Rich Paul Says His Romance With Adele Started ‘Very Organically’ and Grew From Friendship

Rich Paul is reminiscing about the early days of his relationship with his fiancée, Adele.

The Klutch Sports Group founder sat down with host Craig Melvin on the Tuesday, June 9 episode of the Glass Half Full podcast, where he reflected on how his connection with the Grammy-winning singer quietly developed over time. Paul said he initially met Adele “through a friend,” and for a while, things stayed firmly in friendly territory.

“We used to just always see each other and laugh and joke,” he shared on the podcast. “It was just cordial, until it became not so cordial. Until I became a person of interest.”

The sports agent, 44, explained that the two ran in overlapping social circles for years before romance entered the picture. “I had known her for some time,” he recalled. “You know, just when you’re in these circles, man, you’re in these circles. But I never tried to get fresh with people that’s in comfortable circles because they always have to deal with that, so that was never my thing. It was really something that happened very organically, really.”

Paul also copped to not knowing Adele’s full catalog when they first met. “I’m pretty on the pulse of a lot of different things,” he said on the podcast, “but I didn’t know all of the joints I know now.”

Still, that hasn’t dampened his confidence — Paul quipped, “I’m the best singer in the house.”

Paul and Adele, 38, made their relationship public in July 2021 when they attended Game 5 of the NBA Finals together in Phoenix, per the Daily Mail. The pair got engaged in August 2024, when Adele confirmed the news mid-concert in Munich, Germany, telling a fan in the crowd, “I can’t marry you because I’m already getting married!”