Lupita Nyong’o responds to speculation about alleged affair with Janelle Monáe

(CNN) — Lupita Nyong’o understands why people might believe that she and Janelle Monáe had a romantic relationship.

The two have been friends since they met at the Met Gala in 2014, when Nyong’o was relatively new to show business and had just won an Oscar for her performance in “12 Years a Slave.”

“This world is still extremely new to me and incredible,” Nyong’o recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

“[Janelle] he came up to me and gave me the most authentic hug,” said Nyong’o. “I think we swayed to the music. She was just like, ‘I’m so proud of you, and I appreciate who you are.'”

In 2018, Monáe opened up about identifying as pansexual and later revealed that she is non-binary.

“She has a magnetism that they obviously picked up on,” Nyong’o told Rolling Stone about speculation that the two had an affair in the past. “She’s that enigmatic. I wasn’t surprised. And I don’t mind being associated with her in any way.”

Although they are only close friends (Nyong’o has dated TV host and designer Selema Masekela), Nyong’o said there are still things she doesn’t know about Monáe.

“Just because you’re her close friend doesn’t mean you know everything about her,” Nyong’o said. “I think that’s what makes her interesting as an artist.”

Monáe’s new album, “The Age of Pleasure”, will be out on June 9th.