John Mellencamp's Son & Trace Adkins' Daughter Spark Dating Rumors
Originally appeared on E! Online
Oh yeah, life goes on—especially long after the thrill of Claim to Fame is gone.
That's the case for John Mellencamp's son Hud Mellencamp and Trace Adkins' daughter Mackenzie Adkins, who confirmed that they've continued seeing each other after striking up a flirty relationship during season three of the reality series.
"We're just hanging out," Hud, 30, told People in a joint interview published Aug. 28, "seeing what happens."
In fact, Mackenzie, 26, revealed that Hud has traveled down to her homebase of Nashville a "few times."
"Yeah, going well," she teased, adding that she was initially "so excited" to meet Hud on the ABC show because of their paternal connections to singers. "Because both of us, it's our dad, and they're both musicians. It's just very similar."
And their famous fathers are already well-aware of the strong connection they forged on the reality competition. Mackenzie even invited Hud and the "Jack & Diane" singer to her place to watch the season three finale, during which Michael Bolton's nephew Adam Christoferson was ultimately crowned the winner.
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"Mackenzie's hooked it all up," Hud shared, jokingly adding that his dad was "furious" over how he refused to give any spoilers until the finale aired.
Still, Hud and Mackenzie are proud of their Claim to Fame journey, with Mellencamp Whiskey Company cofounder saying that he's "very happy" for Adam.
"My dad told me before I left, just be on all the episodes," Mackenzie added. "I played a good game."
Hud is one of John's two sons with third wife Elaine Irwin. The "Hurts So Good" musician is also dad to Michelle Mellencamp with first wife Priscilla Esterline, as well as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp and Justice Mellencamp with second wife Victoria Granucci.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie is the oldest of three daughters from Trace's marriage to ex Rhonda Forlaw Adkins, with whom the country music star also shares Brianna Adkins and Trinity Adkins. In addition, Trace is dad to kids Tarah and Sarah with ex Barbara Lewis.
But Hud and Mackenzie aren’t the only celeb kids who’ve linked up. Keep reading to see other notable romances from Hollywood’s next generation…
Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell
She said "Oui oui"!
The Emily in Paris star, who is the daughter of musician Phil Collins, married the son of actors Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen in September 2021 after two years of dating.
Lily confirmed the happy news on Instagram, writing a sweet tribute to the writer and director.
"I've never wanted to be someone's someone more than I do yours, and now I get to be your wife," she wrote. "On September 4th, 2021 we officially became each other's forever. I love you beyond @charliemcdowell…?"
Mary, who is now married to Ted Danson, was excited to welcome Lily into the family.
"Charlie, my son, and Lily, my daughter-in-law!!! Thank you for letting us all bask in the sheer beauty of your love for each other," Mary gushed on Instagram. "My heart is overflowing and it almost feels like the last few days were some sort of beautiful dream. But it is all real, and I feel like the luckiest mother in the world."
Riley Hawk and Francis Bean Cobain
Coolest couple ever?
Taking to Instagram in February 2022, Frances Bean—the daughter of Courtney Love and the late Kurt Cobain—confirmed her romance with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk's son.
"I took a year long break from posting on Instagram which was exceptionally good for my mental, emotional & spiritual health," she captioned a series of photos. "2021 brought me more into the present moment than I've ever been, which I'm deeply grateful for. I wanted to share a few moments that were captured / created this past year that brought me a great amount of joy."
Some of that joy clearly came from Riley, as the gallery included shows of him sitting in front of a Christmas tree holding a dog in an adorable Santa outfit and again snuggled up with Frances on a yacht with his dad and Tony's fourth wife, Catherine.
The couple married in October 2023.
Eric Murphy and Jasmin Lawrence
Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence have more in common than the movies they made together in the 1990s, as the comedy legends' children are in a cute relationship that seems pretty serious.
Eric and Jasmin first confirmed their romance on Instagram in July 2021 and are still going strong.
"Thank you for being such a blessing in my life. I am so fortunate to experience your unconditional love," Eric posted in an Instagram post for the Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules star's birthday in January. "I pray that God blesses you abundantly as you enter your 26th year. You have made my life better than I ever thought it could be. You embody everything I ever prayed for in a significant other. Keep shining your bright light on the world. I am so incredibly proud of you. Thank you for being the best girlfriend of all time!"
Mark Ronson and Grace Gummer
Meryl Streep now calls the "Uptown Funk" artist son-in-law after he married her daughter in an intimate wedding ceremony in 2021.
The stepson of Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones confirmed his marriage to the Mr. Robot actress in an Instagram post in September of that year.
"To my truest love...out of nowhere, you made 45 hands down the greatest year of my life," the English musician wrote, alongside a romantic portrait of their big day. "And i'm sure it took me 45 years to become the man worthy of your love. I hope I spend every one of these birthdays by your side til my last day. And beyond. (and yes, we got married)."
Grace Gummer and Tay Strathairn
Prior to finding love with Mark, Grace was previously married to actor David Strathairn's musician son, with their famous parents actually playing husband and wife in the 1994 film The River Wild.
The two wed in July 2019 and separated a month later, according to court filing obtained by People, with their divorce finalized in 2020.
Rainey Qualley and Lewis Pullman
The daughter of Andie MacDowell and son of Bill Pullman began dating in September 2020 and made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick, which starred Lewis, in May 2022.
However, their appeared to fizzle out by August 2023, with Rainey stepping out with musician Kane Ritchotte.
Iris Apatow and Ryder Robinson
Raise your hand if this romance made you feel old.
Kate Hudson's eldest child with ex Chris Robinson and the youngest daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann went IG official with their relationship in February 2022, looking loved up in a series of social media snaps posted on Valentine's Day.
Captioned simply with a head heart emoji, Ryder shared a pic on Instagram of the two smiling together from inside a restaurant. In another pic, he planted a kiss on Iris' cheek as she hugged him.
But by the end of the year, the pair appeared to have parted ways romantically.
Miley Cyrus and Patrick Schwarzenegger
Back in 2011, Patrick—the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver—revealed his crush on the former Disney star, telling Details magazine that his eye was "set on Miley."
Three years later, the actor's dream came true when he started casually dating the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, through the romance fizzled out just six months later.
Sofia Richie and Brooklyn Beckham
Lionel Richie's daughter and the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham were rumored to be dating for several months in late 2016 through early 2017 following his split from Chloe Grace Moretz.
He is now married to Nicola Peltz, while Sofia calls music executive Elliot Grange her husband.
Dylan Penn and Steven R. McQueen
After a brief romance with Robert Pattinson, the actress daughter of Sean Penn and Robin Wright dated the grandson of late screen legend Steve McQueen in 2014.
But the pair broke up after just two months, with a source telling E! News at the time that the chemistry between Dylan and The Vampire Diaries star just "fizzled out."
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