Katie Holmes and her new boyfriend Bobby Wooten III appeared on the red carpet together on Thursday, May 26. They were attending The Moth’s 25th Anniversary gala, The Silver Ball, held at Spring Studios in New York City. The 43-year-old Dawson’s Creek star stepped out with the 33-year-old Grammy nominee, getting affectionate in front of the cameras.
Holmes was wearing a long-sleeved orange gown with black patent leather heels, and carried a small black clutch with a gold frame. Her hair was loosely pulled back and she accessorized with dangling diamond drop earrings. Wooten wore a blue suit over a button-down black shirt, and a pair of black boots with a few silver rings on his hand.
Now that things are “red carpet official,” here’s everything we know about Bobby Wooten III, Katie Holmes’ new boyfriend.
Who is Bobby Wooten III?
Wooten grew up in Chicago, a midwesterner like Holmes, who is native to Toledo. The musician and composer is playing bass in Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway at the moment, but he seems to have projects and performances popping up everywhere. At this year’s Coachella, Wooten performed with Carly Rae Jepsen, he was nominated for a Grammy Award, and is also an adjunct instructor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
A source told People that Wooten is “an amazing guy, very kind, super talented and just an all-around cool guy. He’s a highly accomplished bassist and musician, and is as chill and brilliant and funny as they come.”
Wooten was invited to The Moth’s Silver Ball because he worked with singer-songwriter David Byrne on the Broadway recording of American Utopia. Byrne was the evening’s honoree, and Wooten presented him with the award.
Wooten told Us Weekly, “I’m happy to have (Katie) here as my date.”
How did Bobby Wooten and Katie Holmes meet?
A source close to Holmes told E! News in early May that they were introduced through friends, adding that their relationship is “working well.”
“Katie is excited about seeing someone and is very happy,” they said. “She enjoys having someone in her life and he is very kind and good to her.”
Rumors of their relationship started in April, when they were seen kissing outside the subway while on their way to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where they kissed before heading inside, Us Weekly reports. It had been about a year since Holmes was romantically connected to anyone after breaking it off with chef Emilio Vitolo Jr., who she dated for a few months.
Holmes has said in the past that her priority is raising her daughter, 16-year-old Suri Cruise, who she shares with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise.
“My child is the most important person to me, and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now,” Holmes told Town & Country in 2017. “It’s very important that I’m present and she has a stable, innocent childhood. I feel so blessed to do what I do, but there’s nothing in the world better than watching your child succeed.”
When were Katie Holmes and Bobby Wooten last seen together?
On August 6, Holmes and Wooten were out in New York City again walking hand-in-hand through Washington Square Park. Holmes was wearing a tan jumpsuit with a halter neckline and a cinched waist over a pair of black sneakers. She left a her long brunette hair down and wore a pair of gold hoop earrings. Wooten wore a grey t-shirt with khakis and black leather shoes, and carried a canvas tote bag over one shoulder. This was two months after their debut on the red carpet at the Moth’s Silver Ball where Wooten presented singer-songwriter David Byrne with an award.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
