Who Is Jesse Williams' Girlfriend, Ciarra Pardo?

Former "Grey's Anatomy" actor Jesse Williams, who went through a super messy divorce with his ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, is currently dating Ciarra Pardo. According to Radar Online, the pair have been in a relationship since at least February 2022, when Williams referred to Pardo as his "longtime girlfriend." He's apparently known her since at least 2018, and the outlet sourced this info from Williams' and Drake-Lee's custody court records. Although Williams hasn't said much about his relationship with Pardo, it's not like they're hiding things. Over the past couple of years, paparazzi have caught the couple enjoying life on more than one occasion.

In June 2023, Williams and Pardo enjoyed a date in Los Angeles, according to Just Jared. The couple donned semi-matching outfits: light-colored jeans, neutral-colored shirts, and dark jackets. One year earlier, the couple partook in an Italian dinner in Manhattan, according to Daily Mail. According to the outlet, the lovebirds were spotted out in the middle of Williams' custody battle with his ex-wife. Despite their public outings, Williams and Pardo haven't spent much time promoting their relationship through social media. Then again, they're both super busy in their careers — especially Pardo.

Ciarra Pardo has earned the highly-coveted title of being Jesse Williams' girlfriend, but she's honestly earned much cooler ones. For example, Pardo is the President of Los Angeles Fashion Week. As in, she's the top boss, but that's not her only role. LAFW is run by N4XT Experiences, which according to Pardo's LinkedIn, she is the Co-Founder. The company "operates at the intersection of fashion, beauty, gaming, and entertainment," according to its website. Given Pardo's credentials, you'd probably expect to learn that she graduated from an elite fashion school, but that wasn't her journey.

According to Fashion Tech Forum, Pardo walked a different path, first landing jobs within finance and tech. Eventually, she pivoted into entertainment spaces by working as a Creative Director for Island Def Jam. During a December 2022 interview with Penta, Pardo shared more about her career trajectory. "I come from the creative direction world," Pardo revealed during the sit-down. "I've been blessed to play in beauty, fashion, entertainment, and technology. I've seen the immense power of integrating these worlds."

Ciarra Pardo used to be Rihanna's right-hand woman. According to her LinkedIn, Pardo served as the Chief Creative Officer for Fenty Corp from 2014 to 2019, but her history with her former boss dates back much further. While speaking with Penta, Pardo revealed she scored her job with Fenty Corp after spending years working as the singer's personal creative director through her own agency, GraviteCreative. And though Rihanna's star power and beauty helped push Fenty Corp into the global success it is today, "It wasn't as easy as it appeared," shared Cardo. "It taught me a crash course in beauty [...] and fashion."

Pardo hasn't worked under Rihanna for several years — being president probably doesn't leave her much time — but she's still quite fond of her former boss and friend. In February 2019, Pardo wished Rihanna a Happy Birthday by chronicling their entire professional relationship. "To sum us up... Getting from A to B, building C, striking E and planning the rest of the d**n alphabet," posted Pardo to Instagram. "Looking at your 31 years proudly! Celebrating 13 years in business and smiling at lifetimes of friendship. Happy Birthday mama, Love you forever." In January 2022, Pardo name-dropped Rihanna during an interview with WWD, revealing they were still close friends.