Kayla Rae Reid: Ryan Lochte’s Rumored Girlfriend, A ‘Playboy’ Playmate, Standing By His Side As He Returns To United States


Kayla Rae Reid is the rumored girlfriend of United States swimmer Ryan Lochte, and the Playboy Playmate was seen by his side as he made his first public appearance since the robbery scandal that has overshadowed his Olympic run.

Reid and Lochte’s relationship has been in the spotlight since even before the Rio Olympics began. Though the two were spotted cozying up together in the lead-up to the Summer Games, and in Rio as well, Lochte told the Today show that he was single and looking to hook up during his nearly two weeks at the Olympics.

Lochte noted that he has an active Tinder account, and even had some female athletes in mind to go after.

“The word around the village is the beach volleyball players,” he said when asked about who the most popular women would be. “From what I recall back in 2012, the Netherlands’ field hockey [team] – that was a big hit in 2012.”

Ryan Lochte actually had a lot of good things to say about Tinder, noting that it was becoming a perk of the Olympics and that he was getting pretty good at finding matches.

“I heard it took off in Sochi [at the 2014 Winter Olympics] and then people were talking about it and I was like, ‘Let me try this,’ ” he told Cosmopolitan back in July. “So I got on it and I’ve been matching up with a bunch of gorgeous women who are smart, they have professional jobs and everything. I’m like, ‘Wow, this is perfect.’ So I’ve been on Tinder lately. So far I haven’t had any dates or anything. I’ve just been talking with a couple [women].”

But now that his run at the Rio Olympics is over and the controversy over his robbery claims has continued to grow, it appears that Ryan Lochte is back with Kayla Rae Reid.

The two were spotted heading to Lochte’s apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina, as Lochte prepared to face the public for his claims that he was robbed at gunpoint in Rio. Just Jared published a photograph of the two together as Lochte prepared for his first sit-down interview on Saturday, a special with Matt Lauer that aired during NBC’s primetime coverage of the Olympics.

The drama started one week ago, when Lochte’s mother said that the swimmer was robbed at gunpoint, a story Lochte had already shared on Snapchat. Lochte claimed that a robber posing as a police officer held a gun to his head and demanded money, People magazine recounted.

Brazilian authorities began questioning the story, ordering Lochte to remain in Brazil along with three other swimmers — Jack Conger, James Feigen, and Gunnar Bentz. By that point, Lochte had already returned home, but the others were questioned and then released.

Lochte spoke to Matt Lauer about the incident on Wednesday, re-affirming his original story but changing a few details, People noted. By this point, Brazilian police said that the incident actually started when the swimmers vandalized a gas station, leading a security officer to draw his gun and demand they pay for the damages.

Ryan Lochte went on to apologize in a statement released this week, via People magazine, saying he should have been more candid in how he described the events and his role in the incident.

“It’s traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country — with a language barrier — and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave, but regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that I am sorry to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors, and the hosts of this great event,” he said.

But the focus isn’t just on Ryan Lochte as he returns to the spotlight. His rumored girlfriend, Kayla Rae Reid, is also getting plenty of attention. After Lochte’s free-spirited attitude during the Olympic Games, she is once again being identified as his girlfriend and photographers have even followed the pair during his return to the United States.

[Image via Instagram]

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