Madonna has been sharing more this month about her new boyfriend, soccer player Akeem Morris, adding pictures to carousels on Instagram that show them jet setting and being in love. The pop icon had a challenging year of recovery after being hospitalized with septic shock last summer. She recently celebrated in a post that included shots of Morris.
“Happy 4th of July!” she wrote. “A year ago today, I had just come home from the hospital after surviving a life threatening illness, I could barely stand in my backyard holding one sparkler. I made a miraculous recovery and had an amazing year. Thank you God. Life is beautiful!”
In the photos, she’s walking on her boyfriend’s arm, enjoying fireworks with him on the roof, and then getting cozy with him on the couch. Here’s what we know so far about Morris and his relationship with Madonna.
Who is Akeem Morris?
The 28-year-old soccer player was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica. He eventually moved to New York for college, attending Stony Brook University. He played soccer during school and then for the Oyster Bay United FC, which is a premiere league team. He doesn’t seem to have much of a social media presence, but it looks like he currently lives in New York City.
How long have them been together?
In 2022, Morris appeared in the photo shoot for her August cover issue of Paper Magazine. The singer was dating boxer Joshua Popper through most of 2023, possibly longer. So it’s unlikely they had a romantic connection at the time. She and Popper split sometime in spring of 2024.
It seems like they may have been dating since at least July of this year, given his appearance in her July 4th pics.
What has Madonna shared about her relationship?
She has pretty much only shared pictures of Morris, including some photos of them being intimate in a carousel captioned, “Hot Fun in The Summer Time.”
They were recently seen in Italy for her birthday.
On August 16, Madonna turned 66 and she celebrated in Italy with Morris by her side. They were photographed walking through Portofino. Madonna was wearing a black Dolce & Gabbana gown, and there will reportedly be a private party for her on the Dolce & Gabbana estate, according to People. Morris wore a knitted top with white shorts and they headed to lunch with friends.
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.