Inside Rachel Zegler & Boyfriend Josh Andres Rivera’s Romance That Reportedly Started on the Set of ‘West Side Story’

After keeping their romance under wraps, Rachel Zegler's boyfriend, Josh Andrés Rivera, was finally revealed. The "West Side Story" actors sparked dating rumors with flirty social media posts and confirmed the news with a romantic Valentine's Day dinner.

Rachel Zegler grew up in New Jersey with her American father and Colombian mother; amongst 30, 000 people who auditioned for Steven Spielberg's remake of " West Side Story" in 2021, Zegler landed the role of Maria and starred alongside Ansel Egort, who played Tony.

She received social media attention for her cover of "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and starring as Maria was not the first time she'd played the character, as she had taken part in a Performing Arts School presentation.

Zegler's performance in "West Side Story" not only led to a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress but also led to her romance with her co-star, Josh Andrés Rivera. Rumors began to swirl about their relationship before they publicly confirmed it.

Who Is Rachel Zegler's Boyfriend, Josh Andrés Rivera?

Rivera was born on May 1, 1995; he played Chino in "West Side Story," a gang member who had a fling with Zegler's character before she met Tony, played by Elgort, at a school dance.

In 2021, he appeared on "The Drew Barrymore Show" with his "West Side Story" co-stars David Alvarez and Mike Faist to discuss the film. Apart from "West Side Story," he had a role in HBO Max's "Vegas High."

He was reportedly cast for "Cat Person" in 2023 with Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun; the drama/ thriller movie is based on a New York story that went viral.

When Zegler shared on social media that she was not attending the 2022 Oscars, she said she would be watching from her couch and cheering for "West Side Story" in sweatpants and her boyfriend's flannel.

How Long Have Josh Andrés Rivera and Rachel Zegler Been Together?

Rivera and Zegler met on the set of "West Side Story"; when the casting news was revealed, she reacted by sharing that she was honored to be cast alongside Rivera and her other cast mates.

They sparked dating rumors for over a year; in 2021, Zegler shared a tweet where she confessed her love for Rivera, and they would frequent each other's social media.

According to Distractify, Deux Moi, a gossip site, insinuated Rivera and Zegler were more than friends. The "West Side Story" actress responded on January 3 via a tweet, encouraging the publication to "Respect people's privacy."

On Valentine's Day, they confirmed their relationship and revealed they had spent the romantic holiday together. Zegler shared a black and white picture of them on her Instagram and captioned the post "committing Valen-crimes."

On her Instagram story, she showed the couple enjoying dinner at Mr. White's Leicester Square in London; Zegler had posted tweets of their relationship in the past, although back then, their status as friends or partners was unclear to the public.

They attended the Academy Awards, where "West Side Story" was nominated for Best Picture. Zegler shared a picture of the couple in matching black outfits, looking at each other and smiling. She thanked the Academy Awards for the invitation and wrote:

"Couldn't have done any of it without my other half by my side."

They made their red carpet debut together, and the day after, Zegler presented alongside Jacob Elordi and shared pictures documenting the night. In 2021, she revealed that she had spent Christmas with Rivera and posted a photo of her embracing him.

In March, Zegler accepted her award for Best Actress by the National Board of Review for her role in "West Side Story," and although she could not attend in person, she shared her acceptance speech on Twitter, where she said:

"I wish to extend my thanks to the love of my life, who I was blessed enough to meet on the set of this film many moons ago."

She continued to thank "the love of (her) life" for holding her hand in her dreams and reality and making her laugh, and that she "loved doing life" with him.

In May, she shared a short black and white clip of the two smiling and laughing; the video didn't have sound, but she wrote in the caption that Rivera was everything she loved about the world "wrapped into one incredible man."

They made more public appearances and attended the 2022 Grammys; in April, Zegler posted a picture of them laughing as they held hands. Zegler performed alongside other broadway stars like Cynthia Erivo and Ben Plattin in the Memoriam Day segment.

Will Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera Reunite Onscreen?

Zegler and Rivera were set to star alongside each other again when they were cast in the highly anticipated prequel "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" in 2023.

Lionsgate confirmed the news on June 15 that Rivera would play Sejanus Plinth and Zegler would play Lucy Gray Baird. Zegler was excited to reunite with her boyfriend on screen again; she posted an Instagram story congratulating Rivera and said she had never been prouder.

She shared the same sentiment on Twitter, where she tweeted, "Always and forever proud of my Joshua." Zegler's Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy made her the first Latina actress to win and the youngest in the category.

Rachel Zegler received her National Board of Review award while she was filming for her role as Snow White in Disney's live-action remake; the production for the 1938 animation began in 2022, and the film's director, Marc Webb, sang Zegler's praises:

"Rachel's extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts."