Paul Mescal finally addresses viral 'one night stand' rumour that left him 'devastated' after upsetting mum

Paul Mescal has finally addressed the 'one night stand' rumour which went viral on the internet last year.

Unless you were on a strict digital detox in late 2023, you probably came across the meme which claimed Normal People star Mescal, 28, would often engage in one night stands before taking the lucky woman out for a walk around London the following morning... only to do a runner on them.

Search the phrase 'Paul Mescal running away rumour' into TikTok and you'll be inundated with joke videos, satirical videos of women claiming the actor had done a runner on them after a night of passion and even clips of Mescal jogging through the streets of London in his shorts.

We're sure you're familiar with the Paul Mescal one night stand rumour (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

The rumour would later gain further traction when the All of Us Strangers star appeared on an episode of Amelia Dimoldenberg's Chicken Shop Date. Mescal was questioned by Dimoldenberg on what his ideal romantic date would be, to which he replied: "I love walking. A good long walk is romantic to me."

You can see how this response would send the conspiracy theorists into overdrive.

"He confirmed it ahahaha," one person wrote in response on TikTok, while a second fan joked: "The long walk turns to running."

At this point the 'evidence' seemed to be piling up... leading to Mescal finally addressing the rumours himself.

During a new interview with GQ to promote his new film Gladiator II, the actor set the record straight on whether or not he does a runner on his dates - and we have bad news for you, as Mescal has branded the rumour 'categorically untrue'.

The actor revealed the impact the rumour had on his family (Hanna Lassen/Getty Images)

Recalling how the rumours made their way back to him, he explained: "We [Mescal and his siblings] were looking at the videos and we were p****** ourselves at it. Categorically untrue. And we were laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing.

"It's hilarious. If it was true, it'd be f**king bad, but as a rumour, it's funny."

However, the actor went on to add the reaction of his mother Dearbhla would devastate him.

"The one thing that upset me was that I was in the kitchen, I remember my mum looking at the videos and she was getting upset. Isn't that devastating," he said.

"I was like, 'Oh, it's funny to us my brother, me, my sister' because we know that this is the way the internet works.

"Then I was like, oh, if you're a mother, her impulse is to come out and be like, 'He wouldn't do this.'"

So there you have it folks, Paul Mescal doesn't take his dates to the park before running away from them.

Sorry to ruin your Friday afternoon.

Gladiator II premieres in cinemas on 15 November.