Who Is Taylor Kinney's Girlfriend, Ashley Cruger?
Taylor Kinney is best-known for his work on "Chicago Fire," but also gained notoriety for not only formerly dating, but also being engaged to Lady Gaga. In 2016, the "Shallow" singer announced to fans that Kinney had popped the question. "He gave me his heart on Valentine's Day, and I said YES!" Gaga wrote in the caption of an Instagram post, which included a snap of the heart-shaped ring the actor gave her.
Unfortunately, the couple never walked the aisle as Kinney and Gaga called it quits in July 2017, a little over a year after getting engaged. Apparently, the pair broke up around the time Gaga worked on "A Star Is Born," as she discussed how her breakups coincided with career milestones. "My love life has just imploded. I sold 10 million [records] and lost Matt. I sold 30 million and lost Luke," the singer said in her "Gaga: Five Foot Two" documentary released in 2017 (via Elle). "I did a movie and lose Taylor," she added. Although they split, Kinney and Gaga remained on good terms and continued to talk often and occasionally met up, but were "only friends," as a source told Us Weekly in 2017.
Once Kinney was single, he used the opportunity to test the dating pool waters. The actor was spotted kissing a "mystery woman" in 2019 while visiting the area he grew up in, per Daily Mail. Later, Kinney would pack on the PDA with another woman, who turned out to be his girlfriend.
Taylor Kinney and new girlfriend put on PDA
The first time Taylor Kinney posted his girlfriend Ashley Cruger to Instagram was on March 3. The "Chicago Fire" actor uploaded a candid snap of Cruger getting her nails done at a salon as she shot him a fierce look while he took the picture. "Why would you tell me that....." he wrote in the caption. Less than two weeks later, Kinney posted another picture of his girlfriend to Instagram on March 15. That photo was a close-up of Cruger's face, and he wrote "Inside Out" over the snap.
The next month, in April, the "Vampire Diaries" alum brought Cruger to an event in Utah. They attended the Operation Smile's 10th Annual Celebrity Ski and Smile Challenge benefit, and expressed their love by kissing on the red carpet multiple times, per Extra. Years earlier, in 2016, the actor attended that same event with Lady Gaga while they were engaged, per InStyle.
Besides the semi-cryptic Instagram posts, Kinney has not shared much information about his girlfriend. Cruger is a model signed to BMG Models out of their Chicago office, which is where Kinney films his hit show. Despite not much being known about the relationship, shortly after they were confirmed to be dating, rumors sprouted up that the pair could be very serious about each other.
Some believe Taylor Kinney is headed down the aisle
Six years after Taylor Kinney was engaged to Lady Gaga, and only months after his relationship with Ashley Cruger was confirmed, speculation arose that the "Chicago Fire" star was once again engaged. There has been no announcement from either Kinney or his girlfriend, but Cruger uploaded a photo to Instagram on June 24 that had many speculating. In the picture, Kinney sported a silver band on his ring finger, per Hello! Keen-eyed fans began to wonder if the pair intended to tie the knot. One tweeted, "so Taylor Kinney is engaged?"
The couple not only made appearances together stateside, but took trips that indicated they were getting serious. In June, they were photographed vacationing in Lake Como in Italy, per Just Jared. Later that month, Kinney showed the trust he has in Cruger when he uploaded another snap of her to Instagram on June 27. In the photo, the kneeled next to a tattoo gun and appeared to be preparing Kinney's leg for new ink. The actor included a series of hashtags in the caption including "#SunOfAGun."
Fans showed up in the comment section to show their support for the couple. "Beautiful, that's how i want to see them always together!!! Nothing else matters, the outsiders are made of wood!!" one follower wrote on Kinney's post. Another was a fan of the couple, but not of the new ink. "There happy that's all that counts fans have no say [but] please no more tattoos???" they wrote.