Lupita Nyongo has always been very private about her personal life, so fans were surprised when she revealed her relationship with Serema Masekela last December; the two announced their romance in matching Instagram posts, and although they did not reveal how long they had been together, in their sweet reveal they were very in love and seemed completely in sync. The Academy Award winner and the TV personality also had an adorable backstory, with Masekela revealing that he had a crush on the actress years ago.

However, in October 2023, the "Black Panther" star revealed that Nyongo and Masekela were going their separate ways in an emotional and cryptic post that hinted at a "deception." While we may never know what caused the split, as the celebrities may have chosen to keep the news private, several glimpses of their romance have emerged over the past year; what we do know about their relationship is as follows.

Masekela is a sports commentator, musician, and entrepreneur who owns the surf lifestyle brand Mami Wata and is known as the son of anti-apartheid activist and "father of South African jazz" Hugh Masekela. A deeper dive into Serema's social media reveals that he and Nyongo first met in April 2016; in a lovely post to X/Twitter, Masekela wrote that he was sitting behind the actress on a flight and was mentally high in the air trying to talk to her.

"Hypothetically... Let's say you are sitting behind Lupita Nyongo on a plane, what would your opening line be?" he wrote at the time, and a few minutes later he added, "Anybody come up with a good opening with Lupita Nyongo, send it in. I'm sitting right behind her on this flight. #stumped."

In December 2022, the two went public with their relationship in a deleted matching Instagram post. The post included a reel of the two dressed in several matching, coordinated outfits, snapping their fingers side-by-side to the beat of "The King's Affirmation" by Iniko and Reuel Williams. At the end of the clip, in which they posed in swimsuits, fluffy robes, and red-carpet looks, the two briefly broke into a dance.

"We just click. ? @selema #thisismylove #nuffsaid," Nyongo captioned the clip, while Masekela added, "Hearts are in sync. My whole and actual love."

Shortly after Nyongo and Masekela went public, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the two had purchased a home together in a secluded neighborhood in Los Angeles, and that they had paid $4 million for the sprawling four-bedroom, five-bathroom house, which They reportedly paid $4 million for the sprawling four-bedroom, five-bathroom home.

In another post that was later deleted, the actress posted another adorable Instagram reel in honor of Masekela's birthday last August, according to People. The post, which soundtracked the song "Good Energy" by Yoon Wai Lin, showed a series of short clips of Masekela dancing in various situations, followed by two photos of the couple.

"And then the universe decided it was appropriate to put this Sunshine Human ☀️ into my orbit and this day became his introduction to life," she wrote in the caption. Everyday is full of #goodenergy and a reason to dance with @selema as my favorite playmate. Happy birthday, mi amor."

The musician replied in the comments, "It's not fair, mi amor.

On October 19, Nyongo announced her split from the entrepreneur, sharing a lengthy message to her fans via an Instagram post and several text slides shared on her Stories. The actress opened her post by acknowledging that Nyongo "has more important things going on in the world right now and my thoughts are with those who are suffering deeply."

"At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly separate myself from someone I can no longer trust," the Oscar winner wrote. [23] "I find myself in a season of heartbreak for a love suddenly and catastrophically extinguished by deception. 0]

Later in the message, she writes that she revealed personal news." To keep it [100] and in the hope that the knowledge of my experience might be helpful to someone experiencing the grip of heartbreak, who is poised to escape the pain and missing the wisdom that comes from it. #Farewell"

Masekela has not yet spoken publicly about this breakup.