Kash Patel gets engaged to 19-year younger girlfriend: Who is Alexis Wilkins and how did country singer meet the FBI boss?

FBI Director Kash Patel is engaged to country singer and political commentator Alexis Wilkins, with the couple announcing their engagement on Sunday.

Wilkins, 27, and Patel, 46, announced their engagement on X, with Wilkins sharing a black-and-white photograph of the couple and showing off her ring. “Went and got the law involved,” she wrote. Patel later reposted the picture with ring and heart emojis.

The couple have been together since 2023. They first met at a Nashville event hosted by friends, according to reports, and Wilkins was with Patel when he was sworn in as FBI director in February 2025.

Who is Alexis Wilkins?

Wilkins is a country singer, songwriter, political commentator and writer based in Nashville. She was born on November 3, 1999, in Boston and spent part of her childhood in England and Switzerland before growing up mainly in Arkansas. She later attended Belmont University in Nashville, where she studied business and political science and graduated with honours.

Music, however, has been part of her life since childhood. Wilkins says on her website that her great-grandfather passed down a 1952 Gibson J-45 guitar to her. She wrote her first song when she was six and later travelled to Nashville as a child to record it. The song was eventually used in a fundraising project linked to The Nature Conservancy.

Also Read: 'Went and got law involved': FBI director Kash Patel gets engaged to girlfriend Alexis Wilkins

She released her debut EP, Grit, in 2023. Her debut single crossed one million streams, according to her website, and she has performed alongside country artists including Chris Young, Joe Nichols, Sara Evans and Parmalee.

Wilkins has also built a public profile outside music. Her website describes her as a political writer and commentator, while she has been associated with conservative organisations. She describes her approach to country music as one that “honors country tradition while adding relevance and current commentary.”

Her interests also extend to veterans’ causes. According to her biography, she has worked with organisations supporting veterans and has performed for patients through Musicians On Call. She also launched American Westward, a lifestyle brand focused on western culture and outdoor living, in 2021.

How did Wilkins and Patel meet?

The pair reportedly met at a party hosted by country singer John Rich in Nashville in 2022 and began dating the following year. Wilkins later spoke about their relationship on The Megyn Kelly Show, saying their meeting was unplanned.

“We just happened to meet,” Wilkins said, while discussing their relationship and the attention around their age difference.

Also Read: Kash Patel to face Senate heat over travel, 2020 election probe

“I have always liked [him], when I met him, I just liked that he was so, so honest,” she added. “He’s exactly who he is all the time. His character is incredible. His values are incredible.”

Their relationship became more visible after Patel became FBI director in 2025. Wilkins attended his swearing-in ceremony and has appeared with him at several high-profile events.

By June 2025, Wilkins said they had been together for more than two and a half years. “We've been together a little over two and a half years... all of this was not on my bingo card, but here we are,” she had said on Kelly's show.

Kash Patel & Alexis Wilkins' 19-year age gap

Patel is 19 years older than Wilkins, a difference that has attracted attention since the couple's relationship became public.

Wilkins has previously addressed questions about their age gap, saying she could not imagine dating someone her own age. She also pushed back against the idea that their relationship needed to be explained or justified because of the difference in their ages.

“I feel like [within] a couple of minutes talking to me, you probably couldn't picture me dating a 26-year-old,” she said in a Daily Mail interview. “So it's always made a lot of sense to us and our friends and everyone around us. And there's really no need to justify things like that.”

Why has Kash Patel & Alexis Wilkins' relationship attracted attention?

Part of the attention has come from Patel's position as the head of the FBI. He has faced criticism over his use of government aircraft for trips that critics said had no clear law enforcement purpose.

One reported trip took Patel to State College, Pennsylvania, for a professional wrestling event where Wilkins performed the national anthem. Wilkins later posted photographs from the event showing the couple together, including one in which she was holding a large championship belt.

Also Read: Kash Patel's luxurious date-night outing with girlfriend sparks controversy: FBI's Gulfstream V jet, $35,000 suite date, Pearl Harbour VIP snorkel

Patel's use of the FBI aircraft has been defended by the bureau, which has said security requirements mean the director must use the aircraft for certain personal travel and that Patel reimburses the government for private trips.

Wilkins has also appeared at events linked to President Donald Trump. She performed at Trump's Great American State Fair on the National Mall as part of the America 250 celebrations. The event drew controversy after some artists withdrew when they learned it was not being presented as a non-partisan celebration.

Alexis Wilkins controversy: Mossad ‘honeypot’ claims

Wilkins was also pulled into an online conspiracy theory that alleged she was an Israeli intelligence operative who had entered into a relationship with Patel to influence him.

The theory described Wilkins as a “Mossad honeypot”, a term referring to an alleged intelligence operation in which someone uses a romantic relationship to influence a target. The claims also focused on her past association with PragerU and its CEO, Marissa Streit, who had served in the Israeli military's intelligence branch. That connection was used online to suggest a link to Israeli intelligence, although no evidence was presented that Wilkins was a Mossad operative.

Wilkins rejected the allegations. In a July 2025 appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show, she was asked directly whether she was an operative for a foreign government. “Definitely not. That is a firm ‘no’ on that front,” she said. She later filed a defamation lawsuit against former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin over claims that she was an Israeli intelligence agent.