Katy Perry Reacts to Josh Groban’s Engagement as “The One That Got Away” Surges Again

Katy Perry is leaning into the renewed attention around “The One That Got Away,” and the timing is hard to miss. The 2010 single, which she previously confirmed was about Josh Groban, is trending again on TikTok just as the opera singer has announced his engagement to theater actress Natalie McQueen.

On Monday, May 11, Perry posted a joke-filled TikTok that plays the news for laughs. In the clip, she appears to cry fake tears while an article about Groban’s engagement sits in the background. She also pours herself an oversized drink and sips it as it spills onto her bathrobe. The video is set to “The One That Got Away,” with Perry keeping the caption brief: “congrats,” followed by a champagne glass emoji.

Groban shared the engagement news in April on Instagram, writing, “MY BEST FRIEND SAID YES!!!”

The post reads as a joke, especially since Perry is now publicly involved with Justin Trudeau. The pair began dating last year, and Perry has since shared several Instagram photos of the two together.

Still, Groban remains the subject most closely tied to the song. Perry confirmed in conversation with James Corden during a 2017 livestream that she wrote the Teenage Dream track, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, about Groban, whom she briefly dated around 2009.

Groban later addressed the reveal on Watch What Happens Live in 2018. “I was not expecting that,” he said. “That was a double take and a spit of my coffee. It’s very sweet of her to say that.”

Perry’s TikTok is one of several recent moves tied to the song’s revival. In April, she released an extended director’s cut of the track’s music video and also put out an EP, Thinking of the One That Got Away, which paired the single with another older track that has been gaining traction lately, “Thinking of You.”