The Juiciest Moments From Coachella Weekend 1, From Celeb ‘Make Outs’ To *That* SZA Rumour

The first weekend of Coachella 2026 is done and dusted, but not without a welcome serving of bulk tea. ICYMI, the celebrity and influencer-clad California music festival delivered its first outing over the weekend, with a second instalment coming up this weekend.

This year’s edition of Coachella has been particularly starry, with everyone from the KarJenners to Adele being spotted in the crowds as headliners Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber took the stage. 

Assembling so many celebs was bound to produce some drama, so here’s the juiciest things that went down during Coachella’s first instalment. Dig in below!

Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi sparked romance rumours

I have to start here because holy hell! The internet has been set alight with rumours Jacob Elordi and Kendall Jenner are dating, after gossip page Deux Moi shared claims that the pair made out at Bieber’s Coachella after party. 

Elordi was spotted in the crowd of Bieber’s set, and we do know he hosted an after party with his wife Hailey Bieber. According to several sources who spoke to Deux Moi, Jenner and Elordi were “all over each other” at the event, but at this point it’s all just speculation.

Before you ask, Elordi reportedly split from his on-again girlfriend Olivia Jade Giannulli (you know the infamous ‘rower’) last year, so he’s apparently a free agent.

Speaking of Bieber, his headlining set at Coachella sparked immediate discourse, with some praising it on social media and others complaining it was lacklustre given the paired-down production. 

Bieber’s decision to play his old songs on YouTube mid-way through the performance was equally divisive, but he did get some support from his famous pals including Katy Perry.

SZA denied headliner backup rumours

Also weighing in on the Bieber discourse was SZA, who took to social media to deny fan rumours that she had been booked at Bieber’s backup in the event he bailed on his headlining set. “Lmao who made this up?” SZA wrote under a post claiming she was paid millions to appear at the festival. 

“I’ve seen this 4 times now. I’m in New York no one paid me a dime. Wishing everyone the best.” She said what she said, but a girl can dream she might still appear on weekend two. Manifesting works!

A bunch of brands rescinded their Coachella influencer invites

It wouldn’t be the Influencer Olympics without a spot of influencer tea. This year, it came as multiple high-profile creators spoke out against various brands for rescinding their invites to the festival. 

Popular UK-based influencer Glocortex took to social media to allege that the unnamed agency that invited her to Coachella pulled out at the last minute, while Yazmin Marziali claimed she got a similar text from a brand despite having “my suitcase already packed”.

Elsewhere, creator Kelsey Kotzur said the brand she’d been working with contacted her to say it was “at capacity” with its invites. “I have made my peace with it,” she said on social media. “I’m actually taking myself on vacation instead.”

Sabrina Carpenter apologised for mishearing a fan

Carpenter went viral for all the wrong reasons when an interaction she had with a fan during her headlining set went viral. In the clip, Carpenter overheard a fan performing Zaghrouta, an Arabic cheer, but mistook it for a yodel and described it as “weird” even after the fan explained it was cultural. 

“My apologies, I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly,” Carpenter wrote on social media. “My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill-intended. [I] could have handled it better! Now I know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau made their joint Coachella debut

Yes, the most perplexing celeb couple in recent memory is still going strong, with Katy Perry spotted dancing with her boyfriend and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the crowd of Bieber’s set. 

Perry even threw some playful shade about the performance, saying on social media she was grateful Biber had YouTube Premium because she doesn’t “want to see any ads”. 

Those are the buzziest Coachella 2026 moments we spotted, but with another instalment still to come, we suspect there’ll be more to this story. It’s probably too early to say but imagine an Elordi and Jenner hard-launch at weekend two? Watch this space!

Lead images: Instagram and X