Hugh Jackman's First Rumored Romance After Deborra-Lee Furness Divorce Is Unusually Messy

Hugh Jackman's reputation as a largely unproblematic celebrity may have been tainted by his first rumored relationship after the end of his 27-year marriage to Deborra-lee Furness. The "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" star and Furness gave a statement to People in September 2023 announcing that they were amicably separating after nearly three decades together, writing, "Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth." The former spouses also stressed that they would not be publicly addressing their separation thereafter and would instead be focusing on their two children. 

In the aftermath of the couple's shock split, InTouch Weekly reported that Jackman had found himself in the midst of a messy romance with his former Broadway co-star Sutton Foster. The Australian actor and the Tony winner shared the stage in "The Music Man" from December 2021 to January 2023. While it's unclear when their relationship turned romantic, an insider excitedly informed the publication that Jackman, "has been besotted with Sutton from the moment he met her. He followed her around like a puppy!" 

They also claimed that Foster, who had been married to Ted Griffin for nearly a decade when the news broke, was equally smitten. Things got even more complicated in October 2024 when Page Six reported that the "Younger" star had filed for an "uncontested divorce" from Griffin, with whom she shares one child. An insider added more fuel to the fire with an additional update on Jackman and Foster's relationship, slyly divulging, "They are 100 percent together and are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together."

While there were several signs that Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness' marriage would not stand the test of time, their 27-year-long union was notably completely drama-free right up until the moment it ended. During a 2021 appearance on "Today," the "Les Misérables" star gushed about the easy-going nature of their relationship: "People often say, 'Oh my god, marriage is so much work.' There are some things you gotta live by, but it doesn't feel like that. It's been one of the best things in my life," per People. In fact, even the reported reason for Jackman and Furness' split was relatively reasonable.

As an insider informed the Daily Mail, in September 2023, "After the past few years, the love they had for each other turned more into a friendship which got broken during COVID, as the lockdown didn't help their marriage at all and really put a strain on their relationship." Unfortunately, the former couple later found themselves in a similar situation due to the WGA Strike, which ultimately led both parties to realize that their marriage had lost its spark and they sadly needed to call it quits. 

Naturally, the drama-free nature of Jackman and Furness' lengthy marriage only makes the "The Greatest Showman" star's rumored romance with Sutton Foster seem even stranger. However, it's also worth keeping in mind that there have been a few signs that Jackman's split from Furness was messier than they let on.