Who is Rich Paul, Adele’s new husband?

Congratulations are seemingly in order for Adele and long-time partner Rich Paul, as the pair apparently got married sometime this year. The 15-time Grammy Winner, while attending a stand-up gig in Los Angeles for comedian and bestie Alan Carr this weekend, confirmed she had tied the knot — at least, according to several sources reporting to anonymous celebrity gossip site Deuxmoi.

According to these sources, Carr asked the crowd if anyone had gotten married lately, to which Adele replied “I did!” The singer also famously officiated the comedian’s own wedding at her home in 2018. Here’s what you need to know about the man who captured the heart of one of music’s most celebrated voices.

Who is Rich Paul?

Rich Paul (born 1981) is an American sports agent. For those unfamiliar with the role, a sports agent works directly with top athletes, using their legal and business expertise to help them with sponsorships, promotions, and all kinds of other advisory support. Paul is also a highly successful sports agent at that, as his most famous client, LeBron James, is currently the biggest star in the NBA. According to Forbes’ report on Paul in 2022, the agent has at least $1.4 billion worth of contracts under his belt, with his own personal net worth of $120 million.

As revealed in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Rich got his start with LeBron early on in 2002, when 17-year-old James was immediately impressed by then 21-year-old Paul’s industry expertise. Paul, who started his business career selling vintage sports jerseys, traded his way up to buy some pretty valuable collectibles. When LeBron spotted that Rich was wearing a genuine vintage jersey belonging to NBA legend Warren Moon. Paul quickly hooked up the teenage LeBron with a vintage Magic Johnson jersey, and a 20-plus-year friendship was born.

Rich Paul founded the Klutch Sports Group in 2012, with clients across the NFL as well as the NBA, boasting heavyweight clients like Odell Beckham Jr. According to Forbes, Paul is the fourth most powerful sports agent in the world.

Adele and Rich met in 2021, at an unnamed mutual friend’s birthday, according to the star. Adele has been very open in her mid-concert banter with audiences about her intent to marry and have kids with her then-boyfriend, and talked about him during her CBS special.

“[Rich[’s just hilarious. Oh, he’s so funny, he’s hilarious, yeah. And very smart. You know, he’s very, very smart,” she said during an interview segment of the special. ”It’s quite incredible watching him do what he does.”