Katy Perry Brought Justin Trudeau to Coachella and Now an Australian Police Investigation Is Happening — The Full Story

What started as Katy Perry's viral Coachella appearance with boyfriend Justin Trudeau turned serious when actress Ruby Rose made a sexual assault allegation against Perry on social media. Australian police are now investigating a case believed to be linked to Rose's claims. Perry denies everything.

Katy Perry arrived at Coachella 2026 on Saturday April 11 with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — the couple's most public joint appearance since their relationship became official in late 2025. The photographs were immediately charming: Perry in a white tee and matching shorts, Trudeau in jeans and a navy cap, the two of them holding hands, snacking on noodles in between sets, and swaying together as Justin Bieber performed. Perry posted a video of the two of them dancing to Bieber's "Speed Demon" with the caption "heat checkin' these chickens," borrowing the lyric. The post went viral. The couple was, briefly, the Coachella story.

Then Ruby Rose responded to a Complex Music Instagram post that featured Perry's Bieber reaction, and the story changed entirely.

Rose — the Australian actress known internationally for Orange is the New Black and Batgirl — wrote on Threads in a series of posts on April 12: "Katy Perry sexually assaulted me at Spice Market nightclub in Melbourne. Who gives a shit what she thinks." She elaborated in subsequent posts about the specific nature of her claim, describing an incident she said occurred when she was in her early twenties. She added that she had kept the incident private for nearly two decades because Perry had reportedly agreed to assist her in obtaining a US visa. "I was only in my early 20s. I'm now 40," Rose wrote. "It has taken almost 2 decades to say this publicly."

Rose initially indicated she was not planning to file a police report, writing: "You don't need people to believe you, you just need to get it out of your poor body before it gives you cancer." She subsequently wrote that she had visited a police station and would provide more details when she had the strength.

CBC News reported on April 13 that an Australian police investigation is underway that is believed to be connected to Rose's allegation. The specific details of that investigation — including which jurisdiction is leading it and what stage it has reached — have not been fully disclosed.

A spokesperson for Perry responded with a categorical denial in a statement to Variety: "The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies. Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named."

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau began dating in July 2025, going Instagram official in October that year. Trudeau, 54, had been separated from his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau since 2023 and was no longer serving as Prime Minister of Canada following the Liberal Party's 2025 election result. His eldest son Xavier has spoken warmly about Perry in public interviews, describing hours-long conversations about music.

The couple's Coachella appearance — which had been the headline story from the festival's opening weekend for an entirely different reason — has now been contextualised by the allegations that emerged on the same night. Perry has not publicly commented beyond the statement issued by her representative. Rose, as of April 16, had not issued further public statements beyond the initial social media posts.

The specific trajectory of this story — from joyful Coachella couple content to active police investigation within 72 hours — is one of the more dramatic reversals in recent celebrity news cycles.