Sean Penn and Valeria Nicov are keeping things low-key but undeniably visible.
The One Battle After Another star, 65, was spotted strolling through Santa Monica on Wednesday, Jan. 14, hand in hand with his 30-year-old girlfriend. The couple favored a coordinated black-and-white palette: Penn in a crisp white shirt under a structured blue blazer, black trousers, and white sneakers; Nicov in a black turtleneck layered under a peacoat, black slacks, and matching sneakers, accessorized with a black baguette bag and cat-eye sunglasses perched on her collar.
The outing follows a busy week for Penn, who attended the 2026 Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 11, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. While Nicov didn’t join him at the ceremony, Penn was photographed indoors smoking alongside costars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Hudson.
The pair have been seen together publicly since September 2024, first in Madrid and then making a Los Angeles airport appearance the following month. They also made their red carpet debut in November 2024 and were last photographed together at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in May 2025.
Penn’s romantic history is long and varied—past marriages to Madonna, Robin Wright, and Leila George, along with links to Charlize Theron, Scarlett Johansson, and Olga Korotyayeva—but Nicov appears to have settled firmly into his present.
The couple’s Santa Monica stroll underscores a quieter side of Penn: a public figure still navigating love while maintaining a distinctly private rhythm.
Last modified: January 16, 2026
