Kaitlan Collins Seemingly Debuts Hunky New Boyfriend At 2026 Grammys
When Kaitlan Collins attended the 2026 Grammy Awards, she did so alongside tall, dark, and handsome photographer Emilio Madrid. And, although the CNN reporter didn't exactly spell it out, it kinda looked like he may be her new mans. In any case, Madrid was Collins' date. Our first look at the new couple together came at the Pre-Grammy Gala, where he was clad in an olive suit with a red, gold and green patterned tie, while she seemed to be re-wearing the little black dress Collins donned for the 2025 White House Correspondents' Dinner. The following day, Madrid was the CNN stalwart's date once again for the Grammys themselves — and she even tagged him in an Instagram Story. Collins and Madrid posed together on a rooftop, with the journalist all dressed up in what looked like the Retrofete Kyree Knit Dress.
Her photographer beau, meanwhile, reposted the shot to his own Stories, with Madrid promising in the caption that he'd added a bow tie and cummerbund for the glitzy black tie event. He also shared a pic from the red carpet, tagging Collins and describing the two of them as: "Music biz interlopers." Likewise, Madrid also accompanied Collins to the Grammys after parties too. Safe to say that the two have no problem spending a ton of time together, then! And, with Madrid being a self-professed "Political and portrait junkie," per his Instagram bio, we reckon that he and CNN's chief White House correspondent have a ton in common too.
Kaitlan Collins and Emilio Madrid could also be just friends
It bears mentioning that the photos of Kaitlan Collins and Emilio Madrid attending the 2026 Grammys, Pre-Grammy Gala, and the after parties weren't super loved up. In fact, even in the snaps where they had their arms around each other, there was a bit of distance between the two. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't dating. After all, not everyone is into PDA — in photos of Kaitlan Collins with her ex-boyfriend Will Douglas, the couple certainly wasn't all over each other either. With that in mind, we wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility that the Grammys were the ideal spot for the CNN stalwart to medium-launch her new relationship (let's face it, taking someone to the Grammys is too big a deal to be considered a soft launch).
On the other hand, there is also the fact that Kaitlan Collins seemed to be quite cozy with another mystery man over her holiday break from CNN. The White House correspondent hadn't posted snaps herself, but her friend (who she'd previously taken as a date to the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors) Sean Francis shared a pic of her with one Matt Moore in an Instagram photo carousel in December 2025.
Granted, it's possible that was also just a friends pic. Collins appears to have a very tight-knit circle, so we wouldn't rule out the possibility that anybody she's been pictured with is nothing more than a buddy. Ultimately, we'll probably have to see an official confirmation from the journalist herself when it comes to her love life. In the meantime, there's no question that she's having a total blast.