76 Blind Items Led the Gossip Parade

Ya got trouble, right here on Broadway. With a capital T, and that rhymes with C, and that stands for … Cheating? Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster are officially dating, which is sort of like when the two seniors in the high-school theater department get together after being cast as Danny and Sandy. The only difference is that they’re both acclaimed Broadway stars who recently ended long-term marriages. Of course, theater kids come with their own drama. Below, a timeline of the relationship, from their time onstage together, to their respective divorces, to their now-public relationship.

March 2019: A revival of The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman is announced for a fall 2020 opening. Later that month, Sutton Foster is crowned Queen of the Librarians. The whole thing is being produced by megaproducer Scott Rudin, who successfully put on the revival of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler. Honey, you’ve got a big storm coming. A couple storms, actually.

June 2020: Thanks to COVID-19, Hugh Jackman’s The Music Man is postponed to spring 2021. But then it’ll be smooth sailing for producer Scott Rudin, right? Right?

April 2021: In an exposé for The Hollywood Reporter, Scott Rudin is accused of abusive behavior by former staff. Incidents reported in the story include Rudin throwing a baked potato at an assistant, smashing a monitor on an assistant’s hand, and being a font of endless verbal abuse and “mistreatment.”

A week later, Rudin announces that he is stepping back from Broadway shows, including The Music Man. “After a period of reflection, I’ve made the decision to step back from active participation on our Broadway productions, effective immediately,” he tells the Washington Post, while not really explaining what “active” participation means.

Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman both make statements on Rudin. Foster reportedly had threatened to leave The Music Man if Rudin did not step away.

“I apologize if it seems like I wasn’t actively trumpeting my feelings, but I felt like the noise of — I couldn’t get a clear mind, and I really needed to step away,” Foster tells THR. “I never had to deal with anything like this before, and I think 46 years on this Earth deserves that. I’m mature enough to be able to take the time, and I think people should allow it. I really am excited about returning to Broadway, and may we just continue the change and that’s all I’m going to say. I just feel, really, it’s an unbelievably unfortunate situation, but the only positive outcome is the one that is happening. And I know Hugh feels exactly the same way.”

December 2021: Previews for the twice-delayed Music Man begin, with opening night set for February 10, 2022. Foster and Jackman go HAM on social media praising each other for finally getting the dang thing on Broadway. “This show is nothing without you,” Jackman tweets of Foster. “You’re an exceptional talent and friend. Your joy brings the company of @MusicManBway to life. Let’s do this!” Meanwhile, Foster says it’s “a dream to be dancing with Hugh every night” on IG.

There are hundreds of people who’ve made this moment happen. But there’s one in particular I pay tribute to – @sfosternyc. this show is nothing without you. You’re an exceptional talent and friend. Your joy brings the company of @MusicManBway to life. Let’s do this! pic.twitter.com/r1zdddWjI2

— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) December 17, 2021

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A post shared by Sutton Foster (@suttonlenore)

February 2022: The Music Man premieres on Broadway. Sutton Foster crochets Hugh Jackman a marching-band shako for the occasion. She also posts this pic:

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A post shared by Sutton Foster (@suttonlenore)

The show closes in January of 2023, a box-office success. Although nominated for six Tonys, it wins zero.

September 2023: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness announce their separation after 27 years of marriage. “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” they said in a joint statement to People. “Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.” The Aussie couple emphasizes that “Our family has been and always will be our highest priority.”

December 2023: The rumors and nastiness begin. In Touch publishes a story claiming that an affair between Jackman and Foster was the inciting incident for the breakup of the Jackman-Furness marriage. “Their romance is an open secret on Broadway,” one source says, while another states that Jackman has been besotted with Foster from the moment he met her. “He followed her around like a puppy!”

October 2024: Foster files for divorce from husband Ted Griffin after almost ten years of marriage.

November 2024: Tea is being spilled in the Instagram likes! Gossip blogger Tasha Lustig said Furness was “blindsided” by Jackman’s affair with Foster, and that it was the main cause of their divorce. Furness liked the post from her private IG, per Us Weekly. And her friend Amanda de Cadenet commented, “You are on point with this one. My beloved friend Deb is about to have her glow up any moment fyi!”

January 6, 2025: A day that will live on in infamy. No, not because it’s the fourth anniversary of the Capitol riots, but because it’s the day that the Foster x Jackman contingent went (basically) public. Just a few days after Foster’s musical Once Upon a Mattress closed on Broadway, pictures of the two holding hands on what sure looked like a date night appeared in People. She looked very excited to be out and about in a green dress, and he glowed with white pants and a beard — they appeared altogether like the happiest alleged couple we’ve ever seen. Congrats to the alleged pair! Need to know what the double dates between them and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are like.

January 14, 2025: The Daily Mail Australia posts a TikTok with footage of Jackman and Foster kissing both next to a car as well as in the car. It is the first time we’ve seen the two kiss outside of The Music Man, and the TikTok is captioned, “Hugh looks so happy.” We bet he’s honored to have the approval of an Australian news source. Notably, the grainy footage of the kiss is from January 5, per People, the day before People published the very first photos of the two holding hands on a confirmed date night on January 6.

January 15, 2025: The very next day, they’re photographed together holding hands in L.A., per People. This is the first time that the magazine refers to them as a couple.

January 25, 2025: Jackman begins a 24-show run of concerts titled From New York, With Love at Radio City Music Hall, which will take place from January to October, with a few performances each month during that time. Foster is at opening night in a shimmery black dress, as documented by People. Jackman’s Deadpool & Wolverine co-star, Ryan Reynolds, makes an appearance onstage, but Foster does not.

March 27, 2025: Jackman’s ex-wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, is doing okay. An insider tells Us Weekly that she is rebuilding her life and visiting Bhutan. “She’s relied on a strong support system of female friends,” the source says. “She also spends time with other women who’ve been through similar situations who offer her unwavering support.”

May 19, 2025: They did it again. Foster and Jackman take another walk, this time in New York City days before Jackman’s new Off Broadway play Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes opens on May 21. The play, which he’s starring in with Ella Beatty, began previews on April 28. The two were spotted hand in hand in photos exclusively obtained by People. She’s in a blue sundress, and he’s in gray sweatpants carrying around a Global Citizen–branded Power Our Planet tote. Maybe if they walked around more during the Tony-nomination period, she wouldn’t have been forgotten!

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