Paul McDonald confirms he is dating Twilight star Nikki Reed

“[Nikki's] supercool,” he told Us Weekly. “She’s been real supportive of this whole thing. She’s actually pumped up now because she likes my original material way better than all the stuff I do on the show.”

Paul, 26, and Nikki, 22, met for the first time at the premiere of Red Riding Hood last month and they had an instant connection.

“It was weird,” McDonald said. “I haven’t ever actually watched any of her movies. I don’t know too much of her career at all, but the person she is is super cool.”

He also added that the two “don’t get to see each other too much because [they're] both working so hard.”

Paul, who was eliminated Thursday night on American Idol, says Nikki was sad that he had to leave the show.

“She is actually pumped,” he said. “She said, ‘Dude, you finally get to do your thing and be yourself and be the artist you are.’ She is happy about the whole situation. She has been nothing but cool to me.”

And while he is thankful for the whole Idol experience, McDonald says he does have one regret: “I probably shouldn’t have been writing songs while I was out here. I should have been focusing more on learning [songs for Idol].”