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Ultra-exclusive dating app has found herself the subject of renewed attention amid rumors that she is singer Lily Allen and her husband and Stranger Things Star David Harbor has split.
Allen married Harbor in 2019 after meeting him on Raya, a dating app popular with celebrities and other high-profile figures.
It was announced on Monday (December 23) that Allen made another appearance on Raja just last week.
This led to unconfirmed speculation that the “Smile” singer had split from Harbour, who plays Hopper in the hit Netflix sci-fi drama series Stranger Things.
According to MailOnlineher bio read: “Looking for someone to start couples therapy with.”
The Independent has reached out to representatives for Allen and Harbor for comment.
What is Raya?
Unlike dating apps like Bumble or Tinder, joining Raya isn’t as simple as creating a profile – as it requires interested users to submit an application.
“Once submitted, applications are queued and continuously reviewed,” reads the app’s description in the app store. “An applicant’s status can be changed from ‘waitlisted’ to ‘accepted’ at any time.
However, the app also doesn’t guarantee acceptance, as according to the app, applicants are “assessed based on algorithmic scores and input from hundreds of board members spread across the globe,” with website noting that decisions on applications can vary from “one day to several months”.
As for what the app, which is reportedly used by celebrities, asks applicants, Raya says its multifaceted application process ensures that each new member “makes our community more diverse and dynamic.”
The dating platform is also extremely strict about what behavior is allowed on the app, and the website states that Raya will remove members who don’t follow our simple rules of “respect, trust and privacy.”
“Furthermore, we reserve the right to suspend or remove any membership that we no longer feel strengthens our community,” the website added.
What does the application process look like?
Raya’s application process starts with simple questions like your name, your Instagram profile and the industry you work in.
The app then asks potential members to add a recommendation, and the app prompts, “Please select one or more Raya members who can privately endorse your app.”
According to Ray, this step is integral because “connecting with our community is the most important factor considered by our review committee.”
As for the role board members play in making the decision, Raya says they ask whether an individual will be invited to an intimate dinner to create an evening full of “interesting, lively and respectful conversation” and whether others in attendance would understand why “everyone the rest are chosen”.
“In addition to all of this, board members are looking for that hard-to-describe ‘something extra,'” the website continues.
The dating platform also notes that it does not accept applications from anyone under the age of 18, nor from individuals who display displays of hatred, racism, bullying, bigotry or disrespect or violence towards others.
Raya also does not accept applicants with “consistent displays of excessive wealth,” explaining in the application: “How much or how little money one has is not a currency at Raya.”
Overall, Raya accepts only eight percent of applicants, according to reports Insiderwith an application waiting list reportedly close to the 100,000 application mark.
Who’s on Ray?
According to The Cutprofessional athletes make up some of the Raya users, as well as “Sports Illustrated swimwear models, Dancing with the stars professional dancers, a YouTube beauty guru, a designer of a streetwear brand popularized by Kanye West, a teenage celebrity chef, and Moby”.
Drew Barrymore reportedly tried app in the past, and the actress revealed during an appearance Watch what’s happening live with Andy Cohen that she saw “a lot” of celebrities while trying out Raya — but didn’t have the best experience overall.
“It was terrible for me too,” she said and added: “I got up and I didn’t match anyone. And my friends gave me this kind of inflated sense of false confidence. They were like, ‘You should try it. You’ll do great.’ It was a car accident.”
The app, which was launched in 2015, reportedly counted celebrities including Channing Tatum, Amy Schumer and Trevor Noah among its members.
The app also features “unknown” people, and the release notes that artists, models, record label executives and others in the creative industries can gain access to the exclusive platform.
A A TikTok user previously claimed that she was matched with Ben Affleck in the application. As for whether Affleck is really on Raya, he previously told Diane Sawyer during an appearance on Good morning America last year that she is not on any dating app.
“I know people who are on them and having fun, but not me. I would like to have a relationship that is deeply meaningful and to which I can be deeply committed,” he said at the time.