Dakota Johnson Has One Non-Negotiable Dating Rule After Her Split From Chris Martin

Here is a sentence I did not have on my 2025 bingo card: Dakota Johnson says her relationship red flag is men who wear flip-flops. That little nugget landed right as her split from Chris Martin is making the rounds, and now there are fresh whispers that Martin might be quietly seeing Sophie Turner. Messy? A bit. Interesting? Absolutely.

Dakota Johnson on red flags, scents, and... flip-flops

In a new chat for Vogue's Questions from Everywhere digital series, the 'The Materialists' star did not hesitate when asked about her personal dating no-go. Her answer was short and lethal: flip-flops on guys. She also said she really is not into cologne or any added fragrance on other people.

'Men who wear flip flops.'

'I have a really specific olfactory situation happening for me with men and women and everyone.'

The timing is notable. Ever since news of her breakup with the Coldplay frontman started circulating in June 2025, Johnson has been a little more outspoken about what works for her and what does not.

Meanwhile: Sophie Turner and Chris Martin are being linked

On the other side of the breakup, there is chatter that Martin, 48, and Sophie Turner, 29, had a discreet date the week after Turner and her boyfriend of two years, Hon. Peregrine 'Perry' Pearson (a viscount-in-waiting), hit a rough patch. The Daily Mail says Turner and Pearson were spotted at a high-profile wedding in late September having what looked like an argument on the dance floor... while also kissing. Tabloid eyewitness reports are rarely tidy, but that is the gist.

Fast-forward a week, and Turner — yes, the Game of Thrones star and X-Men alum — was reportedly seen out with Martin on what was described as a low-key, under-the-radar outing. 'Secret' only goes so far when long lenses exist, especially on the same week Dakota is out here talking about red flags. The optics are doing a lot.

As for Turner and Pearson, it had looked like she might be headed toward the British aristocracy track, but it sounds like priorities did not line up.

How we got here: Dakota and Chris, the quick history

• October 2017: First spotted together at Sushi Park in Los Angeles.
• December 2017: Quiet confirmation they were, in fact, a couple, as Dakota kept showing up in support at Coldplay shows.
• January 2018: Arrived together at Soho House in Malibu, which pretty much sealed it publicly (as first reported by People).
• Through the years: Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he shares two kids, was notably warm toward Johnson — she even wished her a happy 30th on Instagram and, per reports, helped bring them back together after an initial mid-2019 split.
• June 2025: After years of on-and-off headlines, Johnson and Martin called it quits.

Where this leaves everyone

Johnson is drawing a bright line on fragrances and footwear. Martin is being linked to Turner. And the timeline between that late-September wedding dust-up and the reported date the next week is going to keep gossip antennae buzzing. If nothing else, at least we now know where Dakota stands on beach shoes.