Read in 5 minutesWhite Lotus star Sam Nivola and Iris Apatow sparked dating rumors in 2024 after the actress and model appeared in photos of Nivola’s adventures on the set of season 3 of the show. Since then, they’ve gotten pretty private in terms of talking about their relationship, but seeing is believing. She also posts a lot of cute photos.
This couple has a lot in common as they are both children of Hollywood stars. Nivola, the son of actors Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer, rose to stardom in his own right with roles in The Pursuit of Love and White Noise, before landing a role on HBO’s Mike White’s hit show The White Lotus. Apatow is the daughter of producer Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, and appeared in her father’s films Knocked Up and This Is 40 as a child. Her sister Maud Apatow is best known for her role on HBO’s Euphoria.
Here’s everything you need to know about Nivola and Apatow’s relationship timeline so far.
White Lotus Details
April 2024
On April 6, Nivola shared a photo of what appeared to be Thailand, including her White Lotus co-stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sarah Katherine Hook. They were having a relaxing day on a boat. Apatow was also on board, enjoying the sun in a bikini.
Apatow posted several emojis in the comments.
May 2024
Nivola appeared in a black-and-white photo on Apatow’s Instagram carousel in May, lovingly hugging him.
That same month, he posted a merry-go-round of photos that included a shot of Apatow walking through the countryside wearing black and white.
June 2024
In June, Nivola shared a photo that appeared to be taken in the same scene as the photo Apatow shared in May. In this black and white photo, she kisses him on the cheek.
Apatow shared a photo of himself from a trip abroad on Instagram, crediting Nivola as the photographer in the caption.
August 2024
The “Knocked Up” star posted an Instagram carousel that included a photo of him kissing Nivola’s cheek, which was already stained with lipstick.
October 2024
On October 16th, the two made their red carpet debut as a couple at the grand opening of Burberry’s flagship store on East 57th Street in New York. They lovingly hugged each other in front of the cameras and as they entered and exited the venue.
On October 23, they attended the Museum of Modern Art’s 16th Annual Film Benefit in New York City.
January 2025
The actor seemingly admitted he was still dating Apatow during an interview with British Vogue in early 2025. After being asked about the “Nepo Baby” discourse, Nivola joked that he, his friends, and Apatow were “a secret society of Nepo kids who hang out in black robes.”
February 2025
The couple posed together at the White Lotus premiere in Los Angeles on February 10. Apatow even kissed her boyfriend while wearing a suit jacket in a candid shot at the event.
She shared a photo of herself from the premiere on Instagram, writing, “Enjoy these blown away pics 🪷”
In a Feb. 23 interview with Teen Vogue, Nivola revealed that she and Apatow live together in an apartment in New York City’s East Village. They also have a cat named “Kumo”.
“I’m so in love and she’s such an amazing person,” he said of Apatow. “I think living with someone, when you’re this young, you always think, ‘Oh my god, I’m getting tired of this.’ When you spend all day, every day with someone, it becomes routine and it feels like you’ve been married for 30 years. I don’t think that’s going to happen to her anyway, because we love each other so much.”
March 2025
Ahead of the airing of White Lotus Season 3, Episode 5 (the episode in which his role made headlines), Nivola shared some behind-the-scenes photos, including one of his girlfriend on set. She is in the 9th photo. “Tonight’s episode of White Lotus is a mess! It’s filling!! Check it out,” he wrote.
May 2025
On May 3, Nivola posted a carousel of photos on Instagram from her recent vacation and other important moments in her life. It also included shots of Apatow’s friends Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge, as well as Apatow’s mother Leslie Mann. They apparently enjoyed some fun meals together on the beach and on the tennis court.
Apatow commented on the post and shared the “😍😍😍” emoji.
June 2025
Nivola and Apatow went on another vacation and invited Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman’s son, Levon Hawke. A photo merry-go-round posted on June 17 also features Apatow and Nivola’s father, Alessandro Nivola, spending time together at a New York Mets baseball game.
Mann commented with a “❤️” emoji.
On June 27th, when Nivola shared photos from Dior’s summer 2026 campaign, Apatow couldn’t help but post a “😍😍😍” emoji in the comment section of the post.
July 2025
In the photo posted on July 11, Nivola, Apatow, Rodrigo, and Patridge are seen attending a music festival as a group, and this time, Iris’ sister Maud also joined the group and watched Rodrigo’s performance from the side of the stage.
Apatow posted additional photos on Instagram the same day.
September 2025
The couple shared a sweet PDA moment during Apatow’s September roundup as they wore formal attire at a party. Nivola kissed her on the cheek.
November 2025
As part of his Halloween wrap-up, Apatow posted a photo of Nivola in a canoe with a friend.
February 2026
Nivola interviewed Apatow in issue 6 of Cold Worm Production and shared what he got her for her birthday in October.
“This week I spoke with Iris Apatow, a talented, gorgeous, and terrifyingly funny young actress,” the actor wrote in the film’s introduction. “It’s funny, I tend to ‘sit down’ with her at least once a day because she’s actually my girlfriend and we actually live in the same apartment.”
He added: “It was Iris’ birthday a few months ago, so I gave her a Broadcast News poster that I found on eBay, signed by James Brooks. I put it in a pink frame and she loved it. Broadcast News means everything to her. It’s the movie that got her interested in film and even acting. It’s something every actor has, and they often have a sacred, sacred place in their hearts.”
Additional reporting by Starr Bowenbank.
