When Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton appeared side by side at the 2026 Super Bowl, the internet immediately went into decoding mode.
Were they flirting? Or were they performing?
The rumored couple sat smiling next to each other, seemingly composed and making a soft launch of their relationship.
But an expert said they seemed to be more focused on “image management” and had no “spontaneous romantic body language” between them.
Highlights
- Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton were seated together at the 2026 Super Bowl.
- Their appearance came after their "romantic" meetup in Paris.
- An expert said they seemed to be more focused on “image management” at the football game.
Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton appeared side by side at the 2026 Super Bowl
Image credits: Nicolas Economou/Getty Images
Dating rumors have been swirling around Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton ever since they were spotted having a “romantic” trip together in Paris earlier this month.
They were then seen together at Super Bowl LX in their VIP suite, with other celebrities, including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Justin Bieber.
Based on their posture and proximity while seated next to each other, Kim and Lewis appeared “deliberately neutral and contained,” body language expert Adrianne Carter told Bored Panda.
Image credits: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
“They weren’t leaning into each other, but they also weren’t creating distance. The spacing looked socially appropriate rather than emotionally revealing, and their posture came across as composed and camera-aware,” she said.
Adrianne said their composure may not be accidental in a stadium packed with cameras.
“That kind of ‘studied nonchalance’ is less about comfort or intimacy and more about image management,” she added.
An expert said the couple seemed more focused on “image management” and lacked “spontaneous romantic body language”
Image credits: NFL
When it comes to early-stage attraction, couples typically display “subtle gestures” that “signal romantic interest,” she said.
But the Skims founder and the F1 star seemed “tightly controlled” with their gestures.
“Early-stage attraction often leaks out through things like lingering eye contact, gradual body angling toward each other, mirroring of posture or movement, or small preening behaviors when the other person shifts,” Adrianne said.
Image credits: Joe Schildhorn/Shutterstock
“From what was visible, those cues were largely absent. The lack of mirroring and the clean, neutral positioning suggests either a genuinely casual interaction or, just as plausibly, a conscious effort to keep any personal signal tightly controlled,” she continued.
Adrianne went on to point out that relaxed celebrity couples, no matter how famous they are, can be messy with their body language.
Meanwhile, early-stage couples are more controlled with their body language during a “deliberate ‘soft-launch.’”
The Skims founder and the F1 star seemed “tightly controlled” with their gestures
Image credits: LH44updates
“When people are genuinely relaxed, even famous ones, you tend to see more messiness: drifting closer and further apart, unconscious synchrony, spontaneous reactions, and small, unguarded moments,” she said.
“A soft launch, by contrast, tends to look very composed and press-safe, neutral proximity, minimal or no touch, controlled expressions, and a general sense of ‘presence without confirmation,’” she continued. “The goal isn’t to show intimacy, but to create ambiguity.”
The expert concluded by saying Kim and Lewis’ demeanor looked more like “controlled ambiguity than spontaneous romantic body language,” based on what was visible to the cameras.
“That doesn’t confirm or deny anything about their private relationship, of course, but it does suggest a high level of awareness and narrative management in how they were presenting themselves publicly,” she added.
The F1 star said something about his mother to Kim during the game, a lip reader said
Image credits: lewishamilton
According to a lip reader, the British racer apparently spoke about wanting the reality TV star to meet his mother, Carmen Larbalestier.
“No, I don't take just any girl to my mom, I mean you're gonna meet someday, she is very excited to see you,” Nicola Hickling, the founder of LipReader, told the Daily Mail.
The statement made Kim “shuffle uncomfortably in her seat,” Nicola said.
The lip reader claimed Kim then covered her face before seemingly “replying with a simple okay.”
Image credits: kimkardashian
It is believed the rumored lovebirds have known each other for more than a decade.
They reportedly first crossed paths in 2014 at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London, which Lewis attended with his then-partner Nicole Scherzinger, while Kim attended with her ex-husband Kanye West.
During the event, the Kardashians star greeted the seven-time Formula 1 champion with a friendly kiss on his cheek. The pair have since met as friends on different occasions.
Lewis has been previously linked with Kim’s sister, Kendall Jenner.
The British racer is the “first guy she's really into in a long time,” a source said
Image credits: LH44updates
Kim “always liked him,” an insider told People about her budding connection with Lewis.
“She's excited about their romantic connection. [...] He makes her feel safe, and she genuinely enjoys spending time with him,” they added.
The source claimed Kim has “gone on dates and met people over the years” since her contentious divorce with Kanye.
But Lews is the “first guy she's really into in a long time,” they added.
Image credits: NFL
Sources described the pair’s meetup in Paris as “romantic,” whereas their Super Bowl appearance wasn't a formal date.”
It was “more like a relaxed friends-focused setting,” a source told the outlet. ‘Kim liked having a little one-on-one time with him, too.”
The source confirmed that Lewis and Kim had plans to see each other again “soon.”
Netizens struggled to show support for the couple, with one saying: “Maybe it’s a business dealing.”
“This is truly a bizarre pairing,” one commented, while another critic said, “Hamilton has always had awful taste in women.”
One said, “She’s 100% his type -- an older woman with her own money.”
Social media users didn’t hold back their sass when they commented on the relationship
