What is Raya? 15 celebrities on the exclusive dating app
Raya is far from your average dating app.
Officially launched in 2015, Raya — billed as an “online membership-based community for dating, networking and making new friends” — quickly became known as the exclusive app for influencers, artists and A- through C-list celebrities looking to find love, a fling — or maybe even an agent.
Matthew Perry and Ben Affleck once weathered some online scrutiny for being on the app, but they’re far from the only celebs to give the exclusive service a try.
Check out all the celebrities who’ve signed up for Raya over the years. Happy swiping!
Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry found himself at the center of a minor controversy when TikTok user Kate Haralson released a video the “Friends” star sent to her after matching on Raya in May 2020.
Haralson, who was 19 when she matched with Perry, 51, told Page Six, “A lot of people were saying I’m a bully and mean for posting this, and it made me feel kind of bad, but at the same time, I feel like a lot of guys in Hollywood are talking to all these young girls and it’s something that I think a lot of people should be aware of.”
Ben Affleck
In October 2019, Page Six exclusively reported that Ben Affleck was on the app. He confirmed his membership in May 2021 after responding to a user who unmatched with the celeb because she assumed his account was fake.
“Nivine, why did you unmatch me?” the award-winning actor asked in a video he later sent her. “It’s me.”
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato revealed in her documentary, “Simply Complicated,” that she signed up for the app following her split from Wilmer Valderrama in 2016. She later deleted the app, and was rejected from the highly selective service after attempting to rejoin.
Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum joined Raya following his split from UK singer Jessie J in November 2019. The “Magic Mike” actor’s profile reportedly read at the time, “And yes, I used to be a stripper. Sorry,” along with the shrug emoji.
D’Angelo’s “Brown Sugar” was reportedly his profile song.
John Mayer
John Mayer joined the app in 2016, and reportedly turned his profile pic into a slide show of photos set to a Neil Young song.
Lizzo
In April 2019, Lizzo revealed to Busy Phillips on “Busy Tonight” that she joined Raya in hopes of matching with John Mayer.
She’s since moved on to shooting her shot at Chris Evans on Instagram.
Nick Kroll
Nick Kroll met his wife, landscape artist Lily Kwong, on Raya in 2018. The couple kept a low profile until announcing that they were expecting in October 2020. One month later, they confirmed their marriage on Instagram.
They welcomed their son in January 2021, though they have yet to announce the little one’s name.
Chelsea Handler
Comedian Chelsea Handler called Raya “her favorite app” during the pandemic, as she needed to “get some action” to make it through with her sanity intact.
“It’s very circular,” she told Glamour in October 2020. “You go through the same group of people, like, every six months. But it’s been so long in this pandemic that I’m like, ‘Listen, I need to make sure my body still works.’ So I’m trying to get something going.”
Drew Barrymore
During her September 2020 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” Drew Barrymore discussed her experience on the dating app.
“I did terribly, too,” she told Andy Cohen. “I got stood up, and I didn’t match with anyone. And my friends gave me this sort of bloated sense of false confidence. They were like, ‘You should try it. You will do great.’ It was a car wreck.”
John Cusack
John Cusack reportedly added 35 different women he met on Raya to a WhatsApp group chat in 2019.
He later called the chat a “weird glitch,” insisting it was accidental.
Courtney Love
An early user of the service, Courtney Love was spotted on the app in December 2015.
Kelly Osbourne
Another early supporter, Kelly Osbourne’s Raya profile was leaked on Instagram in summer 2015.
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer told Harpers Bazaar in March 2020 that her brief experience on Raya felt more like “networking” than dating, and that she prefers to date people who aren’t in the entertainment business.
Joe Jonas
Before marrying “Game of Thrones” actress Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas was spotted looking for love on the celeb-heavy app.
Camila Cabello
A fan who spotted Camilla Cabello on Raya in October 2023 asked the “Havana” singer why she was on the app.
“For when I’m in a silly goofy mood,” Cabello — who once dated Lox Club CEO Austin Kevitch — replied to the spy on X.
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo told GQ magazine she had the dating app “for a second,” but deleted it because it was “so vomit.”
“Like, I could not,” she cringed in 2021.
Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen admitted on a September 2022 episode of “Watch What Happens Live” that he had joined Raya with a little help from his pal John Mayer.
“I just got on Raya myself,” Cohen revealed. “John Mayer verified me.”
The following month, the Bravo boss recalled how a potential suitor he met on the app showed up at the park where he was playing with his kids.
“But he met [son] Ben over the course of a speed date on a bench at the playground,” Cohen said. “So yeah, my dating life is different now.”
Sherri Shepherd
Like Cohen, Sherri Shepherd joined Raya with help from a famous friend.
“Chris Rock did verify my account because you need somebody to verify,” the talk show host explained on “WWHL in September 2023.
She continued: “It’s a little bit of a playground, but it’s OK. ’Get out there,’ is what I say.”
