Alleged reason Hugh Jackman’s marriage ended

Hugh Jackman and his wife of 27 years, Deborra-Lee Furness (left), reportedly split due to his alleged affair with Broadway co-star Sutton Foster (right). Photo / Composite, Getty Images
Hugh Jackman’s former wife of 27 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, has appeared to confirm speculation that their shock separation was in part caused by his rumoured affair with Sutton Foster.
On October 26, gossip blogger Tasha Lustig shared a video to Instagram that alleged Jackman, 56, “blindsided his wife” by “running off with the mistress” – a video Furness, 68, liked.
Lustig also claimed Jackman and Foster, who played passionate lovers in the revival of the 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man, wanted to “soft-launch” their reported relationship – rumours of which first arose during their stint as co-stars.
In The Music Man, con artist Harold Hill (Jackman) falls in love with the straight-laced librarian, Marian Paroo (Foster). The revival of the Broadway classic ran from February 2022 to January 2023 at Manhattan’s Winter Garden Theatre.
Furness’ friend Amanda de Cadenet, a British photographer and actress, also appeared to corroborate claims of an affair, commenting on Lustig’s video: “You are on point with this one. My beloved friend Deb is about to have her glow up any moment.”
A post shared by Tasha (@tashalustig)
“Sutton and Hugh’s relationship is the reason Hugh and Deb [separated],” a source reportedly close to Foster told Us Weekly. “A lot of people on Broadway knew, and we kept it quiet because both of them are so nice and great people. Everyone respected their privacy. But there was an affair and overlap. They are really happy now.”
An industry source added to Us Weekly that Furness was “blindsided” when she discovered Jackman and Sutton had allegedly been engaged in an “affair through the run of the show”, branding it “Broadway’s worst-kept secret”.
A friend of the couple told the outlet that Furness was “devastated” to discover Jackman had been “unfaithful”, adding that “many people were shocked [Hugh] could do this to her”.
It’s currently unclear when the alleged affair began, and at the time of writing, Jackman and Foster haven’t publicly confirmed their relationship.
Reports about the rumoured romance came days after Foster, 49, filed for divorce from her husband of 10 years, Ocean’s Eleven screenwriter Ted Griffin, on October 22 in New York County Supreme Court; a little over a year after Jackman and Furness announced their separation in a joint statement to People on September 16, 2023.
Sources told Page Six last month the purported couple have been keeping their relationship under wraps, despite spending “all of their free time together”.
The source claimed the pair have been “sneaking around” in order to maintain a low profile, while another insider alleged Jackman and Foster were “100%” an item and wanted “to spend the rest of their lives together”.
Another source said while the two “go out of their way to hide it”, their romance is “common knowledge” in certain circles.
A 2022 interview with Jackman about The Music Man resurfaced amid the reports last month, during which he gushed: “Sutton Foster is just a dream.”
Jackman and Furness’ relationship also began as co-stars, with the two falling in love on the set of the Australian television series Correlli in 1995.
The Wolverine star and Furness adopted Oscar, 24, in 2000 and Ava, 19, in 2005, while Foster shares an adopted daughter, Emily, with Griffin.
Foster is predominantly known for her work on the Broadway stage, but has also appeared on the small screen. She had lead roles on the comedy-drama series’ Bunheads (2012-2013) and Younger (2015-2021), and appeared in three episodes of Flight of the Conchords in 2007.
She has twice won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, with her Broadway credits including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, Grease, Little Women, Shrek the Musical, Violet, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and The Music Man. She is currently starring as Princess Winnifred in Lear deBessonet’s Broadway revival of the musical Once Upon a Mattress.
Meanwhile, Jackman reprised his role as Wolverine in the July release Deadpool & Wolverine, and is next set to star in the upcoming comedy-thriller film Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie and Song Sung Blue, an upcoming musical drama.
Earlier this year, Furness got candid about her life after the highly publicised split and reflected on her new chapter as a single woman.
“[I learned] that I’m strong and resilient,” the actor revealed to People in May, admitting it had been a “year of evolution”.