New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is quite tight-lipped about her personal life, and her relationship with her web developer fiancé, Riley Roberts, is low-key. In fact, she is so discreet that she may not have known they were a couple. Or maybe you didn't even know she had a boyfriend (ahem, I didn't). Now: who is Riley Roberts? One of America's most up-and-coming politicians, Riley Roberts' would-be husband is intensely private and supportive.

A 2018 Vogue (open in new tab) profile on Ocasio-Cortez describes Roberts as an "easygoing redhead" and explains that he has long supported her:

And every Friday afternoon when Ocasio-Cortez hosts BU's dean Roberts, whom she met at a conversation. He later moved from Arizona to be near her. When we first met backstage at The Daily Show, he casually cited tax rates in the 1950s.

According to Insider, at these Coffee & Conversations meetings at BU, Ocasio-Cortez often led the sessions. One BU friend told the magazine that she often ended meetings with thoughtful conclusions "with a twist of her own." [Roberts, on the other hand, liked to be quiet. You could see him in a corner of the room, mulling things over," a mutual college friend of the couple told Insider, describing him as a "philosopher" type. Another friend told Vanity Fair magazine that in the liberal college bubble, "basically, it's pretty easy for everyone to think the same way."

The couple was (and honestly still is) so low-key that some friends reportedly did not know they were dating until years after they graduated from college.

"I think people saw how glamorous she was, but these were not two glamorous people. They were awkward, they were super smart, they liked to talk about problems, and they were the kind of two people who met through this super wonky, nerdy thing," their friend Raul Fernandez told "Vanity Fair." As for Roberts, he added, "He would get out of the way when the camera was pointed at her."

According to a now-defunct page on LinkedIn, Roberts was the head of marketing for HomeBinder.com. He also worked as a consultant helping technology startups grow revenue through marketing and development. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, he holds two degrees from Boston University.

In February, conservative podcast host Luke Thompson tweeted a photo of Roberts' email (open in new tab) and claimed in the caption that the first-year representative had Roberts on staff and was "paid on the taxpayer dime." Ocasio-Cortez hopped on social media for a reality check: to which Ocasio-Cortez replied, "Actually, this Cal designation is permission for him to have access to my Google Cal" (opens in new tab). 'Congressional spouses always have access to Gcal. Next time check your facts before you mumble nonsense."

That's right. Roberts was there with Ocasio-Cortez's brother Gabriel (black suit and glasses) and mother Blanca (holding a Bible for her daughter). Roberts was the tall, bearded gentleman on the far right, literally beaming from ear to ear in support of his history-making girlfriend.

Roberts also had a short reaction in the New York Post (opens in new tab): "A truly incredible day, a truly special day. He added that he likes Washington, D.C., so far. It's wonderful."

Again, the couple is very quiet about their relationship, but in Ocasio-Cortez's Instagram announcement that he is running for Congress, he is the tall, bearded man in the third image from the back (swipe through):

Ocasio= Cortez also mentions him in a Twitter post accusing Republicans and the media of going to Roberts' parents' home and looking for smear stories about her.

It doesn't look like Roberts has his own social media presence, and he's obviously keeping quiet, but there's nothing wrong with being supportive. Interestingly, Roberts is sometimes mistaken for a volunteer (open in new tab) rather than a partner.

His appearance in Netflix's Knock Down the House brought him to the attention of the Internet. In this award-winning documentary (which follows the 2018 primary campaigns of Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Villella, Cori Bush, and Paula Jean Swearagin), many people get a decent glimpse of this superstar progressive's leading role (from 0:00 in this video from 35), and were surprised enough by Roberts' appearance to exchange two opinions on Twitter.

After watching "Knock Down the House," several comments about her boyfriend's aesthetic sensibilities came in, and a comment from political journalist Marie Le Conte started a mean-spirited and slightly funny meme. [In a now-deleted tweet (opens in new tab), she wrote:" Sorry for the blatantly mean tweet, but this is what an AOC boyfriend looks like." It's an incredible sight, representing the ambitious and stunning millennial women who are shackled by boyfriends who look exactly like the bin raccoons out there. [Ocasio-Cortez says on her Instagram story that her boyfriend cut her hair after the election, inspired by a joke on Twitter.

"The internet roasted Riley for getting a haircut/glow up after 'Knock Down the House,'" Ocasio-Cortez captioned a video of Roberts post-haircut.

Ocasio-Cortez explained on Twitter that she was so busy with the election that the couple "hadn't had a haircut in months."

In perhaps the most mommy-like move I have ever witnessed, Ocasio-Cortez's mother Blanca gave an interview to the Daily Mail in 2019, saying she wanted the two to get engaged. (Because if you become a political superstar overnight, that's exactly what your mother would do.)

"I love him. He is the most loving and supportive person I have ever seen. He helped her so much during the campaign," Blanca told the Daily Mail (opens in new tab). 'It's been four years now since we reconnected from our college breakup. I know they love kids and are doing very well with the kids in their family. So I hope they get married soon." But they haven't told me anything yet."

Perhaps a nod to why Ocasio-Cortez keeps her personal life private, Blanca added: "I'm not sure why I'm here. But it seems that God is messing with me quite a bit with this political thing."

Ocasio-Cortez said she has considered freezing her eggs. She got a dog "to keep me out of work," she told Vanity Fair. (Open in new tab) "I'm sitting here, I'm like, freeze my eggs or I can afford to do it." My orthodontist was telling me about how she had done IVF, and I'm kind of asking what her experience is like.

Ocasio-Cortez, on the other hand, is happy with her dog's motherhood. Last January, she released a short video of the little French bulldog she and Roberts had together, saying, "Hey, Boo Boo. Hi, welcome to our family."

In May 2022, Ocasio-Cortez confirmed her engagement to Roberts, telling Insider: "I got engaged last month in my family's hometown in Puerto Rico. There are no details yet about the future." We are taking a little time to savor this moment before we dive into our plans."