Are Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe dating?

It seems a portion on the Outlander fandom are obsessed with knowing if lead actors Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe are dating. They are called SamCait shippers, and it is real. They are not a large group in the fandom, but they are vocal. If you do not know what a “shipper” is, we will explain.

The word “shipper” or “shipping” is derived from the word relationship. The word shipper entered American lexicon over the past few years with the popularity of fan fiction and social media application like Tumblr and had made it to the Oxford Dictionary. A shipper or to ship is to support a romantic pairing typically between two characters in a fictional series who are not together. While, as a policy, I do not “ship” real people, but some do. It is not easy when you see how adorable Sam and Cait are together, but I try not to get swept up in it. The relationship of TV characters is much easier to figure out than the heart of two real people.

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I guess my question is why is it such a big deal to find out if Sam and Cait are dating in real life? Yes, the chemistry between the two actors is off the charts. Yes, they are publicly super flirty with each other in public and on social media. Two people can work together and not mean they are dating. I am not saying not to enjoy the adorable flirty things they do together. Heck, I love that stuff. I am just saying let us not dissect every little move, picture or tweet Sam and Cait make or rumors we hear. We should not stalk them or their friends on social media because that is just creepy.

So here is my challenge. Let us be the fandom who support these two excellent actors. We have demonstrated when the Outlander fandom is united we can get Cait voted E! Girl on Top and Sam Radio Times TV Champion. Let us celebrate their successes and support their causes. We can enjoy how adorable they are together and not freak out if we hear they are dating other people. We do not want to be the fandom who scares its lead actors into hiding because people are being intrusive. That is not a life anyone would want to lead.

What do you think of SamCait shippers? Do you think social media is at fault for people being so interested in other peoples personal life?