Kaitlan Collins' Mystery Vacation Companion Isn't Her Supposed New Boyfriend (Sorry, Rumor Mill)
Sorry to break it to you like this, but Kaitlan Collins' mystery companion on her recent trip to Barcelona isn't actually her new man. Collins — whose bitter feud with President Donald Trump has kept her in the headlines — posted a carousel of images to Instagram in which CNN's chief White House correspondent can be seen cozying up to a mystery guy. The photo showed Collins with her arm around her companion while they smiled during their getaway.
However, the man in question turned out to not be a romantic partner, but rather a former colleague, Matt Dornic, whose arm tattoo made him easy to recognize. In fact, Dornic also posted pictures from their vacation in Spain. Based on the comments, they were joined by Collins' younger brother and Dornic's boyfriend, Dylan. "Bros and bravas in Barcelona," Collins captioned her photo carousel. So, there — mystery solved!
Regardless, Collins just can't escape the rampant rumors about her love life. In April, fans were quick to assume she had seemingly debuted a hunky new boyfriend at the 2026 Grammys, arriving on the red carpet with Emilio Madrid as her date. Madrid is an editorial and commercial photographer who later found himself in hot water for allegedly dating a minor. It's not known if he and Collins were ever a couple, or if they went together as friends, but the news anchor seemingly had a blast on her date with Madrid. "It's 75 degrees and Bad Bunny is there? I'm in," Collins wrote on Instagram at the time. "Thank you, @grammys, for an incredible evening."
Before that, Collins also sparked rumors about her dating life after she was spotted cozying up to a mystery guy over her holiday break from CNN in December 2025. On her Instagram Stories, Collins reposted a photo of herself hanging out with a friend — later identified as a certain Sean Francis — at what appeared to be a bar. As usual, she never confirmed or denied anything.
Collins is reportedly on a hunt for a new relationship
At the time of writing, it appears that Kaitlan Collins is officially single and ready to mingle. The journalist's last public relationship was with Texas native and pharmacist Will Douglas in 2015, whom Collins dated prior to joining CNN as a White House correspondent in 2017. She and Douglas have never confirmed being an official couple, but photos from their Instagram page showed they were clearly together at some point.
It was previously reported that Collins had signed herself up on Raya to meet new people and hopefully be in a new relationship. A source close to the news anchor told Radar Online that Collins was ready to put herself back out there after her breakup with Douglas. As for what she wants in a man? "Kaitlan's not just looking for love. She's also looking for someone who can keep up with her career and help her navigate the social and political circles she thrives in," the insider explained. They added that she hadn't been able to go out as much as she'd like due to her busy schedule, hence the dating profile. "She wants someone, who understands her world and can be a real partner in every sense of the word."
Although Collins herself has never publicly discussed her dating life, the 34-year-old journalist got candid about her struggles balancing a personal life and work in an interview with Heather McMahan on her "Absolutely Not" podcast. "I actually think, yes, I do work a lot and all of that, and I sacrifice a lot," Collins admitted, but she ultimately has no regrets. "I just think you have to pick your priorities, and so doing that is really good for me," Collins elaborated, noting, "I actually think it makes me a better reporter."