Paris from Catfish is now dating 76-year-old musician Don McLean Thu 17 February 2022 15:39 Celine Byford
Isabella Ramos
Published Apr 06, 2026
Paris Dunn hasn’t let her Catfish: The TV Show experience stop her from finding love, as Instagram pictures show her looking incredibly loved-up with 76-year-old musician Don McLean.
Aspiring model Paris and NBA player Chris Andersen were victims of a Catfishing scandal, in which they thought they were exchanging romantic messages with one another – which was later discovered to be the work of Shelly Chartier.
However, Paris has since moved on from the well-known MTV story and found love with a new man. Chris, however, seems to have moved away from the limelight and doesn’t appear to have social media.
Paris’ Catfish story
Paris thought she was speaking to NBA player Chris Andersen, but it was actually Shelly Chartier who made false accounts for both of them and was really the person sending the messages.
It came after someone previously used Paris’ pictures in a separate Catfish: The TV Show episode in which another show star was made to think they were chatting to her. She revealed to them she was not who they were speaking to.
Paris, who was 17 at the time of being a victim, shared selfies with a fake number, while Chris done the same. Shelly also made a false account under the name Tom Taylor, claiming to be the NBA player’s best friend.
However, the real Chris Andersen ended up picking her up from an airport, in which they shared a weekend together. Shelly was later sentenced to 18 months in prison involving impersonation, extortion and making threats.
Whoa…. watching this Dateline about Chris Andersen (Birdman) and a girl named Paris being catfish in the biggest way. JHC. Another person was catfishing them both pretending to be one another! Trying to work but this story is so crazy I stopped to watch.
— Menkhare (@menkhare) January 28, 2022
Who is her boyfriend Don McLean?
The now 27-year-old is in a relationship with Don McLean, an American singer-songwriter known for his 1971 hit song “American Pie”. A father-of-two, his other hits include “Vincent”, “Dreidel”, and a rendition of Roy Orbison’s “Crying”.
With a Songwriter’s Hall of Fame to his name, he’s kind of a big deal. By January 2018, BMI certified that “American Pie” and “Vincent” had reached five million and three million airplays respectively.
Don has Scottish and Italian heritage, and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. Growing up, he got a bachelor’s degree in business but turned down a scholarship to Columbia University Graduate School to pursue his career.
Although his other albums didn’t quite match his “American Pie” success, Don became a major concert attraction in the United States and overseas. He is also an ambassador for Teen Cancer America.
Don and Paris: Relationship timeline
Paris Dunn, who goes by stage name Paris Dylan, is set to retire to McLean’s farm with him. They’ve been together for five years running and have plans to stay together by retreating from the limelight.
The pair began dating shortly after Don divorced from ex-wife Patrisha Shnier in 2016, and after Paris found fame on the MTV show. They first became Instagram official when she shared a pic of them together at Thanksgiving.
Don told People he was “crazy for” Paris in 2021 and said that “she is the most wonderful person that I have ever known.” He went on to say they have no plans to break up and said:
I’m honored to have her as a girlfriend and a partner and we have no plans to ever break up. We are going to stay together and ride this pony as long as we can.
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