Jacob Elordi's 'Ultra-Snobby' Reason for Keeping Kendall Jenner Relationship a Secret for So Long Revealed

Jacob Elordi may have earned acclaim for his stormy performance in Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights, but his latest role – rumored boyfriend to Kendall Jenner – has people talking for very different reasons, OK! can reveal.

The 28-year-old Australian actor is said to have kept his relationship with the 30-year-old model under wraps not only out of discretion, but because, according to one insider, Elordi sees himself as operating on "a different intellectual level" than the reality TV world that made Jenner famous.

The pair have reportedly been dating for several months, having met through mutual friends in Los Angeles late last year.

Sources said at the time the pair "had been hanging out and getting to know each other," though new details now suggest the secrecy may have been more deliberate than previously thought.

Elordi's camp has long emphasized his private nature – particularly given his high-profile past relationships with fellow actors Joey King and Zendaya, as well as model Kaia Gerber.

But this time, according to a source close to the star, his reasons for being cautious about his apparent new relationship run deeper.

"He has a real disdain for the whole reality television scene," a source told us. "Jacob sees himself as part of the artistic side of Hollywood – literature, film, character work – and he doesn't want to be lumped into that glossy, influencer-driven world. That's partly why he insisted everything stay quiet."

The source added Elordi, who has recently been filming Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars, believes his professional identity could be overshadowed by the Kardashian-Jenner media machine.

"Jacob admires Kendall as a person," the insider added.

"But he's conscious that any association with that family comes with cameras, scrutiny, and assumptions about fame that he wants to avoid. It may sound ultra-snobby, but it is what it is."

Jenner, for her part, has long emphasized her preference for privacy when it comes to romance.

In a 2019 interview, she said: "I got a glimpse of how my sisters dealt with (the attention) and it's cool to learn from that. For me, a lot of things are very special and very sacred, like my friends and relationships, and I personally think that bringing things into the public makes everything so much messier."

She continued: "A relationship is only meant to be between two people, and the second you make it the world's business is when it starts messing with the two people mentally. Like once everyone is let in, you're letting all these opinions into your relationships, and I don't think that's fair."

While Jenner's remarks may have originally referred to where she was at in her early twenties, sources tell us she's still intent on preserving some distance from public scrutiny.

"When I was young I used to say that by 27 I'd love to have kids," Jenner said in 2024. "Now I'm past that and I feel like I'm still so young. I'm enjoying my kid-less freedom."

Another source close to Jenner said she appreciates Elordi's intensity, even if it sometimes borders on seeming pretentious.

"Kendall actually likes that he's a bit brooding and serious," they said. "Jacob reads constantly and talks about philosophy and filmmaking – sometimes she jokes that he'd rather quote Nietzsche than take a selfie."

Another insider, described as a friend of the actor, echoed that sentiment. "Jacob's not trying to be cruel, but he genuinely doesn't see himself as part of that celebrity-industrial complex," they said. "He thinks he's got more to offer than becoming a tabloid headline. So yes – he's a bit high-minded about it, and he doesn't hide that."