It’s the dinner pairing that has the United States and Canada buzzing: The newly single pop star Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau, the former prime minister of Canada, dropped by a high-end restaurant in Montreal on Monday for a meal together.
Their rendezvous at Le Violon, which specializes in “seafood-forward cuisine” and is featured in the Michelin Guide, set the internet aflame with speculation about whether the American-born singer and the former head of state were on a date.
Now that would be rapprochement, especially amid the chilly state of affairs between the once mutually aligned countries over President Trump’s tariffs and his frequent hectoring of Canada as being the “51st state.”
What a juxtaposition. In Ms. Perry’s parlance? “Hot N Cold.”
Ms. Perry, 40, and the actor Orlando Bloom, with whom she shares a daughter, recently broke off their engagement. Mr. Trudeau, 53, who resigned earlier this year as prime minister, separated from his wife of 18 years, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, in 2023. They have three children.
In response to questions from The New York Times, the co-owner and co-executive chef of Le Violon, Danny Smiles, said on Tuesday that the restaurant had hosted Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Perry the previous night. The restaurant confirmed that they had a reservation, but would not say who had booked the table.
“We can’t say for certain it was a date,” Mr. Smiles said, “but they were in great spirits.”
The celebrity website TMZ reported earlier about the sighting of Ms. Perry and Mr. Trudeau at the restaurant, publishing photos of the two there, taking a walk earlier and having drinks later at a tavern.
Ms. Perry was in between stops on her concert tour in Canada and was scheduled to perform in Ottawa on Tuesday night and in Montreal on Wednesday, followed by Quebec City on Friday.
Representatives for Ms. Perry and Mr. Trudeau did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment.
At dinner, the two had the chef’s tasting menu, which included tuna and tomatoes, beef tartare, lobster and asparagus, gnocchi and lamb, according to the restaurant.
Mr. Smiles went over to the table to greet Ms. Perry and Mr. Trudeau. He had met the former prime minister before, the restaurant said.
“So it was a friendly exchange,” Mr. Smiles said. “They even came to the kitchen to personally thank the staff before leaving.”
Famous for her catchy lyrics, provocative costumes and hits including “Teenage Dream” “Roar” and “Firework,” Ms. Perry was a judge for several seasons on American Idol, until last year, and was a Super Bowl halftime show headliner in 2015. In April, she was part of an all-female crew launched briefly into space by Blue Origin, the private spaceflight start-up of Jeff Bezos.
She is known for her liberal political leanings, having campaigned for both Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris during the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections. The night before the 2024 election, she performed at a rally in Pittsburgh for Ms. Harris, who lost Pennsylvania and all six other battleground states to Mr. Trump in November.
In March, Mr. Trudeau left office after his nearly decade-long stint leading Canada. His resignation came with polls showing most Canadians deeply unhappy with the state of their country as well as with Mr. Trudeau’s defiant response toward the Trump administration’s treatment of Canada.