Relationships Talk

Last year, Americans spent $12 billion on online dating. And Match Group, which owns Tinder, Match.com, Hinge, OkCupid and several other dating apps, accounts for one-third of that pie. But the woman who runs this giant dating platform empire, Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg, doesn’t think she’s qualified to give relationship advice.

“I’m the worst person to give dating advice. I’ve been married twice. The second time, I got a lot smarter, but still,” Ginsberg said jokingly on stage Monday at Business Insider’s IGNITION 2018 in New York.

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That said, Ginsberg, who has worked on the forefront of online dating for over a decade, does have some true insight on what the millions of single people on dating apps might be missing.

“What we’ve found on a lot of our platforms is that what people want and what people say they want are two different things,” she said. “For example, people would say in their profile, ‘I want somebody six-foot-tall and Jewish,’ but all of a sudden you start dating [someone completely different]. People often end up breaking their own criteria.”

And, believe it or not, that rule has applied to Ginsberg’s personal life as well.

“I was actually married to a 6’2” Jewish guy the first time around, but then I ended up with a very cute, short Indian guy,” Ginsberg said with a laugh. “Sometimes you’d look at people in the real world and wonder, ‘that’s such an interesting couple. They clearly have chemistry, but I wouldn’t have seen them together.’ That happens on dating apps as well.”

“So, the holy grail for us is how do we figure out a way to give people a much better indication of chemistry?” she added. 

Ginsberg took charge of Match Group in January, replacing former CEO Greg Blatt, who was ousted in July 2017 amid sexual harassment allegations. Before that, Ginsberg had served as the CEO of Match.com for seven years and led Match Group’s North America business.

Currently, the various dating apps under Match Group have a combined subscriber base of over 10 million.

And if there was ever one piece of universal advice on dating, that would be to “stay open-minded” and be patient, Ginsberg said. “Half of the single people in America today are on these dating apps, so it’s a matter of finding the right chemistry and the person out there.”

Actress Jennifer Aniston has been falsely linked to a number of celebrities after her split with actor Justin Theroux. One of the latest reports claimed the actress had hired a dating coach to help spark her love life back again – a rumor that was debunked.

The rumor was concocted by a magazine called Grazia, which published an article titled “Swipe Right For Jen.” In the article an anonymous insider claimed to have insight about the actress’ personal life, suggesting that she was ready to dive back into the dating pool after choosing to stay single for a while.

“A friend suggested she seek the advice of a professional to help her in the dating game. After her split from Justin [Theroux] she vowed to remain single, but now she’s hoping that she’ll be able to move forward,” the questionable tipster told the tabloid.

However, added the unnamed source, the so-called dating coach was not the only individual that the “Horrible Bosses” actress trusted to get her love life back on track. “As well as seeking professional advice, Jen is relying on her friends to set her up on dates,” the tipster added.

Jennifer Aniston attends the 2018 InStyle Awards at The Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, Oct. 22, 2018. Photo: Getty Images/ Rich Fury

The publication also did not hold back from creating a fictional profile for Aniston, in case the actress decided to join a dating app in the future. Listing some of the qualities that Aniston might be looking for in a potential match, the outlet added the actress was “looking for someone who loves chilling” including romantic comedies and classic shows such as “Friends,” which made her a star.  However, men who don’t watch romcoms are a deal breaker for her, claimed the magazine, adding, “don’t bother if you’re an East Coast type, want to break into acting [and] don’t like rom-coms.”

According to Gossip Cop, the entire premise of the article is flawed as Aniston has repeated time and again that she was perfectly happy being single. She opened up about how tired she was to be painted in a negative light by celebrity gossip magazines after her divorce from Theroux back in February.

“It’s pretty crazy,” she said in an interview for InStyle’s September issue. “The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man,’ and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career.’ Or that I’m sad and heartbroken. First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally.”

Regardless, an increasing number of unreliable publications continue to romantically link her to celebrities like Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and most recently, Johnny Depp.

Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora are painting the town red with their love story. After keeping their relationship under the wraps for a long time, the lovebirds have thrown caution to the wind and are no more shying away from making public appearances.

From dinner dates to parties to vacations, Arjun and Malaika have almost become inseparable. So mich so that Arjun recently admitted that he is no more single, and marriage is definitely on his mind.

And it seems Arjun has got a green signal from chachu Anil Kapoor. The Jhakaas actor, who on Neha Dhupia’s chat show recently, was asked to lend advice to celebrity couple – Malaika and Arjun.

To which the 61-year-old actor replied, “I know him [Arjun Kapoor] very well. Whatever makes him happy, makes me happy. I don’t want to comment on anything as that’s personal… whatever he does. We all family members have believed in that whatever makes the other person happy, makes us happy.”

Recently, on KJo’s show Arjun was asked as to when he plans to introduce girlfriend Malaika to his family. To which the Namaste England actor had said, “It has to fall into place. There’s a lot that’s happened in the family in the last few months. A lot has happened in my life in the last few months that has given me perspective.”

Buzz has it that Arjun and Malaika are set to tie the knot in 2019. Recent reports suggest that Arjun and Malaika have bought a plush apartment near Lokhandwala complex in Mumbai, and the couple is planning to move in soon.

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The Conners featured the return of one of its most memorable guest stars to date, who revealed a hilariously scandalous part of her past.

During “Hold the Salt,” Darlene (Sara Gilbert) finally acts on her feelings toward her boss Ben (Jay R. Ferguson) and the two start to build a romantic relationship, with their conflicting “Alpha” personalities getting in the way from the start.

After sharing their first kiss in the office, Darlene shows up to Ben’s apartment and they have their first disagreement when he asks her to take her shoes off before coming in. The pair then disagree further as they are both stubborn about which wine to enjoy and how to season their meal. Frustrated, Darlene walks away feeling like the relationship might not work after all.

The next morning, Darlene is at a coffee shop expecting to meet David (Johnny Galecki) but is greeted instead by his girlfriend Blue (Juliette Lewis) for the first time since their serious disagreement in a previous episode.

“What are you doing here? Oh wait, that sounds rude,” Darlene says. “What are you doing here instead of David, who I wish was here.”

“Well, he couldn’t come so I’ll be going over the kids’ Christmas list with you,” she says.

Before they discuss the holidays, Blue admits that she is having problems with David and could use Darlene’s advice. Darlene says she wouldn’t want to get involved but the woman opens up anyways about struggling with David’s inability to make decisions.

Darlene says that she is struggling with the opposite as she is dealing with a man who wants to make all of the decisions in their new relationship. Blue starts to massage Darlene’s hand and convinces Darlene to open up about her dating problems.

“I started dating my boss. He’s really controlling and I don’t think it’s going work out,” Darlene admits.

“One thing I learned at my previous job, before massage therapy, is that people who have a lot of responsibility secretly want to give up control to someone else…” Blue said, before hinting she had been a dominatrix in the past.

“It was a long time ago and I was the opposite of an anesthesiologist. I brought a lot of pain,” she continued. When Darlene tells her she doesn’t think Ben might be the kind to let go of his control, Blue suggests Darlene loosen up when it comes to relationships for once.

Back at her office, Darlene tells Ben to focus on work, and when he gives her a bad suggestion for the front page, she doesn’t fight it. Noticing things are different, he apologizes for what happened during their first date.

“I’m sorry that I got upset. I’m used to being the only Alpha in the relationship,” Ben says.

“Me too,” Darlene admits. “Can two Alphas have a relationship that works?”

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Darlene and Ben both agree to try to let go of controlling everything, and just to trust in each other. They seal their blossoming relationship with a kiss before getting back to work.

The Conners airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.