper and Gaga, “the noise was difficult for Irina to deal with,” an insider told Us following the former couple’s breakup.
Added a second source: “Bradley wasn’t able to be the partner Irina needed during the filming and promoting of A Star Is Born. He was so focused on making sure it was perfect.”
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood hits theaters on Friday, July 26.
